WSOF 3 Results & Discussion

gaethje the young beast....if he beats cobb he should be ranked....fickett,jz and cobb to a 9 fight young fighter not bad at all

carson beebe 13-2 vs fabio mello 11-6 added....



Carson Beebe ‏@CarsonBeebeMMA 11 abr
@uflackerbjj I just signed to fight a Brazilian, Fabio Mello, at @MMAWorldSeries Ill be seeing I soon to work on my BJJ! Lots of work to do.

https://twitter.com/CarsonBeebeMMA

Mello ye baby another Blackzilian on the card

“The Man of” Steele has an opponent for World Series of Fighting 3 – he’ll be facing another submission machine in Steve Carl. Carl is 19-3 with 14 of those wins coming via submission. Tyson will have to employ his Hulk Smash tactics again to win this fight!

http://topmmanews.com/2013/04/22/canadian-rumour-mill-april-22/

MR.WILLIE wrote:“The Man of” Steele has an opponent for World Series of Fighting 3 – he’ll be facing another submission machine in Steve Carl. Carl is 19-3 with 14 of those wins coming via submission. Tyson will have to employ his Hulk Smash tactics again to win this fight!

http://topmmanews.com/2013/04/22/canadian-rumour-mill-april-22/

Looking forward to his return to WSOF. Hopefully he is as dominant as he was against Gracie.

This is number thirty-eight in Jack Brown’s series of interviews with MMA fighters and personalities, and for this particular interview, we’re pleased to feature UFC veteran and World Series of Fighting lightweight, John Gunderson. Gunderson has had 50 pro MMA fights and is 34-14-2. His next fight is scheduled to be against UFC veteran, Dany Lauzon, at WSoF 3, on June 14th. Please enjoy the conversation below.

Jack Brown: What was your first experience with martial arts/combat sports, and how did it become more than just a hobby for you?

John Gunderson: I started boxing at 14 at a local boxing club in Bend, Oregon. I loved combat sports so much that, after the very first MMA show I watched, "Desert Brawl," I was hooked and started training.

JB: What do you recall about your first professional MMA fight, a TKO win in Desert Brawl, and how prepared do you feel you were at the time?

JG: My very first fight I was not prepared at all. I just wanted to get in there and see how it went.

JB: Before entering the UFC you had already been fighting professionally for eight years and had amassed a record of 29-9-2. What were the highlights of those years of your fighting career?

JG: Winning the Sport Fight lightweight title meant a lot because, at the time, I also had the only other Oregon show, Desert Brawl’s, belt. Also, stopping Crazy Horse in Oregon, when he was on a nice streak and coming off a big win in PRIDE. Then there was also competing in the IFL, after winning the lightweight spot on the Lions in a tryout that had a few hundred other guys trying out.

JB: You entered the UFC back at UFC 108 in January, 2010. What was that debut like for you and do you think fighting in organizations like the IFL prepared you for what to expect?

JG: My debut in the UFC was nerve-wracking because I was in no shape to take it on less than two weeks’ notice, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get in there.

JB: After your loss to Yves Edwards, you were released by the UFC. You finished with a record of 1-2 in the promotion, all three fights having gone to decisions. How would you characterize your time in the UFC and what, if anything, would you have done differently?

JG: My career in the UFC went fast and I was disappointed. I flew out to Abu Dhabi and had my fight cancelled on the day of it. I took a fight a month later and won. Then I fought Yves two months later and was released. If I could go back I would have taken more time between fights to prepare and I would have thrown caution to the wind and fought more aggressively.

JB: Since leaving the UFC, you have gone 4-3 with various promotions and have beaten veterans of the sport like Justin Buchholz and Karo Parisyan. What have these last few years of fighting been like for you and how has your training been going?

JG: The last few years definitely have had their ups and downs. After so many fights, and so many gym wars, my body feels about sixty-five years old at times. This year, I switched my camp up to Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, and I feel great.

JB: You are now part of the World Series of Fighting and you are scheduled to face another UFC veteran, Dany Lauzon, at WSOF 3 on June 14th? What do you think about the WSOF, this matchup with Lauzon, and what advantages do you think you'll have in the fight?

JG: I'm happy to be a part of WSOF. They’re throwing shows in Vegas so I can fight at home in front of friends and family. I think Dan will be another tough test. He's very underrated and very dangerous. But when I'm healthy, and I'm on, I'm a handful for any 155er out there. I don't care who it is. It's a fight and any fighter can win on any given night. That's the beauty of the lightweight division. Anybody can beat anyone in the top 50-75. You never know.

JB: Of all the other fighters out there at 155, who would you most like to fight someday and who are the ones that you admire or respect the most?

JG: I would love to fight anyone I've lost to, and the flip-side to that is I would rematch anyone I've beaten to give them that same opportunity. Most of all though, I’d like to fight the last guy I lost to, who I believe I overlooked and should have trained for.

JB: What else do you enjoy outside of training and fighting, and who are the individuals who have supported you most in life?

JG: The only other thing I do besides fighting is soccer with my daughters 5-6 times a week. My daughters and my wife, Kristen, are my life and I have no idea where I would be if it was not for their love and support.

JB: Last question, John, and thanks for taking the time to do this. What does it mean to you to be a fighter and how much do you enjoy it?

JG: I enjoy being a fighter so much and believe, even if MMA were not around, I would be in some sort of combat! MMA is a way of life for me and I would not change it for anything. I want to thank JT Taylor for introducing me to this wonderful sport!

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/436863/John-Gunderson-Dany-Lauzon-will-be-a-tough-test-in-WSoF/

What do you guys think about the future of WSOF? I think that if WSOF and Bellator work together they can conquer Zuffa.

^Bellator and WSOF partnership would be unreal. They should also work with the big Asian and European promotions as well.

jon fitch 24-5 (5ko)(5sub) vs josh burkman 25-9

tyrone spong 1-0 vs angel deanda 11-2 (10ko)

jacob volkmann 15-4(7sub) vs lyle beerbohm 20-2(7ko)(10sub)

rolles gracie 8-1(8sub) vs dave huckaba 20-5(16ko)(3sub)

justin gaethje 8-0 (7ko) vs brian cobb 20-7

prelims:

tyson steele 11-1 vs steve carl 19-3

dan lauzon 16-4(9ko)(7sub) vs john gunderson 34-14 (4ko)(27sub)

brenson hansen 4-1 vs................

kendrick miree 5-0 vs krasimir mladenov 8-0

carson beebe 13-2 vs fabio mello 11-6

wow...

Id rather see Steele/Carl in place of Gracie/Huckaba. Other than that, should be another solid offering.

Love this card....just hope Spong stays on it.

CDF47 wrote:Love this card....just hope Spong stays on it.

spong is out...

new poster....carl vs steele in the main card...

as of now.....4 fight main card...

World Series of Fighting announced today a new co-main event matchup between streaking, prolific welterweight (170 pounds) rising stars and fearsome submission aces Tyson “Man of” Steele (10-1) of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada and Steve Carl (19-3) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion’s highly-anticipated fight card at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Friday, June 14, live on NBC Sports Network, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

The announcement comes in the wake of the withdrawal of Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong (1-0) of Boca Raton, Fla. via Suriname from his scheduled light heavyweight (205 pounds) co-main event matchup with Angel “The Dream” DeAnda (11-2) of Oakdale, Calif. due to Spong’s inability to return from the Netherlands to his Boca Raton-based MMA training camp Blackzilians in time to prepare adequately for his second-career MMA-rules bout.

Additionally, a lightweight (155 pounds) contest between grappling wizards Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm (21-2) of Spokane, Wash. and Jacob Volkmann (15-4) of White Bear Lake, Minn. has been added to the event’s preliminary card.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to replace the original co-main event with a matchup between two of MMA’s fastest rising stars who are both on course to become future champions,” said World Series of Fighting President and six-time world kickboxing champion Ray Sefo. “Losing Tyrone from this card is unfortunate, but our fighters need to prepare sufficiently to compete at this level, and we are certainly not going to take any shortcuts or try to rush a matchup if one or both fighters are not ready to compete. We will move forward and look forward to seeing Tyrone back in the World Series of Fighting cage very soon.”

A former oil industry laborer, the 26-year-old Steele, who is riding a four-fight win streak, found
greater opportunity in the sport of MMA after discovering the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and hasn’t
turned back since. On Nov. 3, he notched his greatest victory to date in his first start outside of Canada, a first round (4:52) TKO (knee and punches) of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Gregor
Gracie at the inaugural World Series of Fighting event in Las Vegas.

Thus far, 7 of Steele’s 10 professional career victories have come by way of submission and 2
of the other 3 have come by way of TKO.

The 28-year-old Carl is a U.S. Army veteran who, likewise, found his calling in life in the world’s
fastest growing sport after taking up Army Combatives. Of his 19 professional career victories
to date, 14 have come by way of submission.

Against Steele, Carl will put a five-fight winning streak on the line. He earned his latest victory
at the World Series of Fighting event on Nov. 3, submitting Ramico Blackmon with a rear-
naked choke in the first round (2:11) of their matchup.

The 34-year-old Beerbohm, a former meth addict who discovered MMA while watching
television from a prison sofa, later became an inspiration, taking up MMA training the same
day he was released from incarceration. After just two amateur fights in which he stopped both
of his opponents, Beerbohm made his professional debut in 2007 and ran to 15 consecutive
victories over the course of the next three years.

Beerbohm, whose nickname originated as a result of the colorful fight shorts that his mother
sews for him, holds notable wins over the likes of former Muay Thai champion and KO artist
Duane “Bang” Ludwig, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and former
PRIDE star Marcus Aurelio.

Volkmann is a 32-year-old, three-time NCAA Division I All-American and former Big 10
Conference wrestling champion for University of Minnesota. Since turning pro in 2007, he has
earned 7 of his 15 career victories by way of submission.

Volkmann boasts wins over fellow stars Danny Castillo, Bobby Voelker, Ronys Torres and
Antonio McKee.

Tickets for the World Series of Fighting event, priced from $29 (plus applicable service
fees), are on sale at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at
Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

In the welterweight main event and long-awaited rematch, Jon Fitch (24-5) of Fort Wayne, Ind.,
will square off with fellow superstar Josh “The People’s Warrior” Burkman (25-9) of Salt Lake
City, Utah.

The second meeting between the 35-year-old Fitch, a member of San Jose, Calif.-based Team
AKA, and the 32-year-old Burkman, a winner of four consecutive fights, comes slightly more
than seven years after Fitch submitted Burkman with a rear-naked choke in the second round
(4:57) of their initial encounter that, coincidentally, also took place at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
in Las Vegas.

Also slated for battle on the four-bout TV card is heavyweight rising star and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt Rolles Gracie (8-1) of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, who will face off with Dave Huckaba
(21-4) of Sacramento, Calif.

Undefeated prospect Justin Gaethje (8-0) of Denver, Colo. will collide with Brian Cobb (20-7)
of Bakersfield, Calif., in a lightweight contest.

In preliminary card action, battle-tested submission specialist John Gunderson (34-14) of
Houston, Tex. will be pitted against Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon (16-4) of Bridgewater, Mass.
in another lightweight tilt. All 16 of Lauzon’s professional career victories have come by way of
(T)KO or submission.

Fellow undefeated prospects Krasimir Mladenov (8-0) of Borica, Bulgaria and Kendrick Miree
(5-0) of Atlanta, Ga., will square off at middleweight (185 pounds).
Additional preliminary card bouts will be announced soon.
Doors at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will open at 4:30 p.m. PT and the first
preliminary card bout will begin at 5 p.m.

http://www.wsof.com/news.php

4 fight main card....carson beebe vs fabio mello is also in the prelims

World Series of Fighting continues to fill out the card for its next show, WSOF 3 next month in Las Vegas.

Chris Gruetzemacher (11-1) will meet Jerrod Sanders (11-1) in a featherweight bout, while Carson Beebe (13-2) takes on Joe Murphy (6-0) at bantamweight. WSOF officials on Wednesday announced the new fight pairings. All four fighters will be making their WSOF debuts.

WSOF 3 takes place June 14 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The main card airs on NBC Sports Network. The main event is a welterweight bout between former UFC title challenger Jon Fitch and fellow UFC vet Josh Burkman.

Gruetzemacher is riding a 10-fight win streak, including eight finishes. The Arizona-based fighter hasn't lost in more than four years. Included among his 10-fight win streak is a Strikeforce Challengers TKO win over Ryan Diaz in August 2010. In 2012, he picked up wins over WEC vet Frank Gomez and UFC and Bellator vet Roli Delgado, both by TKO.

Sanders is on a lengthy win streak of his own with nine consecutive victories, six by stoppage. The Oklahoma City-based 145-pounder went 4-0 in 2012 with three stoppages, but he didn't fight after July of this past year. The lone loss of Sanders' career came to Jeremy Spoon at Bellator 37.

Beebe, brother of former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe, will be looking to get back in the win column after having a seven-fight win streak snapped this past November at Tachi Palace Fights 15. Before that, along with wins for regional promotions, Beebe's resume included a win for Legacy Fighting Championship. Beebe made the cut on Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter," but was submitted by eventual semifinalist Johnny Bedford in his preliminary fight to get into the house.

Murphy has had a perfect start to his career. The California-based fighter has five submissions in his 6-0 start. When he makes his WSOF debut next month, it will be his first fight in 14 months.

With the addition, the latest WSOF 3 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (NBC Sports Network, 11 p.m. ET)
Josh Burkman vs. Jon Fitch
Steve Carl vs. Tyson Steele
Brian Cobb vs. Justin Gaethje
Rolles Gracie vs. Dave Huckaba

PRELIMINARY CARD (stream, 8 p.m. ET)
Lyle Beerbohm vs. Jacob Volkmann
John Gunderson vs. Dan Lauzon
Kendrick Miree vs. Krasimir Mladenov
Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Jerrod Sanders
joe murphy vs carson beebe

http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/05/wsof-3-adds-gruetzemacher-sanders-beebe-murphy-to-prelims

The FL Interview: Josh Burkman




Four weeks from now, Josh Burkman will fight in the main event of the third World Series of Fighting event on the nationally-syndicated NBC Sports network. He faces a familiar opponent in UFC castaway Jon Fitch, whom he suffered a second-round submission loss to seven years ago at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas – the same venue the World Series of Fighting will visit next month.

Burkman has enjoyed much success since a three-fight losing skid in 2008 cost him his position with the UFC. He has won seven of eight fights since then, including the recent demolition of 12-time UFC veteran Aaron Simpson under the World Series of Fighting banner. A win over Jon Fitch next month would not only leave Burkman alone atop the World Series of Fighting’s welterweight fold but would also solidify his claims as one of the ten best welterweights anywhere. If you ask Burkman, though, he has much more to win.

Fitch beat me worse than anybody’s ever beat me in my career inside or outside the cage. He beat me at a time when I was probably buying my own hype a little too much and I definitely underestimated Fitch and overestimated myself. That’s where my career started to go up and down and it’s a fight that I performed well under my abilities and now coming back in my career, it’s just a fight that I want back. I think every fighter wants a chance to avenge his losses.

Since his UFC tenure, Burkman has relocated to his home of Orem, Utah, where he is part of the Pit Elevated fight team alongside UFC fighters Court McGee, Ramsey Nijem and Steven Siler. According to Burkman, the linkup with the Pit was a byproduct of McGee – another native Utahan – working with Chuck Liddell on the eleventh season of the Ultimate Fighter.

I’m a much different fighter now and having that performance that I had will not only help me avenge that loss but will also [help me prove] I’m one of the top welterweights in the world. That’s my ultimate goal, to prove that I’m one of the top fighters in the world and I think the World Series of Fighting has given me an opportunity to climb that platform by bringing Jon Fitch in. He’s a top ten guy in the world.”

Last time out, Burkman fought an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler in Aaron Simpson. Jon Fitch is also a grappler, though according to “The People’s Warrior,” one with a style better accustomed to mixed martial arts. Regardless the credentials held by Jon Fitch, Burkman feels like he will be able to not just defeat Fitch, but also finish him.

I think I can deal with Fitch. I fought him before and I know the mistakes I made against him. I’m a much different fighter now than I was then. At the same time, it seems like Fitch has taken his wrestling into MMA a little better than Aaron Simpson did. He used his wrestling to set up his hands, Jon Fitch has great standup but he also uses wrestling to transition to jiu-jitsu, a much different style and a much different problem than Simpson posed.
I’m excited to see [Jon Fitch’s approach] myself.

I really feel that I’m better now than I’ve ever been, better than I’ve been in my entire career. I think after we both come out that Jon Fitch might try to press the action – and I hope he does that.

After the first minute of the first round, Jon Fitch is going to realize he’s in there with a completely different fighter and I’m going to be able to find some openings and put myself into some good positions.

The more he does that the more than I’m going to be able to hurt him and I think over the first round and a half I’ll really be able to start to break Jon Fitch down and I’m definitely going to stop it.

I don’t think this fight will go to a decision – I think I’ll stop him before the fight goes the distance.

Fight fans appreciate good fights and I think World Series of Fighting is giving fight fans really good fights and fights they want to see. The big thing for World Series of Fighting is that three-year deal with NBC sports. NBC Sports came in and bought Versus to have a TV station for the Olympics and I read that that station is in 80 million homes.

That’s what makes the WSOF unique in an upstart promotion is they got that TV deal. The World Series of Fighting, when I signed on with them my goal was to be a future fighter in their organization, not use their organization as a stepping stone to get somewhere else.

I am coming off wins over Gerald Harris, Aaron Simpson and now I have a chance to become a top welterweight in this promotion with a win over Jon Fitch. I absolutely want to represent this brand right and I’ve been told the better the fighters do this better this organization does and the better the organization does, the better for us fighters.

Josh Burkman is set to become the only three-time WSOF veteran with his appearance at WSOF 3. Finding a home has been a difficult task for many ex-UFC fighters but Burkman has renegotiated his contract and will call the World Series of Fighting home for at least four more fights.

They were very open to it and when they signed Jon Fitch, they let me redo my contract again. It’s nice having a president like Ray Sefo because he knows where the fighters are coming from. They listened to me and they gave me a new contract, so I’ve got a four fight deal with them. I’m very happy with this organization and where it’s going and I’ll be around with them for a while.

Competition for the UFC is healthy and I think that for me, I’m coming up to the best part of my career over the next couple of years and I’m grateful for the WSOF for giving me a platform to perform on and I also think that I’m going to prove that one of the best fighters in the world is not on the UFC but in another organization.

http://fightlinker.com/the-fl-interview-josh-burkman/

lyle beerbohm vs jacob volkmann has been added to the main card....

5 fight main card...hell yes!!!