WSOF

Seven months ago, Steve Carl was the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion. On Thursday, he was unemployed in professional MMA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVvaJumLa3k

After significant protest from the fighter and his management team, WSOF officials have released Carl from his promotional contract. The former champion was purportedly upset because he was not fighting frequently enough for his liking under the promotion's banner. 

The release was first reported by Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

Carl has not been shy about his displeasure with and desire to leave WSOF, and he used social media as a tool to express that desire in public:

3 fights in the last 2 years...@MMAWorldSeries apparently you think being a pro fighter should only be a part time gig #FML #ShootMeNow

— Steve Carl (@Steve_Carl) November 5, 2014

I secured my release from WSOF today! Sucks it had to come to this, but time to take a step forward and leave it behind me. #Determined #MMA

— Steve Carl (@Steve_Carl) November 5, 2014

Carl has only fought four times since debuting for WSOF in November 2012. It was a very successful run at the beginning, as he upset Josh Burkman in October 2013 to capture the WSOF welterweight strap.

People wondered whether Carl had the stuff to be great. In March 2014, Rousimar Palhares disproved those notions for the moment with an inverted heel hook. Palhares needed only 69 seconds to dispatch Carl and claim the WSOF title.

That was in March 2014. Carl hasn't fought since, though that can partially be explained by the time he missed recovering from the Palhares fight.

The 29-year-old Carl is 21-4 overall and 3-1 with WSOF. All three of his wins came by submission, including the title-winning technical chokeout of Burkman.

Rousimar Palhares is now scheduled to defend his new title in December against Jon Fitch, himself a former UFC grinder who lost to Burkman in his WSOF debut but had actually defeated Burkman several years prior while both men were in the UFC.

Carl has never fought in the UFC.

By his own admission, David Branch is a late bloomer.

While that term is most often directly tied to a fighter's success in mixed martial arts—something Branch has found in solid clips the past few years—the New York native used those words to describe the versatile fighting style he's crafted during the most recent chapter of his career.

Branch has expanded his arsenal to a point where the 33-year-old middleweight is not only able to handle everything that comes his way inside the cage, but he's confident of the danger he brings from start to finish once the action goes live.

Proof of this progress came in the form of Branch becoming World Series of Fighting's inaugural middleweight champion.

He earned the promotion's 185-pound strap by submitting veteran Jesse Taylor in the first round of their title tilt at WSOF 10 back in June 2014—his fourth consecutive victory since signing with the upstart organization back in 2012. And while earning the first major title of his seven-year career was a defining moment for Branch, the Brooklyn-based fighter isn't willing to rest on that accomplishment.

Although winning the WSOF middleweight title was one of his goals, Branch knows the true measure of a champion comes in his ability to defend his crown. The Renzo Gracie-trained fighter's first opportunity to do so will come against former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami in the main event of WSOF 15 on Nov. 15 in Tampa, Florida, in what is undoubtedly the highest-profile fight of the champion's career.

"It feels really good to be in this position," Branch told Bleacher Report. "Winning the title and putting together a winning streak over a tough competition has put me in a good spot. It's an honor to be the middleweight champion for WSOF. I still have a lot more great things to come. Ray Sefo (WSOF CEO) told me winning the title is one thing, but retaining the title is something completely different because it's much harder. But I'm up for the challenge and I'm going to prove that on Nov. 15.

"[WSOF] gives me dates to perform in front of the world and I have the opportunity to do great things for my career. I just need to show up and execute like I have been doing and will do again on Nov. 15. It's an awesome feeling."

Although a rough patch cost Okami his place on the UFC roster, "Thunder" has won four of his last five showings inside the cage, including the Japanese veteran making a successful promotional debut for WSOF back in March.

Yet, while Okami is eager to reach champion status in short fashion in his new promotion, Branch has much different plans. He's not taking anything away from the accomplishments and impressive resume Okami has amassed throughout his career, but Branch has a different perspective on the matter. 

"It's an honor to fight him and it's going to be even more of an honor to beat him," Branch said. "I think that Yushin is a great fighter, but he's coming in there and trying to take something away from me. That's like taking food out of my children's mouth and and trying to take away all the things that I've worked very hard for. And that's not going to happen. I'm not going to let anyone take anything away from me.

"I believe that Yushin had his time," he added. "This is my time right now. I'm not going to let Yushin take my thunder. I'm going to take his thunder on Nov. 15."

In addition to Branch and Okami scrapping it out for the WSOF middleweight title, the main event tilt will also bring an interesting stylistic clash. Okami has found consistent success throughout his career working behind a wrestling-heavy attack where he's used his size and power to overwhelm his competition inside the cage.

While he's never been known to be a versatile fighter, Okami's straightforward approach has proven difficult to best, and only a few have done so throughout his 38 fights as a professional.

Nevertheless, Branch believes he will have the tools necessary to turn back the Japanese powerhouse. Where he originally began his career relying on his jiu-jitsu to find victory, Branch has worked diligently to expand his game into a well-rounded skill set where he can adapt, adjust and attack in the heat of battle inside the cage.

Where that particular ability wasn't something that came right away for Branch, it is now a powerful weapon in his arsenal, and one he is confident will help him make his first successful title defense at WSOF 15.

"I think I'm a late bloomer in the sense that being able to constantly adjust to what is happening in the fight took me awhile to be able to do, but it's something I can definitely do now," Branch said. "I sometimes see things in slow motion when they are happening and can slow down and put it all together.

"I've said this before in previous interviews, but I have no weakness inside the cage. There is no area I can be put in where I'm going to be weak so there's nothing he can do to exploit me. I'm strong in all areas and I'm going to show that again against Okami.

"I think my overall skill set, and my overall concentration in the heat of the moment is going to overwhelm him. That's what I honestly feel, but I can't wait to show it instead of talking about it."

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields scored his first submission victory in over five years when he defeated Ryan Ford with a rear-naked choke Saturday in Edmonton during his promotional debut at WSOF 14.

The former UFC welterweight title contender didn't know it at the time, but heading into the bout, he enjoyed a major advantage over Ford, one that had nothing to do with Shields bending the rules.

The 32-year-old Ford broke his ulnar (the bone opposite the radius in the forearm) in his right arm during a sparring session on Sept. 30. The injury came just 11 days before arguably the most significant fight of his career.

In this Oct. 2 video (per MMAjunkie), the Tristar Gym stalwart explained the unfortunate circumstances that prevented him from postponing his fight Saturday with Shields:

You know, I don’t have a choice but to fight. You know, it’s funny. I have the toughest challenge ahead of me on Oct. 11 against Jake Shields. And now I get thrown with another challenge: fighting him with a broken arm. We're not in a sport where insurance is available, where if you get injured nine days, 10 days up to a fight, then you get paid. It don't work like that. You step into the cage, you get paid. This is how I feed my wife and my two kids. I put a roof over their heads, so the only option I have is to step into the cage, put on a hell of a fight and get paid—broken arm or not.

WSOF president Ray Sefo told Sherdog on Sunday that he and his staff didn't find out about Ford's broken ulnar until after the fight.

Neither I nor any of my staff at World Series of Fighting had any prior knowledge of Ryan Ford’s condition until he went on the record about it after last night’s fight. Like all of the other fighters who competed last night, Ryan went through all of the steps necessary to receive clearance by the athletic commission to fight. Had we been aware that Ryan was suffering from an arm injury, we would have immediately pulled the plug on his matchup with Jake Shields and secured another suitable opponent for Jake.

Ford fought Shields in an orthodox stance, throwing only low kicks and left hands at the 35-year-old Californian.

Just 36 seconds into the bout, Ford clipped Shields on the chin with a stiff left jab that dropped him momentarily. But in atypical fashion, the usually opportunistic Ford failed to capitalize on the knockdown and allowed Shields to regain his footing and ultimately recover.

In an impressive display of intestinal fortitude, Ford stuffed Shields' first takedown attempt and succumbed to his second, only to pop back to his feet almost instantly. 

The two exchanged knees before Ford pushed Shields up against the fence in the clinch, a move that marked the beginning of his demise.

Shields quickly established an overhook on Fords' broken arm and used it to throw The Real Deal onto his back. And with over three minutes left in the round and having just one functional arm, Ford had little chance to escape the round without tapping.

Shields needed the better part of those three minutes to set up the finish, but at the 4:29 mark of the opening round, he slapped on a rear-naked choke to pick up his first submission since June 2009 (a guillotine choke of Robbie Lawler).

The loss snapped a six-fight winning streak for Ford that began in February 2012. Ford had finished five of his six previous opponents, including Joel Powell, who he knocked out with a front kick and punches in his promotional debut at WSOF Canada 1 in February.

Shields got released from the UFC after falling via unanimous decision to the streaking Hector Lombard at UFC 171 in March. Shields finished with a 4-3-1 mark in the UFC.

The World Series of Fighting is making big moves that could forever shift the balance of power in MMA.

WSOF President Ray Sefo announced a few weeks ago that the WSOF would be entering the pay-per-view market in 2015 after just two years in existence.

But the real kicker was the announcement that the promotion would split 50 percent of the revenue with the fighters competing on future cards. The proposal of the new model generated plenty of buzz and left more questions than answers.

In an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report, Sefo opened up about his company’s reasoning behind the revenue split:

We did it because, me being a fighter, we understand that fighters deserve what they deserve, and that’s the bottom line. For example, a lot of my brothers and a lot of my family members are huge fans of the combat world. Some of them have trained a little bit here or there, and some of my other brothers have fought and became world champions. The ones that never fought at the highest level don’t understand the commitment, the sacrifice that it takes to be a world champion, to get to that highest level of the game.

All they really care about is: Are they going to show up? Are they going to see a great fight? They don’t really take into consideration what the guy had to go through in dieting, leaving his family and going away to camp, not being able to go out with his friends, not being able to eat or drink whatever they want. All of these kinds of things come into play. ... All of these fighters deserve as much as the company can provide for them.

Sefo believes his experience as a kickboxer, boxer and professional MMA fighter gives him an edge in dealing with fighters. He isn’t preaching about things that he hasn’t already done. Years of blood, sweat and tears shed have propelled him to put some of the bargaining power back into the hands of the fighters.

A discrepancy in fighter pay has been a constantly debated issue in professional MMA. The common presumption is that fighters in large promotions, particularly the UFC, are making money along the same lines of professional athletes from other sports.

The UFC is widely considered the mecca of MMA, and several fighters, both past and present, have complained about being undercompensated by the promotion.

In a YouTube video, MMA legend and former UFC middleweight Wanderlei Silva announced his retirement from the sport, pointing to fighter pay and the UFC’s treatment of fighters as his sole reason for ending his 18-year run.

During an appearance on Submission Radio, former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz claimed that fighters in the UFC are rewarded with only “6 percent of the revenue that is collected from fans.”

UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt recently sent out a disgruntled tweet regarding his pay as a UFC fighter.

Don't know why my picture is on this list ufc fighters get paid average unless u are the champ. http://t.co/SjAb2z681L

— mark richard hunt (@markhunt1974) September 28, 2014

Of course, there are fighters who have defended the UFC’s payouts, including flyweight contender Ian McCall in a post on the MMA Underground (h/t BloodyElbow.com).

The UFC is often brought up in these conversations because it is generally seen as the blueprint of success other promotions hope to one day achieve. Backed by NBC and IMG, the WSOF refuses to play follow the leader.

Sefo acknowledged that UFC President Dana White is great at what he does, but he was also willing to concede that “there’s no smoke without fire.” If a fighter isn’t happy, there is obviously a reason, especially if the same chirping is coming from several birdies.

However, Sefo admitted that his unfamiliarity with the operations of other promotions prohibits him from speaking on their behalf.

If successful, the idea of a revenue split is a very intriguing proposal that could tip the bargaining power in favor of the fighters. The WSOF is a growing promotion that has already acquired the likes of former UFC stars Jake Shields, Jon Fitch, Rousimar Palhares, Yushin Okami and Melvin Guillard.

It also has a growing stable of world-class talent that may go unrecognized by casual fans, including fighters like Jessica Aguilar, Rick Glenn, Justin Gaethje, Marlon Moraes and Nick Newell.

The mere possibility of receiving 50 percent of the pay-per-view revenue from a major promotion like the WSOF could be enough to draw interest from young prospects and disgruntled veterans from other promotions.

But all of this goes without mentioning the cutthroat nature of the pay-per-view business. It isn’t easy to accomplish the things that the UFC has accomplished. The WSOF is undoubtedly on the upswing, but it still remains to be seen whether it can put together a strong enough show capable of enticing couch fans to open their wallets.

After coming this far in such a short time, Sefo is completely confident in his team’s ability to get the job done.

“Obviously for us, it’s the continuance of moving forward and getting better and better every time and every show,” said Sefo. “The ultimate goal is that if you have a TV, we want to be on your television.”

WSOF 14 airs live on NBCSN on Saturday night.

The headliner features a title fight between Canadian WSOF welterweight champ Ryan Ford and Jake Shields, a former Strikeforce champ and UFC contender. An inaugural heavyweight champ will also be crowned in the co-main event when Smealinho Rama meets Derrick Mehmen.

Despite Saturday’s important fight card, people are already talking about the date switch for WSOF 15, which was moved from October 24 to November 15. Coincidentally, Cain Velasquez is slated to defend his heavyweight title against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 180 on that night. The highly anticipated grudge match between Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar is scheduled to serve as the main event for Bellator 131 that night as well.

November 15 will now be a triple-header featuring the world’s best promotions. Some have already jumped the gun in assuming the WSOF purposely chose this date to contend with the UFC and Bellator, but according to Sefo, this is far from the reality of the situation.

Given the UFC’s increased number of events, the WSOF president knew it was only a matter of time before multiple shows occurred on the same night.

“We already had our schedule for 2013, so we get a schedule from NBC four months, five months out, before the end of the year,” Sefo explained. “Unfortunately with the UFC, they have a show every week and sometimes two shows a night. At some point, we are all going to have a show, like for example November 15.”

Despite his ongoing duties as WSOF president, Sefo is also considering returning to competition in either MMA or kickboxing a couple of more times. There was a kickboxing match setup for October, but plans fell through and the bout was canceled.

Sefo said fans can look forward to him stepping back into the ring in 2015, possibly as early as February.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.

The World Series of Fighting is entering the pay-per-view business in 2015 with a plan that could, according to officials, “forever change the earning potential” for MMA fighters, per MMAJunkie.com.

WSOF officials announced on Tuesday that the promotion would be adopting a revenue-sharing model as a means for compensating fighters featured on pay-per-view telecasts.

Per the report, fighters will be receiving 50 percent of all net revenue brought in by an event.

Fighter pay is a frequently debated topic in combat sports, as many expect some of their favorite fighters to be paid along similar lines of professional athletes in other sports. Unfortunately, there is a huge gray area between what’s fair and unfair in the fight business.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been in the pay-per-view business longer than any other MMA promotion on the planet, and UFC fighters have often complained about being undercompensated.

MMA legend Wanderlei Silva accused the UFC of underpaying fighters and taking away his desire to compete in a recent YouTube video. Longtime MMA trainer Cesar Gracie backed Silva’s message in a Twitter post, citing that fans aren’t paying to watch “greedy promoters”:

Respect to @wandfc You're right the fans pay to watch the fighters not these greedy promoters. Thanks for the great fights.

— Cesar Gracie (@CesarGracieBJJ) September 20, 2014

WSOF president Ray Sefo, a former fighter, believes this new module could be the domino that finally tips the negotiation process in favor of the fighters, per MMA Junkie:

Until now one of the main things holding this sport back from becoming even bigger than it is today has been fighter compensation and the inability of the sport’s top athletes to earn on par with top-level professional athletes in other sports.

The net revenue attained by the WSOF will heavily depend on the pay-per-view card lineup and the ability of the fighters to promote the event. Unfortunately, Conor McGregors don’t grow on trees.

The WSOF already has a growing stable of talent, including Jon Fitch, Rousimar Palhares, Yushin Okami, Jessica Aguilar, Melvin Guillard, Justin Gaethje, Nick Newell, Rick Glenn and many others.

But with half of its revenue going straight to the fighters, it still remains to be seen if the promotion has the star power to actually turn a profit with this new module.

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.

When a fighter falls into a rhythm, it is a special thing to witness, and Marlon Moraes is in the process of writing a brilliant chapter of his mixed martial arts career. 

The 26-year-old Brazilian has entered a stage of development where his skill set is firing on all cylinders, and it has been absolutely overwhelming for the opposition he's faced inside the cage. Since signing with the fledgling World Series of Fighting promotion back in 2012, Moraes has been a nightmare matchup for anyone who has signed on the dotted line to face him.

After edging out former WEC champion Miguel Torres via split decision at WSOF 1 back in November of 2012, the Palm Beach Gardens-based fighter has run roughshod over the competition in every bout since. He's found success in each of his five showings under the WSOF banner, with his most recent victory over Josh Rettinghouse landing him the inaugural bantamweight championship for the organization.

By becoming the official 135-pound champion, Moraes claimed his spot at the top of the promotion's bantamweight mountain, and it's a position he has no intention of vacating anytime soon.

"I felt great in my last fight, and it was against a tough opponent," Moraes told Bleacher Report. "Some people had things to say, but I made the fight look easy because I performed very well. But that fight is in the past, and the only thing I'm thinking about now is my next fight coming up on Saturday."

While Moraes may be in the early stages of his career, he's no stranger to how unpredictable the fight game can be. This issue came front and center recently when Josh Hill—the original opponent slated for his first title defense—was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury. In turn, the WSOF tapped surging bantamweight Cody Bollinger to step in and form a new main event for WSOF 13. 

News of the switch didn't disrupt Moraes in the slightest because he's keen to the changing tides of his sport. Fighters get injured; bouts fall apart or get reshuffled. Much like his striking style, Moraes just rolls with the punches and keeps his focus on bringing his best. And that is what he's confident he'll bring when he steps in to face Bollinger in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Due to the change of opponent coming so close to the event, the two fighters agreed to meet at a catchweight of 140 pounds. While that will take the bantamweight strap off the table, Moraes is simply happy to still be fighting on the card. He prepared to perform and wants to put on a show for the fans. 

"I really wanted to fight Josh, and I was ready for him, but then I got the call from the show about the change of opponent," Moraes said. "They called me and told me that Josh was hurt and asked me if I wanted to fight Cody Bollinger and at 140 (pounds), and I said, 'Yes! Let me talk to my coach and let's go, man!' I want to fight right now, and I don't want to miss this opportunity. I want to be part of the show.

"I love to fight people who actually like to get in there and fight too. We are going to fight, and it is going to be great. I'm hungry and in the best shape of my life. Fans need to watch because it is going to be a great and entertaining fight. I'm ready, and I'm going to win."

Over the course of his impressive run under the WSOF banner, Moraes has started to gain momentum and recognition on the grand scale of the bantamweight spectrum. Not only is he the WSOF champion, but Moraes is steadily making his case as one of the best 135-pound fighters on the planet on the strength of his consistent displays of dominance.

While it can be difficult for a fighter who competes outside of the UFC to solidify a high ranking, Moraes has made the MMA community sit up and take notice. Just five fights into his run with WSOF, he's one of the organization's biggest talents, and Moraes has been grateful for the opportunity to rise along with the promotion he competes for. 

"Man, this is awesome for me," Moraes said. "[WSOF] was just getting started, and they gave me an opportunity, and I showed them what I can do. I did a couple of good fights and won the belt. We are growing together, and hopefully it keeps going, man. Let's go!

"I'm so blessed to be doing what I love to do and be fighting for a big show on national television. For me and my family and where I come from, this is a very big blessing. Not many people where I'm from get to do what they love to do, and I'm so thankful."

When he steps in for another showcase fight this weekend at WSOF 13, Moraes will take the next step of a young career that has been nothing short of outstanding. Yet, despite all of the success he's experienced over the last couple of years, Moraes is as grounded as they come in the fight game. 

He knows he still has work to do, and he has every intention of continuing to demand the most out of himself inside the gym and under the bright lights on fight night.

"There is no pressure in this," Moraes said. "I've had a lot of other pressure on my life and other personal things before, but I just try to stay calm when I'm fighting and go out there and do what I know how to do. I've been working so hard. I know I have a lot of things I have to do to get better. I'm always thinking of ways I can improve. Let's see what I can do. The sky is the limit, and I'm going after it."

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Pushing through long odds has to get old. It’s a great story for the bystanders, but for the person actually doing it, the struggle to succeed in a driving headwind is not a feel-good narrative. It’s decidedly feel-bad, actually. 

But if you can get up on top of that headwind, even for a second, well, that’s got to be pretty doggone sweet.

The most tumultuous stretch of Rick Glenn’s professional—maybe entire—life began late last November when, barely a month away from the biggest fight of his career, he announced he would not take part in a featherweight title bout with champion Georgi Karakhanyan at World Series of Fighting 7.

It was odd. Glenn (15-2) had never backed out of a fight before and for the most part had avoided significant injuries during his pro career. Since 2010, the 25-year-old had never fought less than twice in a single year and had twice competed four times before the calendar flipped. Given that a belt was on the line, it seemed the stoic Glenn would have limped to the cage with one foot in a bear trap if need be.

So why the withdrawal? “Personal reasons,” WSOF officials said. For almost a year, Glenn and everyone else kept it there. But as with many “personal situations,” the words pull aside to reveal a dark staircase underneath.

As it turns out, Glenn was fine. Life was not.

“My sister Aubry has brain cancer,” Glenn revealed in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “She’s been fighting it for a year now, and she’s way past what they expected. She’s really sick. I was back in Iowa, and I just wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.”

Not long before Glenn learned the news about his sister, another tragedy befell the family: Glenn’s grandmother, Paulette, passed away. It was a particularly crippling blow for Glenn, whose grandmother had raised Rick and his five other siblings essentially single-handedly in little Marshalltown, Iowa, a place known as much for its meth labs as its farming community.

“I don’t talk to my dad, and my mom lives out of town,” Glenn said and left it at that. “Our grandmother was a parent for us. She raised us.”

Through the fall, winter and much of the spring, WSOF was mum on Glenn’s status. Speculation grew over what exactly was keeping the promising fighter away. Finally, the promotion announced that Glenn would indeed come back to the cage and face Karakhanyan for the title in June.

After eight months out, Glenn finally had his chance, though when he stepped into the cage at WSOF 10, he was a substantial underdog.

The beginning of the fight upheld oddsmaker suspicions. At the time, Karakhanyan was the top featherweight prospect in the sport, and the linchpin of that assessment was the Armenian’s seek-and-destroy mat game. Ten seconds into the contest, Glenn was on his back and in survival mode. He wriggled out of a rear-naked choke attempt and then found himself under full mount.

At the round’s halfway point, Karakhanyan latched onto Glenn’s wrist and extended for an armbar. And it was a very tight armbar, the kind that makes you recoil from the screen. Blood vessels, tendons and ligaments came into sharp relief as Glenn's arm torqued backward and sideways at the elbow, twitching under the hold like an eel on the hook. A submission looked imminent.

“I wasn’t calm at first,” Glenn recalled. “I thought, ‘Oh, s--t.’ I just tried to think ‘Don’t tap.’ I didn’t want to lose like that. I kept kind of turning my hand around in it. I thought [my elbow] was going to pop.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEAxVCoKIQ

After 20 solid seconds of cranking, almost out of nowhere Glenn’s right leg whipped up and over Karakhanyan’s body. As if with a mind of its own, the right foot sought and gained purchase on the far side of Karakhanyan’s neck and pushed off, forcing Karakhanyan to relinquish the hold.

The audience, still assuming the cobra would snare the mongoose eventually, clapped politely.

They weren’t expecting that escape to be the fulcrum on which the entire fight shifted. As the first round wound to a close, Glenn used his fists to chip away at Karakhanyan, who was seemingly a bit shell-shocked at the armbar escape.

As the second kicked off, Karakhanyan’s ground advantage evaporated. Glenn reversed takedowns and worked himself into top position. That’s when the ground-and-pound began in earnest. Soon enough, Glenn was slamming the point of his knee hard into a turtled-up Karakhanyan’s rib cage.

That grappling prowess came as a surprise to fans who thought of Glenn, who trains alongside Anthony Pettis and other stand-up wizards at Milwaukee’s Roufusport gym, as a striker first.

“My grappling is actually better than my striking,” Glenn deadpanned. “I just like to strike more. I like to be exciting.”

Glenn’s abilities might also have come as a surprise to Karakhanyan. During the rest period between the second and third rounds, a doctor stopped the contest when Karakhanyan said he couldn’t adequately breathe. Freshly cracked ribs were the culprit. Suddenly, the fight was over.

But in a way, the doctor’s stoppage was fitting for the introverted Glenn. It happened so quickly, so quietly, so anticlimactically, people weren't sure what was happening or even who was behind it. Once again, Glenn had been where he needed to be and done what he needed to do. No fanfare. Just the result.

So proud of all my team @ufc @WECNeverForget Champ @Showtimepettis @BellatorMMA Champ @Benaskren @MMAWorldSeries Champ @Gladiatorglenn

— Duke Roufus (@dukeroufus) June 22, 2014

“I was like ‘Heck yeah,’” Glenn recalled feeling as his hand went up. “I had proved people wrong.”

But it couldn’t be that easy. Several weeks later, Karakhanyan said on MMAjunkie Radio he didn't think Glenn was “that good” and wondered aloud why Glenn couldn’t finish him despite the rib injury.

Asked about those comments, Glenn attempted to shrug them off. But you can hear the irritation and even a bit of hurt grow in his voice as he examines and re-examines the words in his head.

“I really didn’t react to it. I’m not gonna play into that crap,” Glenn said before pausing. “I actually respected that guy before. I was confused by what he said. It definitely takes away from my victory.”

Glenn pauses again, thinks about it some more.

“He quit,” Glenn continued. “As soon as the doctor asked him, he said he couldn’t breathe. That’s quitting. So, yeah. He quit. ...He’s a punk.”

Does Glenn want a rematch with Karakhanyan? You can tell the thought is tempting. At the same time, Glenn realizes that calling for a rematch is exactly what Karakhanyan wants. So instead, Glenn suggests the Armenian “win a few more fights” before re-entering the title picture.

That allows the new champ to turn his focus to a new challenge: four-time All-American wrestler Lance Palmer. Nothing is official yet, but Glenn did indicate that Palmer was “most likely” his next opponent.

“Lance Palmer deserves it,” Glenn said.

If bystanders are thinking of underestimating Glenn's ground game again, they might want to reassess that strategy. After all, this is a guy who trains with Ben Askren, just outgrappled Karakhanyan and recently completed 300 rounds of jiu-jitsu training in one month on top of his regular training. You know, just for giggles.

“One of our coaches gave us a challenge, to do 150 rounds in a month,” Glenn said. “I blew right past that and decided to do 300, in honor of the Spartans.”

That’s the movie 300, of course, the one where a bunch of cartoonish warriors take up spear and shield against the insurmountable odds bearing down on them. It's less cut and dried in the real world, where storybook endings are like unicorns and things like brain cancer exist.

“She’s hanging in there,” Glenn said of his sister. “Every day is a challenge. But she’s a fighter...I think that does run in the family. For sure.”

Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. Follow Scott on Twitter if you feel so inclined.

World Series of Fighting returned to the NBC Sports Network for another evening of MMA bouts.

If you missed this event, you likely saved yourself a couple hours of boredom by doing just about anything else. This was not an enjoyable card.

The main card was littered with lackluster fights going the full distance, and even when the fights had action, it was mostly errant strikes leading the charge. The main event was the only fight that delivered.

The company chose to put four fights on the undercard and five on the main card. There was not many fighters of note on the entire billing. UFC veteran Ronny Markes was in the co-main event, but he was never a thrilling fighter to watch. Numerous fighters were coming off layoffs of a year or more.

All in all, it was a forgettable event. Luckily, we did get one nice finish.

Luis Palomino vs. Lewis Gonzalez

Palomino rocked Gonzalez with a left hook midway through the fight, but he could not finish the bout off of it. That would come shortly afterwards.

Gonzalez was knocked out when he lowered his head while Palomino threw a high kick. Palomino's knee landed flush upon Gonzalez's face. It was a quality finish, and the only one fans got to see on the main card.

Palomino will now put his name in the mix for the WSOF lightweight championship. It is not a deep division, but with a performance like that, he will earn himself a bigger fight against some credible competition within the 155-pound ranks at WSOF.

Ronny Markes vs. Cully Butterfield

In a forgettable 15 minutes, Markes defeated Butterfield by unanimous decision.

Butterfield was able to land some punches of his own and even opened a cut over Markes' eye in the third round. It wasn't enough to stop Markes' smothering ground game, though. This fight didn't offer much excitement at all, and fans in the crowd were busy taking photos with pro fighters.

Elvis Mutapcic vs. Kevin Tiller

A lackluster affair saw Mutapcic get a unanimous decision victory over Tiller.

After a fairly close first round, Mutapcic's ground game took over. He took Tiller to the mat and controlled him in both of the final two frames. Tiller had opportunities to get in offense, but he was not able to capitalize.

Mutapcic did not do too much from top position, but the control was enough to get the win.

Alexis Vila vs. Brandon Hempleman

Vila and Hempleman went the full 15 minutes, and it was Hempleman, a former gymnast, who came away with the victory.

There was plenty of striking in this fight, but the majority of it was errant. Vila came closest to landing fight-altering shots, and he seemed just a hair off in his attempts to land the finishing blow in the third round. Regardless, the volume of Hempleman is what swayed the judges.

It was a really close fight, and the media scores from around the world of MMA reflect that.

Bryson Hansen vs. Matt Sayles

Within two minutes of the opening bell, Hansen dropped Sayles with a crisp left hand. He repeatedly connected with punches as Sayles worked his way back to his feet. Referee Steve Mazagatti saw that he was working and allowed the fight to continue.

Hansen easily took the first frame, but Sayles rebounded with more output in the second to even the score.

There is a good chance Hansen punched himself out. Sayles continued his up-tempo attacks in the third frame, and in spite of a late takedown, he secured a unanimous-decision victory. Hansen did not have the energy to muster up credible attacks to combat Sayles' volume.

Main Card

• Luis Palomino defeats Lewis Gonzalez by TKO at 4:42 of the first round
• Ronny Markes defeats Cully Butterfield by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Elvis Mutapcic defeats Kevin Tiller by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brandon Hempleman defeats Alexis Vila by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Matt Sayles defeats Bryson Hansen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

• Lucas Montoya defeats Jimmy Spicuzza by TKO at 4:11 of the first round
• Danny Davis Jr. defeats Jorge Lopez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Adam Acquaviva defeats Cody Maltais by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Bryson Gutches vs. Soslan Abanokov via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:07 of the second round

World Series of Fighting put their 11th show on national network television earlier this month. The organization's network TV debut was on NBC and featured four bouts.

The main event of the card featured Nick Newell and Justin Gaethje in a battle for the organization's lightweight title. Gaethje dominated the fight and ended it by knockout in the second round to retain his championship.

Also on the card were UFC veterans Jon Fitch and Melvin Guillard.

The question following WSOF's network TV bid is if the company gained any momentum. To answer this, the first thing we must look at are the ratings numbers for the events. If the show performed poorly then we know they have not gained anything.

As Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting.com reports, WSOF 11 did very well for the organization. They set an organization record on NBC Sports Network in June with 365,000 viewers, but the network event had just under one million viewers.

That is a significant leap in viewership, and it put the WSOF brand out in the forefront for just a little bit. However, not everything was bright for the company. Newell's placement in the main event was an interesting move, and it would reveal how the general public would perceived not only the company, but the sport in general.

There were a bevy of social media posts discussing how casual fans and passersby were taking the main event.

There is little doubt that negative views like that will effect the perception of legitimacy of the sport. And quite often perception is reality.

The easiest way to answer the proposed question about WSOF is to ask yourself, "How much press have I seen since the event?"

Don't worry. I'll wait.

Since the event the WSOF has returned to the back of the line. There has been minimal impact within the MMA community. They did not receive prolonged buzz following the event. It was just another show that was not the UFC. The ratings they received may have just been the indirect result of MMA's general growth not directly related to WSOF.

The feeling following WSOF 11 was that it was an positive event for the company, but did not have a big impact. We will know more once they return to NBC Sports Network for their August 9 card in Las Vegas.

If they receive a significant bump from their previous organizational record, we can directly relate that to the success of their July card. However, if they turn in the same low numbers, we will know that this event had little to no effect on their momentum.

WSOF got the eyeballs to their product, but many were turned off by the near-cringeworthy main event. Now, the young MMA promotion has to convert those new viewers into fans. WSOF 12 will see how well they are doing in that regard.

Shooting the messenger is a time-honored practice, especially in MMA. But this is a new one.

Earlier this week, the World Series of Fighting promotion stepped jauntily out of its network-television debut and straight into an ill-kempt dog park. A report from Bloody Elbow's Brent Brookhouse revealed that one of WSOF 11's undercard competitors, Dustin Holyko, carried not only a lengthy rap sheet but an association with white supremacist or neo-Nazi culture. Holyko sports several questionable (and quite visible) tattoos, including the Nazi "SS" symbol and the phrase "white pride." That latter one is always ambiguous, too. What if he just likes unusual tigers?

To its credit, WSOF promptly released Holyko after the report surfaced. Good on the WSOF for that. Never mind the fact that a cursory skim of the public records or Holyko's, what's that thing called, Facebook page could have prevented this whole affair.

Never mind that; back to what actually happened. The release was swift but the action was sullied by subsequent words from WSOF vice president and match maker Ali Abdelaziz. Abdelaziz asserted in an MMAJunkie article published Tuesday that the promotion, despite the lapse, had no plans to institute background checks on prospective fighters.

Abdelaziz then took the opportunity to lob some viscera toward Bloody Elbow for not giving WSOF brass the heads up on its story: 

We don’t do background checks on people. But if something comes up, and it’s something we need to know about, I believe us and the media are all part of the team. If the guy who wrote the story knew about the information, he should have told us before the fight. I know it’s not his job, but to protect our sport and grow, if anybody has information about this kind of behavior, they should let us know.

In the final sentence of this quote, Abdelaziz employs a rhetorical crutch that is all the rage these days. I'm no debate-team captain, but it basically involves saying that you're not saying something, then saying that something. In this instance, he uses that loophole-to-nowhere to criticize those involved in the Holyko report for not bringing said report to WSOF officials before publication, you know, for the good of the sport.

I don't want to say that criticism is wrong, but it really does achieve a substantially high level of incorrectness.

I believe Abdelaziz when he says they were unaware of Holyko's history before signing him just as I believe that some basic due diligence would have stopped this problem before it started. I also believe WSOF is a good promotion that does good things, signs good fighters and is healthy for the sport. But these comments provide what is, to me, an unsettling glimpse into the MMA elite's perception of the media: something between a deep sense of entitlement and a broad lack of understanding. Possibly both.

Forget about the obvious quality and credibility risks that come from an excessively cozy reporter-subject relationship. Though that is a critical principle of journalism and a serious concern in MMA—the UFC has been a line-blurring trailblazer in this area—it is not evident in this particular case. The problem here is more nuanced. 

In one breath, Abdelaziz rejects the idea that the WSOF conduct background checks, then expresses the expectation that the media should do so for them. He's not asking for cooperation; he's asking for free labor. Not just carrying the messaging water or anything as conventional as that, but performing real, actual promotional operations.

Is this an isolated comment that simply didn't come out right? It doesn't seem that way, as he goes over his expectations in significant detail. 

Does the WSOF really need the media to protect it from itself vis-a-vis the people with whom it contracts? Have reporters brought these execs problems before on a pre-publication basis? Is this a common belief or expectation among MMA promotions? Is the media so distorted that their sources openly think of them as employees? Does someone want to get Ali Abdelaziz some coffee? Does anyone know how he takes it? Should we email him?

I'd like to think I'm no Pollyanna on this topic. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that if you believe dicey media relationships begin and end in the MMA bubble, it is you, bro, who are being naïve. Wherever you land on the topic, this comment is so audacious in its disregard for and misunderstanding of the role of those jotting down his words that it warrants a bit of a spit-take.

A pretty high-profile guy is attempting to outsource not just accountability, but the actual duties of running a promotion. That's a blur too far.

Such things are not the media's job. Sorry, no buts about it.