Brett Cooper Talks Fighting in Bellator, Life in MMA Outside the UFC

by Michael David Smith

When Brett Cooper last stepped into the cage, it was for a five-minute, five-round fight for a championship in the Lords of the Cage MMA promotion. Cooper had prepared to fight for 25 minutes, but things didn't go quite as planned: He knocked Keith Berry out in just 10 seconds (video above).

"He came in real quick and aggressive, I countered him with a punch and it was over," Cooper said. "It was a strange moment because it happened so fast. It was bittersweet. But that's why you train hard, so things come easy in the fight. But I wouldn't have been disappointed if the fight would have gone more minutes."

For the 23-year-old Cooper, who will fight Alexander Schlemenko Saturday at Bellator 44 on MTV2, trying to make it as a full-time fighter outside the UFC sometimes means not wanting to win a fight too quickly: The experience of getting more minutes in the cage can be good for a fighter's development, and Lords of the Cage isn't exactly handing out six-figure Knockout of the Night bonuses, like UFC fighters can earn.

 

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Michael Chandler Wins Bellator Tournament, Lombard KOs Vitale

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In the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career, Michael Chandler stepped up with the best performance of his career, defeating Patricky "Pitbull" Freire by unanimous decision in the final of Bellator's lightweight tournament at Bellator 44 on Saturday.

The victory earns Chandler a shot at Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, who stepped into the cage immediately after the fight to congratulate Chandler.

"I'm looking forward to it," Alvarez said. "I can't wait."

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Florian asks White for another title shot while on TV

Kenny Florian will have his first fight at featherweight at UFC 131 against Diego Nunes, but he wants to have his plans set for the year. On national television, Florian had no qualms about asking the UFC for the next featherweight title shot after Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick's bout at UFC 129.

About 2:45 into Dana White's interview on "MMA Live," Florian, an analyst for the ESPN show, puts White on the spot. "Dana, if I get through Nunes and Aldo gets through Hominick, can

"As far as you getting through the title shot, everybody knows where you stand. You get in there, and if you make that weight, yeah. You're probably in for the next title shot," White said.

There are two obstacles standing in Florian's way. First, the weight cut will not be easy. Remember that Florian entered the UFC as a middleweight on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Lightweight was clearly his most natural weight class. Losing another 10 lbs. will not be easy.

Secondly, Nunes shouldn't be overlooked. His last three wins include a decision over former WEC champ Mike Brown, and he is already comfortable at featherweight. Florian is also returning to the cage for the first time since August. A knee injury prevented him from a planned fight in January.

Another championship shot for Florian would be a change of tune for White. After Florian lost to Gray Maynard in August in a bout that decided the lightweight title shot, White accused Florian of choking in big fights. In addition to the Maynard loss, Florian also has lost in each of his lightweight title shots.

Perhaps this is why White told Florian that another bite at the championship apple is in the offing. This can be KenFlo's chance to redeem himself.

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Picture of the day: Two Silvas, a Hughes and a Penn

Zuffa is holding its annual Fighters' Summit in Las Vegas this week, and Strikeforce and UFC fighters have been tweeting pictures from the sessions that cover everything from injuries to using social media. Bantamweight Eddie Wineland snapped this picture of several MMA legends, just sitting and listening to presentations.

That's UFC middleweight champion and Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva and former PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva in the foreground. Sitting in the table in front of them is UFC Hall-of-Famer Matt Hughes, and who appears to be former welterweight and lightweight champ B.J. Penn. Between them, they have five major championships and a record of 122-29-3.

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Pacquiao vs. Mosley: Why MMA Fans Should Care

by Michael David SmithManny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley will fight Saturday night in Las Vegas.We'll have full results and live round-by-round scoring for Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley on Saturday night, which may lead to a few readers wondering, What's boxing news doing on an MMA site? Here are five reasons why you, if you're an MMA fan, should care about Pacquiao vs. Mosley:

1. It's the biggest combat sports event of the year.
For as much as the UFC has gained on -- and in some respects surpassed -- the popularity of boxing, the biggest fights in boxing still exceed the biggest fights in the UFC in terms of pay-per-view buys and worldwide media attention. Although the MGM Grand in Las Vegas obviously won't attract nearly as many fans as the 55,000 who came out to see Georges St. Pierre in Toronto, Pacquiao vs. Mosley will surely get more pay-per-view buys in the United States, far more mainstream media attention and far more attention globally, as Pacquiao is a draw throughout Asia and the single biggest celebrity in the Philippines, a country of nearly 100 million people. This is a major worldwide sporting event.

 

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Pacquiao vs. Mosley Results: Live Updates of Undercard and Main Event

by Michael David SmithPacquiao vs. Mosley will be one of the biggest fights of the year for boxing.MMA Fighting will have live results of Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley fight card in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

When the main event begins, around 11:30PM ET, check out our Pacquaio vs. Mosley live blog for live round-by-round updates. Prior to the main event, we'll have live updates and results on all the undercard fights below.

UPDATE, 11:25 PM ET: The undercard fights are over. Click here for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley live blog.

 

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