MMA News
Rodrigo Damm
- Full Name: Rodrigo Damm
Justin Wilcox is looking to continue to climb up the ranks of the lightweight division in Strikeforce, and he's close to becoming one of the top products in the organization. Currently riding a five-fight win streak, with four of those wins coming under the Strikeforce banner, Wilcox earned arguably the biggest win of his career in his last outing, when he defeated perennial top-10 fighter Vitor Ribeiro, dominating the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist over the course of three-rounds, taking home a decision victory. Now, the American Kickboxing Academy product will be headlining tomorrow nights Challenger Series event opposite of Sengoku veteran Rodrigo Damm, who under the Japanese banner was able to TKO budding lightweight star Jorge Masvidal. Should Wilcox pass this test, he could be primed up for a top contender bout that could lead to a title shot. ...
In my search to find a replacement “little promotion that could” now that the WEC is no more, Strikeforce’s “Challengers” series of shows stands out as one of my most-likely candidates. After a slightly disappointing “Challengers 13” made me hold off on officially declaring the series my new “dark horse favorite”, “Challengers 14” blasted the series back into top contention with what will likely be one of the most under-rated shows of the year. “Challengers” could finally take the throne if its fifteenth event lives up to its potential, with five fights recently being confirmed for the show. Here are all the latest details. ...
Antonio McKee, if anything else, is a dominant fighter. He hasn't put together the most exciting fights in his career, which is made evident by his 18 decision victories in his 25 wins as a professional, but his wrestling base has been something that has carried him through a 13-fight win streak (with 1 draw in the 14 fight stretch). However, since turning a corner in his career, finally at the ripe old age of 40, McKee is now on the heels of a two-fight finishing streak, most recently dispatching notable veteran Luiz Azevedo in defense of his MFC lightweight title. The 7 years Azevedo has competed as a professional mixed martial artist, he has defeated some of the sports best, including Rodrigo Damm, Din Thomas, and currently holds a victory over WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo--the Novia Uniao product's only career defeat. Making a promise to himself in an effort to finish fights as a last "hoorah" to the big time, McKee has finally reached the pinnacle of his career when he was recently acquired by the worlds largest organization: the UFC. ...
Fighters.com checked-in with "GameBred" Jorge Masvidal (14-3) after he quickly dispatched former IFL Lightweight Champion "Lion" Ryan Schultz (20-11-1) in Tokyo Sunday. Fighters.com: You took care of Schultz in under two minutes. How much of that was blowing off steam from the loss to Rodrigo Damm (8-2) in Saitama, north of Tokyo, 8 June? Jorge Masvidal: First of all, I never lost to Rodrigo Damm. Anyone who looks at the fight will agree with me. The only steam I was blowing off was towards the referee who called my last fight!
...Fighters.com's Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn's (13-4-1) three-fight run at lightweight will end in Las Vegas 31 January when Penn returns to welterweight to fight Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) for the UFC welterweight title.
Why?
(Well, besides the obvious jack the UFC stands to profit on the main event.)
But, UFC President Dana White himself has claimed Penn's best weight class is 155 pounds; and, Penn made much ballyhoo about getting serious and slimming down to 155 pounds, his natural fighting weight.
Penn has never fought above 155 with a physique that could be described as anything but "pudgy".
Penn is also 0-2 in his last two 170-pound fights in the Octagon, which must make UFC welterweight contenders wonder if they can get some Vaseline.
In Saitama, north of Tokyo, 24 August, top lightweight contender "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (29-3) won a unanimous decision versus tough, but relatively unknown Korean champ Seung Hwan Bang (5-2).
...
Fighters.com's Sixth-ranked lightweight Eiji Mitsuoka (13-5-2) popped Rodrigo Damm (8-2) with an overhand right in the first round Sunday night in Saitama, north of Tokyo, then slid a rear naked choke around the BJJ player's throat for the tap at 3:13 of the round. Mitsuoka advanced to the second round of the Sengoku lightweight tournament, the winner of which will fight second-ranked "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (29-3). Gomi headlined Sengoku's fourth battle with a narrow decision over DEEP Lightweight Champion Seung Hwan Bang (5-2). It was Bang who provided the bang in his stand-up exchanges with the notorious big-puncher Gomi. But, Gomi edged Bang with stinging leg kicks and championship conditioning for the decision. ...
Fighters.com's eighth-ranked middleweight “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) shot it out on his feet with "Pink Pounder" Logan Clark (11-2) for a unanimous decision at Sengoku Third Battle in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Sunday night. Misaki successfully countered Clark's aggressive stand-up for the "W". Ninth-ranked welterweight “The Goat” Nick Thompson (36-9-1) survived a "Maicon" Michael Costa (9-4) hook that detonated in the second round, leaving "The Goat" on the mat, to tap Costa at 4:13 of the round in a Kimura. YAMMA Pit Fighting Heayweight Champion "Diesel" Travis Wiuff (53-11) cemented his return to being taken seriously with a first-round knockout of "Ironhead" Kazuyuki Fujita (15-7) at 1:24, a feet never previously achieved. In the night's main event, heavyweight Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6-1) ended a three-loss streak by tapping 46-year old kickboxer "Mo" Maurice Smith (12-13) in a neck crank at 2:23 of round one. Sanae Kikuta (27-6-3) finished off Englishman Chris Rice (12-6), who entered the ring costumed as the Grim Reaper, in a first-round armbar at 3:54. "Pe de Pano" Marcio Cruz (4-2) also tapped Korean heavyweight Mu Bae Choi (7-3) in a rear naked choke at 4:37 of round one. Brazilian lightweight Rodrigo Damm (8-1) called out second-ranked lightweight "Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (28-3) after the referee ended "Gamebred" Jorge Masvidal's (13-3) night, controversially calling the fight at 4:38 of round two while Masvidal was recovering from a punch that dropped the brawler. Middleweight Fabio Silva (10-4) knocked out Yoshiki Takahashi (28-23-3) with a knee at :24 of round two. ...
Fighters.com's ninth-ranked welterweight "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9-1) has been matched versus unheralded Michael Costa (5-2) at Sengoku III on 8 June according to the promotion's official website. Costa has won four fights by stoppage and one by decision and comes in on a two-knockout streak. "The Goat" hasn't lost in two years, piling up ten stoppages and, most recently, a unanimous decision over "Pitbull" Fabricio Monteiro (16-7) at Sengoku I in March. Other fighters who may get ring time at the event include former PRIDE heavyweights Hidehiko Yoshida (7-6-1) and "Ironhead" Kazuyuki Fujita (15-6), former UFC heavyweight "Pe De Pano" Marcio Cruz (3-2), Chute Box middleweight Fabio Silva (9-4), and Brazilian lightweight Rodrigo Damm (7-1). ...
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