Each day, The MMA Corner will provide a recap of results, event announcements, fight match-ups, and injuries/cancellations from throughout the world of MMA.

Bellator 97 to Feature Two Title Fights, “King Mo”

Bellator heads to Albuquerque, N.M. with two title fights headlining the card. Michael Chandler will defend his lightweight title against David “The Caveman” Rickels and Ben Askren will defend his welterweight belt against Russian phenom Andrey Koreskov. The card will also feature two tournament finals as “King Mo” Lawal takes on Jacob Noe and Vitaly Minakov faces Ryan Martinez in the heavyweight tournament final.

The card is scheduled for July 31 and will have a special start time of 5 p.m. MT. The prelims which will air on Spike.com will feature former NCAA Division I wrestling champ and top MMA prospect Bubba Jenkins as well.

The full fight card is listed below

Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. David Rickels (14-1) – for lightweight title
Ben Askren (11-0) vs. Andrey Koreschkov (13-0) – for welterweight title
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (10-2) vs. Jacob Noe (12-2) – light heavyweight tournament final
Ryan Martinez (10-2) vs. Vitaly Minakov (11-0) – heavyweight tournament final
Rob Emerson (12-10) vs. Patricio Pitbull (17-2)
Cris Leyva (9-5) vs. Will Brooks (9-1)
Rafael Silva (19-3) vs. Rodrigo Lima (11-1)
Anthony Leone (12-5) vs. Frank Baca (16-2)
Mike Barreras (5-6) vs. Bubba Jenkins (3-0)
Javier Palacios (1-0) vs. Richard Jacques (1-0)
Jeremy Kimball (9-3) vs. Keith Berry (15-10)
Adrian Cruz (4-0) vs. Felipe Chavez (5-3)
Steve Garcia (1-0) vs. Shawn Bunch (1-0)
Cliff Wright Jr. (7-4) vs. Donald Sanchez (28-13)

Source: The MMA Corner 

Paul Buentello Headlines Legacy FC 22 Card

Texas-native Paul Buentello will look to win his fourth-straight MMA bout at Legacy 22. The former UFC/Strikeforce vet will face Marcus Sursa in a light heavyweight contest that headlines the Legacy FC card.

A venue hasn’t been announced but MMA Junkie reports the Fairgrounds Park Coliseum is being pegged as the location for the Aug. 24 card.

Source: MMA Junkie 

Pavel Kusch to Face Chris Scott at Cage Warriors 58

Former title contender Pavel Kusch is slated to face Chris Scott at Cage Warriors 58 in Aug. Kusch enters the bout on a two-fight losing skid but is a dangerous opponent with 13 submission victories and 11 coming in the first round. Scott lost his Cage Warriors debut but had been on a five-fight winning streak prior to that.

Cage Warriors 58 is scheduled to go down on Aug. 24 from Chechnya.

Source: The MMA Corner 

UFC vet Jeremy Stephens Avoids Felony Charges After Reaching Plea Deal

Jeremy Stephens will be avoiding any felony charges after reaching a plea deal in his assault and burglary case. Stephens pleaded guilty to lesser charges of fourth degree criminal mischief and disorderly conduct in exchange for dropping the charges of felony assault and burglary, according to the fighter’s manager and the county’s assistant district attorney. He was given a sentence of 15 days in jail, which already had been served, in addition to a $315 fine.

Stephens was infamously arrested just days prior to his scheduled meeting with Yves Edwards at UFC on FX 5.

Source: MMA Junkie 

[divder]Photo: Michael Chandler has his arm raised in victory (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

About The Author

Kyle Symes
Staff Writer

Kyle is a recent graduate of Aurora University, where he obtained a Bachelor's in Communications. Kyle resides in Illinois, just outside of Chicago. He played baseball and football in both high school and college, but is now focusing on an amateur MMA career.