DIEGO ‘NIGHTMARE’ SANCHEZ AND MARTIN ‘THE HITMAN’ KAMPMANN HEADLINE VERSUS’ THIRD LIVE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP (UFC) EVENT ON MARCH 3rd
NEW YORK, N.Y. – VERSUS will air the first of four UFC® events in 2011, on Thursday, March 3, with a stacked card featuring Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann in a welterweight battle along with a highly anticipated middleweight clash between CB “The Doberman” Dollaway and Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz. The fight will originate from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville and air live on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET.
As always, the network will super-serve MMA fans by offering extended coverage of the event with two live shows hosted by Craig Hummer, Molly Qerim and 2010 MMA Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani, a 60-minute pre-fight show and 30-minute wrap-up show, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The pre show will include exclusive interviews with Diego Sanchez prior to his main-event battle with Kampmann as well as superstar Jon “Bones” Jones, who discusses his impeding title fight against Mauricio Rua on March 19 at UFC 128. VERSUS will also chat with fighters on the event’s card both before and after their matches.
LIZ “GIRL-RILLA’’ CARMOUCHE TO REPLACE INJURED MIESHA TATE
AGAINST CHAMPION MARLOES COENEN AT STRIKEFORCE IN COLUMBUS, OHIO,
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, LIVE ON SHOWTIME
In Main Event, Dan Henderson Challenges
STRIKEFORCE Light Heavy Belt-Holder “Feijao’’ Cavalcante
NEW YORK – Undefeated Liz “Girl-Rilla’’ Carmouche (6-0) has replaced an injured Miesha Tate and will face STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Welterweight Champion Marloes Coenen on Saturday, March 5, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
Tate, the No. 1 contender at 135 pounds, was forced to withdraw after suffering a knee injury during training.
Carmouche, of San Diego, by way of Lafayette, La., will be making her third start for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME. She is coming off an impressive third-round TKO (punches) over the more-experienced, hard-hitting Jan Finney on Nov. 19, 2010. Carmouche has only gone the distance once in her career.
Healy Deals Beerbohm First Loss At STRIKEFORCE Challengers
RYAN COUTURE IMPROVES TO 2-0; PRATER, LARSON, TARZAN ALSO TRIUMPHANT
Photos: Esther Lin/STRIKEFORCE
CEDAR PARK, Texas – In a hotly contested fight, Pat “Bam Bam’’ Healy of Portland, Ore., registered a razor-thin, unanimous three-round decision over previously unbeaten Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm of Spokane, Wash., in the main event Friday on STRIKEFORCE Challengers at Cedar Park Center live on SHOWTIME®.
In other results on the televised portion of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event presented by Rockstar Energy Drink: Carlo “Neo’’ Prater (26-10-1), of Houston, Texas, submitted Bryan Travers (14-3), of San Jose, Calif., with an anaconda choke at 38 seconds in the first round in a catchweight bout at 160 pounds, unbeaten lightweight Ryan Couture (2-0), of Las Vegas, the son of MMA legend Randy Couture, submitted (rear-naked choke) Houston’s Lee Higgins (2-1) at 4:41 in the third round; local favorite Ryan Larson (6-2), of Albuquerque, N.M., submitted (triangle choke) Erik Apple (10-3), of Orange County, Calif., at 3:14 of the second round in a welterweight (170 pounds) skirmish and David “Tarzan’’ Douglas (7-2) of Antioch, Calif., submitted (rear-naked choke) Austin fan favorite Nick “The Ghost’’ Gonzalez (16-9, 1 NC) at 1:05 in the first round.
The victorious Healy (25-18) won by the scores of 29-28 on the three judges’ scorecards while Beerbohm dropped to 15-1.
“He talked a lot of trash, but if he wants a rematch, I’ll give him one anytime,’’ said Healy, who pushed former STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson to the brink before losing his last start on June 26, 2010, on SHOWTIME.
“Beerbohm fought a good fight but I think I outworked and outhustled him. I’d like to fight the winner of the March 5 fight between Billy Evangelista and Jorge Masvidal.’’
AUSTIN, Tex. – Lyle “Fancy Pants’’ Beerbohm, Carlo Prater and Lee Higgins, who will compete on the televised portion of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink at Cedar Park Center in the Austin, Texas suburb of Cedar Park this Friday, Feb. 18, participated in an open media workout Wednesday at South Austin Gym.
Beerbohm (15-0), of Spokane, Wash., will face dangerous veteran Pat “Bam Bam’’ Healy (25-17), of St. Louis, in the main event live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). It will be Beerbohm’s fourth start for STRIKEFORCE and his main event debut. It will also be his initial appearance on SHOWTIME.
Prater (25-10-1), of Bryan, Texas, will battle Bryan Travers (14-2), of Bakersfield, Calif., at a catch weight of 160 pounds and Higgins (2-0), of Houston, will take on fellow unbeaten prospect Ryan Couture (1-0), of Las Vegas, Nev., in a lightweight (155 pounds) matchup. Ryan, the son of MMA legend, Randy Couture, will be making his second pro start and second for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME.