By Steven Kelliher on August 25, 2010
Joe Lauzon’s last fight marked the first time in his professional career he has been to the judges’ scorecards. Unfortunately, he lost a three-round war with Canadian striker Sam Stout after nearly ripping his opponent’s arm off in the first round. Next up for the Massachusetts native was supposed to be British standout Terry Etim, [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, ufc
By Steven Kelliher on August 11, 2010
After reeling off two victories in the WEC’s lightweight division in 2008, Shane Roller was finished in the first round after being caught in a risky exchange with future Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson. Since that loss, the former D-1 wrestler from Oklahoma State has reeled off three wins over some of the top fighters in [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, wec
By Steven Kelliher on August 5, 2010
After taking almost two years off from active MMA competition following the collapse of EliteXC in 2008, KJ Noons picked up where he left off in 2010, winning back-to-back fights to emerge as a viable contender for Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez. In his second fight with the California-based promotion, Noons will take on former [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, strikeforce
By Steven Kelliher on August 3, 2010
While Jorge Gurgel’s last fight, a Unanimous Decision loss to top lightweight contender Billy Evangelista, left him disappointed, the Ohio native and UFC veteran has promised that his upcoming main card battle with KJ Noons at Strikeforce: Houston will see almost ten years of professional competition pay off, as he plans to stop the highly [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, strikeforce
By Steven Kelliher on July 19, 2010
Although reports surfaced last week that a rematch between top WEC lightweights Donald Cerrone and Jamie Varner was in the works for a September 30 WEC 51 card, sources close to the situation have informed Tapology that–as of now–the potential bout is just a rumor, as was previously reported by MMAWeekly. While a rematch with [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews, Industry Analysis | Tagged lightweights, wec
By Steven Kelliher on June 28, 2010
After winning the UFC Lightweight Championship following five hard-fought rounds in April, Frankie Edgar was probably expecting to be the focus of countless Cinderella story comparisons. After all, he had done what no lightweight had in eight years by defeating a man known simply as “The Prodigy.” Instead, many fans and pundits openly disputed the [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, ufc
By Steven Kelliher on June 17, 2010
While her first client continues to mesmerize fans with his performances inside of the Octagon, Shari Spencer, manager of UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre and UFC Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar, turned heads last year when she successfully negotiated sponsorship agreements with Gatorade and Under Armour to represent GSP to the mainstream masses. With 2009 now [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged insiders, lightweights, ufc, welterweights
By Gregory Saks on June 16, 2010
BJ Penn stayed atop the lightweight divisional buzz rankings in April for the sixth straight month, continuing his reign as the most popular 155 pound fighter despite now having to look up at Frankie Edgar as the divisional champion. The two fighters are scheduled to main event UFC 118 in Boston in August, and should [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, lightweights
By Steven Kelliher on June 14, 2010
After enduring the longest stretch of injuries and inactivity throughout his decade-long career, former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson returned to action this past December to defend his belt against the man he took it from, Gilbert Melendez. Unfortunately for Thomson, things did not go his way, as ring rust, a faulty game plan, and [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged lightweights, strikeforce
By Steven Kelliher on June 8, 2010
When Pat Curran entered the Bellator Season 2 Lightweight Tournament, few seemed to recognize him as a legitimate threat to advance to the semifinals, never mind the finals on June 10. Two months later, Curran is in the midst of final preparations for a showdown with Season 1 veteran and come-from-behind submission specialist Toby Imada [...]
Posted in Exclusive Interviews | Tagged bellator, lightweights
