Cheick Kongo vs. Augusto Sakai added to Bellator 150 fight card Kongo (23-10-2) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov at Bellator 139 in June. The 40-year old has gone 5-2 since signing with Bellator in 2013. Sakai (9-0) last fought in November at Bellator 145 where he earned a unanimous decision over Alex Huddleston. Bellator 150 takes place Feb. 26, at the Kansas Star Arena, Mulvane, Kansas. The main event features the rematch between former Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas and current title holder Marcos Galvao.. Heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov in negotiations with UFC, Bellator, Glory Karim Zidan over at BloodyElbow.com found this nice tidbit over at MMABoxing.ru featuring an interview with former PRIDE/Strikeforce heavyweight Kharitonov. “I was contacted by three organizations: UFC, Bellator and Glory,” the Russian heavyweight said. “I will conduct negotiations with them and will soon will make a decision about where I will perform.” Kharitonov (23-5) is currently riding a five-fight win streak – all finishes – since losing to Josh Barnett at the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal in 2011. He’s fought primarily for M-1 challenge. Three fighters released from the UFC Vaughan Lee, Hugo Viana and Alan Omer have all been given their pink slips. Lee (14-11-1) is coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Patrick Holohan back in July. He went 3-5 during his octagon tenure, with his most notable victory coming against Kid Yamamoto at UFC 144. Incidentally Lee will be fighting Rakhman Dudaev this weekend in Russia. Viana (8-3) was an original cast members on the inaugural season of TUF Brazil. He went 3-3 in the UFC, dropping bouts to Aljamain Sterling, T.J. Dillashaw and most recently Guido Cannetti at UFC 190. The 33-year old will be competing at RFA 34 in January. Omer (18-5) never won a single bout in the UFC, dropping back to back bouts against Jim Alers and Arnold Allen. Prior to the career high two-straight losses, Omer was riding a four-fight win streak. Bellator announces multi-year extension with A.J. McKee Bellator officials announced that undefeated featherweight prospect A.J. McKeea has signed multi-fight contract with Bellator. McKee (3-0) is son of 37-fight MMA veteran Antonio McKee and is coming off a first round TKO victory over JT Donaldson at Bellator 147. “A.J. McKee is an incredibly talented and exciting mixed martial artist,” said Bellator President Scott Coker said in the release. “In his first three fights, he’s proved he can finish an opponent in various ways, and he’s got the style and charisma to match his fighting skills. We have many of the best featherweights in the world fighting for Bellator, and A.J. has left no doubt in my mind that he belongs in that group.” “I’m the ‘Mercenary,’ and I’ve been hired to slaughter the 145-pound competition,” McKee stated. “I don’t fight for the money. I don’t fight for the fame. I fight for the fans, and since Bellator MMA, Spike and Viacom are all about entertainment, we are a match made in heaven.” ONE Championship announces 2016 calendar One Championship has announced its entire 2016 schedule on Monday. “As we wrap up 2015, I’m very pleased that it has been a great year for ONE Championship in terms of growth as we continue to expand at an incredibly rapid pace,” ONE CEO Victor Cui stated in a release. “We look forward to bringing our signature brand of world-class MMA action into more cities in Asia come 2016.” “With our success in Asia and the Middle East, we are thrilled to announce that we will be entering three new markets next year, namely Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong,” he added. “These are amazing cities with a massive following of martial arts fans and next year, these fans will get to experience ONE Championship’s superlative MMA events live!” Check out the 2016 ONE Championship schedule below. January 23: Changsa Stadium, Changsa, China January 29: Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia February 20: Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia March 18: Thuwanna Indoor Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar April 15: Malls of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines May 06: Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore May 27: Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand June 17: Pho Phu Stadium, Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam July 01: Asia-World Expo, Hong Kong, China August 05: Ntu Sports Centre, Taipei, Taiwan September 02: Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 22: Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia November 11: Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore December 02: Malls of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines UFC on Fox 17 salaries Main Card Rafael dos Anjos ($300,000 + no win bonus = $300,000) Donald Cerrone ($79,000) Alistair Overeem ($342,857 + $200,000 = $542,857) Junior dos Santos ($400,000) Nate Diaz ($20,000 + $20,000 = $40,000) Michael Johnson ($30,000) Karolina Kowalkiewicz ($13,000 + $13,000 = $26,000) Randa Markos ($12,000) Prelims Charles Oliveira ($29,600* + $37,000 = $66,600) – Do Bronx missed weight, lost 20% of his show purse Myles Jury ($30,000) Nate Marquardt ($49,000 + $49,000 = $98,000) C.B. Dollaway ($40,000) Valentina Shevchenko ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) Sarah Kaufman ($22,000) Tamdan McCrory ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) Josh Samman ($10,000) Nik Lentz ($35,000 + $35,000 = $70,000) Danny Castillo ($39,000) Cole Miller ($33,000) Jim Alers ($10,000) Kamaru Usman ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) Leon Edwards ($15,000) Vicente Luque ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) Hayder Hassan ($10,000) Francis Ngannou ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) Luiz Henrique ($10,000) UFC on Fox 17 medical suspensions C.B. Dollaway: Suspended indefinitely pending CT scan and doctor’s clearance; regardless, suspended no less than 60 days Cole Miller: Suspended indefinitely pending orthopedic clearance on left eye Luiz Henrique: Suspended 90 days, requires neurologist’s clearance Donald Cerrone: Suspended 45 days Junior dos Santos: Suspended 30 days Josh Samman: Suspended 30 days due to contusions to face, hard fight
