Bout Blog

As often happens in the months and weeks leading up to a mixed martial arts or boxing card, opponents and fights change.

For Glendale MMA fighter Sevak Magakian, that’s just what he’s dealing with, as, according to www.calledoutmma.com, Saad Awad, Magakian’s original opponent for Called Out MMA II on Nov. 14 in Ontario has been forced to withdraw from the 155-pound bout.

Taking Awad’s place will be the undefeated Jeremy Umphries (4-0). Magakian is 7-2 and last fought under the same promotional umbrella on the May 16 card Called to Arms, where he submitted Harold Lucambio.

GLENDALE — Just 22 years old, Karen Darabedyan’s fast-rising mixed martial arts career has taken its most monumental turn yet.

Live and in living color, the Glendale fighter will make his World Extreme Cagefighting debut Nov. 18 at WEC 44 in Las Vegas when he takes on former lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough as part of the live broadcast airing on Versus. The announcement came as Darabedyan agreed to a reported five-fight contract with the organization on Tuesday.

“I think just about everything,” said Darabedyan of the emotions he was experiencing. “I’m really excited, I’m nervous.

“Finally, all these years and I get on a big show, it’s on TV, everybody will be watching.”

Darabedyan made his mixed martial arts debut in July of 2006 and has built an 8-1 record. He’ll now debut for the WEC, which is owned by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“This is a huge step up,” said Darin Harvey, Darabedyan’s manager. “It’s from the small time to the big time.”

Talks between Harvey and the WEC had been going on for roughly a month and, originally, plans were thrown around for Darabedyan to fight in December for the company. However, McCullough’s original opponent, Anthony Pettis, withdrew from the fight due to an injury and the opportunity was given to Darabedyan.

“That’s why I tell my athletes to be ready at any time,” Harvey said.

Despite a bit of short notice and the caliber of opponent, Darabedyan didn’t hesitate when offered the chance.

“Fighting Rob, being on the main card, I said why not,” Darabedyan said.

McCullough (17-5) is likely to be the most formidable and certainly the most well-known opponent Darabedyan has faced. The 32-year-old, who has trained with Tito Ortiz as a member of Team Punishment and is married to adult film actress Lexxi Tyler, is a former WEC lightweight (155 pounds) champion.

In direct contrast, Darabedyan is far from well-known, at least not yet, anyhow.

“He’s absolutely on his way,” Harvey said. “He’s the best 155-pounder in the world nobody’s heard of. …Win or lose, his name will be on the map.”

And Darabedyan’s hoping that his unknown status may very well help him get the win as McCullough is likely unfamiliar with Darabedyan’s game and will be hard-pressed to find footage of his fights.

Upon hearing the news Tuesday, Darabedyan was back training hard for the fight on Wednesday.

“I don’t have too much time [to train], but I think I have just enough time,” he said. “It’s not the best, but I have to do what I have to do.

“I have a pretty tough fight on my hands, but every time I’m pushed, I push a little bit harder.”

I need my Liverpool FC tickets and I need the soon.  I have a business trip setup to go to the UK in 2 weeks and want to get in a game while I am there.  The 2009/10 Premier League Season just started and I need to attend at least one game there!!!

I have put out a message to all of my buddies and acquaintances in England to be on the lookout for Liverpool tickets.  But the problem with that is that if and when they are able to get these tickets, they will probabbly keep it for themselves.  And, I really can’t blame them for that.  I understand how popular these tickets are.

All I know is that I will be in Liverpool and will do whatever I can to purchase Liverpool FC tickets while I am there.  You can count on that!!!

Karen Darabedyan signs with WEC

(PRESS RELEASE) — World Extreme Cagefighting® proudly confirms the remaining bouts of a tremendous fight card headed to the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV on Nov. 18. In addition to the outstanding main event pitting featherweight champion Mike Brown against top challenger Jose Aldo, WEC is pleased to announce nine other quality bouts.

“WEC continually delivers some of the best fights in the business,” WEC General Manager Reed Harris said. “With this event taking place the same week as UFC 106, we guarantee that this will be one of the best fight weeks in the history of the sport.”

Brown vs. Aldo will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

Two of the featherweight division’s top stars will collide on Nov. 18 in a bout that could very well determine the next title challenger to the crown. Fresh off a win over John Franchi in his WEC debut in June, judo ace Manny Gamburyan (fighting out of Hollywood, Calif.) hopes to secure a shot at the world championship with a win over heavy-handed Leonard Garcia (fighting out of Albuquerque, NM). Known for his explosive throws and punishing ground and pound, the 28-year-old Armenian Gamburyan (11-5) believes he can diffuse Garcia’s power. Training out of Greg Jackson’s camp in Albuquerque, NM, Garcia (17-5) has won three of his last four bouts, including a win over Jameel Massouh in August. He’ll bring his polished striking game to Las Vegas with the aims of knocking out Gamburyan.

WEC newcomer Karen Darabedyan (fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) faces the toughest test of his young career when he battles former WEC lightweight champion Rob McCullough (fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif.). A training partner of Manny Gamburyan, Darabedyan (8-1) looks to prove that he is a legitimate contender at 155 pounds. Standing in his way is the seasoned veteran McCullough. An 11-fight veteran of WEC, McCullough (17-5) returns to the cage for the first time since defeating Marcus Hicks in March. A hard-hitting kickboxer, “Razor” Rob wants to derail Darabedyan and reclaim his spot as one of the best lightweights in the sport.

Three-time Division I All-American Shane Roller (fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) believes that a November win over Danny Castillo (fighting out of Sacramento, Calif.) could serve as the catalyst for a return bout with WEC interim lightweight champion Ben Henderson. With an impressive win over Marcus Hicks in August, the takedown-savvy Roller (6-2) believes his strong wrestling background will guide him past Castillo. No slouch in the wrestling department himself, Castillo (8-1) had an impressive knockout win over Ricardo Lamas in his last bout. A training partner of former featherweight champion Urijah Faber, Castillo hopes to extend his winning streak to four straight when he battles Roller at the Palms.

Alex Karalexis (fighting out of Boston, MA) could be the hardest-hitting fighter in the WEC. A member of the original season of The Ultimate Fighter™, the 32-year-old Karalexis (10-4) has spent most of the past year improving his strength and conditioning with Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. He believes that the rigorous training with Allen will allow him to sack WEC newcomer Kamal Shalorus (fighting out of Austin, TX) next month. An undefeated prospect originally born in Iran, Shalorus was a junior national wrestling champion in his home country. After moving to England as an adult, Shalorus continued his wrestling dominance and competed on England’s 1994 Olympic team. A refined striker with vicious ground and pound, Shalorus (4-0-1) looks to add to his decorated background with a win over Karalexis in his WEC debut.

Closing in on a world title opportunity, undefeated featherweight Diego Nunes (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) seeks his third win in the WEC when he faces the gritty L.C. Davis (fighting out of Davenport, IA). A phenomenal Muay Thai striker with wins over Cole Province and Rafael Dias in his WEC career, Nunes (13-0) boasts precise standup and good cage awareness. Those assets will prove valuable when he meets the crisp Davis in Las Vegas. Having defeated Javier Vazquez in his WEC debut in August, Davis (14-2) believes he can leapfrog Nunes in the 145-pound division by using his strong wrestling and fast hands.

A pivotal bout in the featherweight division pits hard-nosed wrestler John Franchi (fighting out of Cortland, NY) against ground ace Cub Swanson (fighting out of Orange County, Calif.). Known for his powerful takedowns and athleticism, Franchi (5-1) will look to outmuscle the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt when the two collide on Nov. 18. No stranger to tough grappling sessions, Swanson (13-3), who has spent much of the past few months training with Donald Cerrone, Joe Stevenson, and Leonard Garcia in New Mexico, Swanson (13-3) believes he can neutralize Franchi’s wrestling and regain his place in the title hunt.

Antonio Banuelos (fighting out of Arroyo Grande, Calif.) continually competes in fights that are considered among the year’s best. His last fight against Scott Jorgensen in June was no different. For three, high-energy rounds, Banuelos and Jorgensen traded leather, with Banuelos eventually earning a narrow decision victory. Riding the emotional high of the win, Banuelos (17-5) now turns his attention to Japanese striker Kenji Osawa (fighting out of Tokyo, Japan). A former top contender in the Shooto organization, Osawa (15-8-2) is a solid boxer with a sturdy chin. He’ll look to outbox and outwork Banuelos when the two lock horns at the Palms.

Lightweights James Krause (fighting out of Lee’s Summit, MO) and Ricardo Lamas (fighting out of Chicago, IL) meet in a bout between two fighters with 16 combined pro wins. A lanky, slick ground fighter, the 23-year-old Krause is a handful for most fighters in the 155-pound division. With excellent submissions and a long-reach in the standup, the Rob Kimmons-trained Krause (10-1) could pose problems for his Chicago-based opponent. A Division III All-American wrestler at Elmhurst College, Lamas (6-1) is an explosive athlete with good all-around skills. With a win over Krause next month, Lamas hopes to prove that he is worthy of his status as one of WEC’s hot prospects.

Bantamweight submission artists Frank Gomez (fighting out of Albuquerque, NM) and Seth Dikun (fighting out of Victorville, Calif.) are also set to do battle at the Palms in Las Vegas. Both fighters are coming off crowd-pleasing submission wins in June. Gomez (7-1), who trains under the tutelage of the renowned Greg Jackson, bested Noah Thomas via submission in his last fight. Not to be outdone, Dikun also scored a submission victory on the same June card, using a flying triangle to stop Rolando Perez. On Nov. 18, the world will find out which grappler will reign supreme and push himself closer to the likes of Brian Bowles and Miguel Angel Torres atop the 135-pound class.

Hockey started and I have a trip planned to New Your in a few weeks. So you know what that means don’t you? I need to get in a Rangers game in New York.  Every year I do the same thing. I combine some fun with my business trip to the East Coast and along with my plane tickets I make sure to get my New York Rangers Tickets for my trip to New York as well as my Boston Celtics Tickets for my trip to Beantown.

I am even able to have the company I work for pay for the tickets because I attend theses games with the clients I visit.  They are happy  because they get in a free game, and I am happy because I get to have some fun on my business trips.  It is a win win situation all the way around.

Now that I have the basketball and hockey tickets thing own. I am working on securing The Masters Tickets to really wow some of the bigger clients we have at work.

Last week I was looking to buy a new pair of bike shoes and was surfing the net going from site to site looking at things (half of which had absolutely no relevance to what I was searching for) until my friend told me about Shopwiki.com

This site is amazing.  By far the best shopping site on the web. Not only does this site search the web and list all the on line stores and their sales, but they are honorable enough to even list the stores that have not paid for advertising or positioning on the major search engines. As a consumer, this is a great thing.  Because, now we can get the relevant stores listed as opposed to the stores with the deeper pockets who can afford to pay for placement and buy traffic.  The bottom line is that as a consumer, we are looking for sales and the best bang for our buck.  This site will assist us in finding that.

So if you are a biking enthusiast like me, all you need to do is search for things like, bike cranksets or bike pedals and you can rest assured that you will definately find the best product for the best price.

Its been several months since my Myrtle Beach Golf trip and I am ready to go back for seconds, thirds and forths…I remember how much fun and relaxation I had during this trip. It was amazing in every aspect.  This was truly one othe BEST vacations I have had in a very very long time.

Golf Myrtle Beach may sound like an average outing, but its contrary. I am telling you, do yourself a favor and book your Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations now. Don’t wait for any special or specific occasion because you will be doing yourself a dis service. Just get up and go.  You will have the best time on the golf course as the greens are extremely immaculate and the course is great to play.  In addition to all this, the people there are very friendly and you will soon find yourself bonding with people from all over the country.

Myrtle Beach Golf Packages are easy to find and i can not, for the life of me, understand why they are still a hidden treasure.

I found a great site where I can actually play online and have fun doing it.   Whats more, is the fact that they even offer you a PKR Bonus Code to allow you to get some additional free features.  The one thing I was really amazed at was the lifelike 3D graphics on this gaming site.

The PKR Bonus is basically free money that you are given once you sign up.  I mean listen, you’re going to sign up anyway…somewhere….right well, might as well sign up and receive some money for it.  It really is that simple. If you need more convincing, just read what the general public and other members are saying about this.  The PKR Review has all the details as well as information that you will need to make up your mind.  This is something you will definately thank me for later…..trust me!!!

What a night of boxing!!!

A bunch of friends and I went to se Art’s fight last night at Club Nokia put on Oscar DeLa Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions  and we were treated to an amazing display of boxing put on by Art.  He controlled the entire fight and dropped his opponent 3 times before the ref stepped in and called off the fight.

The crowd was great and the atmosphere was fun. A perfect night for boxing.  The fight was attended by a number of HyeFighters and it was great seeing all the guys come out and support each other.

Art with friends and fans!!!

My good friend HyeFighter Art “Lionheart” Hovhanissyan is ready and eager for his fight tonight in Los Angeles at the Nokia Club across the street from the Staples Center.  He will be fighting on the Golden Boy Promotions event and with a win here (which I am certain he will get) his career will get the exposure it needs to take off.

Art has always been a crowd favorite because his fighting style is exciting and appealing to all fans.  He has speed, power and slick moves.  He can bang with the best of them as well as box like an Olympic champion.  This will be a huge fight for him and we will all be there cheering him on to victory.

HyeFighter Art "Lionheart" Hovhanissyan