WSOF

Anthony Johnson might want to keep his phone handy.

UFC President Dana White could ring any second to talk about a spot on his promotion's light heavyweight roster. 

The World Series of Fighting standout and former UFC combatant Johnson recently disposed of longtime MMA veteran Mike Kyle at WSOF 8 in devastating fashion, giving White and the UFC brass something to think about in the upcoming days. 

During his match at WSOF 8, Johnson followed a glancing left hand with a crushing right, and Kyle was out before he started his slow, dramatic fall to the canvas (GIF courtesy of Zombie Prophet, @ZProphet_MMA).

With the dominant victory, Johnson pushed his current winning streak to six, and he appears to be in the midst of a career resurgence. 

This is where the story gets fun. 

"Rumble" Johnson—the massive light heavyweight you just saw in the GIF—used to fight at a lighter weight class inside the UFC Octagon. 

He wasn't a middleweight.

He was a welterweight. 

Somehow, that hulking figure pictured above cut to 170 pounds, where he fought hilariously outsized opponents such as now-lightweight Charlie Brenneman. 

This cut was not met without challenge, however. Johnson became infamous for his inability to make weight, and this problem eventually led to his release from the UFC, per MMA Mania. 

Following his release, Johnson was scooped up by Titan Fighting Championships and slated to fight another UFC castoff in David Branch. 

The fight was contested at middleweight, a fact which would bode well for Johnson in the making-weight department, right? 

Nope. 

Johnson stepped on the scales and weighed in at 194.2 pounds, nearly 10 pounds off of the 185-pound limit, according to 5th Round. 

With the exception of a heavyweight bout at WSOF 2—where he won a unanimous decision over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski—Johnson has settled in at light heavyweight since that time, and the results speak for themselves. 

He notched knockout victories in four of his last six fights, and his latest one-punch masterpiece was downright scary. 

Making Johnson's case stronger, UFC light heavyweight contender Phil Davis recently made headlines due to his inactivity. His coach, Eric Del Fierro, said, per MMA Fighting, "Phil's ready to fight. We're just not getting the fight."

In addition, the UFC light heavyweight roster is old. 

Bloody Elbow writer Mookie Alexander summarized the situation nicely on Twitter:

Maybe Johnson doesn't deserve a fight against a top-tier UFC light heavyweight like Davis just yet, but the fact remains that he has looked unstoppable of late, and his weight-cutting issues seem to be a thing of the past. 

Would you like to see Johnson back in the UFC? If so, whom would you like to see him face first?

World Series of Fighting 8 went down Saturday night from Hollywood, Fla.

In the main event of the evening, Justin Gaethje captured the inaugural WSOF lightweight title with a quick and definitive first-round knockout of Rich Patishnock.

Gaethje started the fight looking for the finish, as did Patishnock. The two traded punches in the center of the cage, though the 25-year-old Gaethje got the better of the exchanges. Gaethje punished Patishnock against the fence with heavy shots, and the referee was soon forced to call a stop to the contest.

With the win, Gaethje moved to a perfect 11-0. Patishnock drops to 6-2.

Patishnock was third in line for this. After Gesias Cavalcante went down, WSOF officials called on Lewis Gonzalez. But then he went down, too. Enter Patishnock.

In a fight that served as the unofficial second-most important bout of the evening, Jessica Aguilar captured the very first WSOF women's strawweight title with an impressive submission defeat of Alida Gray. The win further cemented Aguilar as the best 115-pound women's fighter on the planet.

In the co-main event, former UFC fighter Anthony Johnson knocked out Mike Kyle in the first round. In so doing, Johnson established himself as one of the most interesting knockout artists outside the UFC. 

Full Card Results

Main Card

Justin Gaethje def. Rich Patishnock by TKO, 1:09, Rd. 1 (for inaugural WSOF Lightweight Championship)

Anthony Johnson def. Mike Kyle by KO, 2:23, Rd. 1

Jessica Aguilar def. Alida Gray by submission (arm-triangle choke), 2:45, Rd. 1 (for inaugural WSOF Women's Strawweight Championship)

Cody Bollinger def. Tyson Nam by unanimous decision

Luis Palomino def. Jorge Patino by KO, 4:20, Rd. 2

Preliminary Card

Tyler Stinson def. Valdir Araujo by KO, 2:23, Rd. 3

Derrick Mehmen def. Scott Barrett by unanimous decision 

Alexis Vila def. Sidemar Honorio by unanimous decision

Freddy Assuncao def. Brenson Hansen by split decision

Anderson Melo def. Jose Caceres by submission (heel hook), 1:10, Rd. 1

World Series of Fighting (WSOF) president Ray Sefo and executive vice president/matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz created a hit product, and they want you to watch it. 

A six-time Muay Thai world champion and decorated K-1 veteran, Sefo understands the combat sports game well, and his latest endeavor as president of WSOF sees him step out of the cage and into the executive's chair, a position that he commands with an expert's touch. 

"The good thing about my history as a fighter is that I get to see where the guys are coming from. I understand it from a fighter's perspective," Sefo told Bleacher Report. "But I also see it from an executive's perspective. When I combine those two things together, it allows me to make the best decision that benefits the fighter and the company." 

As a self-described "open book," Sefo is happy to offer advice—both inside and outside the cage—to better his fighters' careers and to maintain the peace within the organization. This sense of friendship and understanding, he feels, is vital to WSOF's success.

"I always say to my guys, 'anything you want to talk about or get off your chest, I'm here,'" Sefo said. "I understand the game. I understand what these fighters go through day in and day out for 10 weeks of camp. It (this understanding) plays a major role in the way I operate and the way I run things and the way I make decisions that benefits our fighters and also, obviously, our company."

Sefo's formula has worked well to this point. 

In a little over one year, WSOF has stormed the scene, becoming one of the world's premiere MMA organizations. The company's roster boasts well-known names and world-class talents such as Jon Fitch, Anthony Johnson, Nick Newell and Yushin Okami, and matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz dedicates his life to crafting fights with these men that resonate with audiences across the globe. 

"I sit down at midnight every night, and I watch a lot of videos. I'm a big fan," Abdel-Aziz told Bleacher Report. "I love this. It's never too much, it never makes me tired...I believe every match we've put on so far has been great except two matches, which, for seven shows, is pretty good." 

While Abdel-Aziz works every night to ensure a quality product for the consumer, he can not say the same for a particular rival organization.

"The UFC puts on great matches, but you see the guys in Bellator, they put on mismatches all the time," Abdel-Aziz said. "It's ridiculous. There's no entertainment. You see guys go and knock somebody out—there's no competition, and we have to put on equal competition."

Now a little over one year into business, Sefo and company host their eighth event—WSOF 8—Saturday, Jan. 18. Headlined by a lightweight title fight between undefeated powerhouse Justin Gaethje and 6-1 Richard Patishnock, Saturday's event affords Sefo a rare opportunity to relax and to reflect on his organization's accomplishments. 

"We've come a long way in one year," Sefo said. "We've crowned two champions already, and we're going to crown another one Saturday, so everything's exciting. We're working hard to put on fan-friendly, entertaining events, and that's what we will continue to do." 

But Sefo is not a man who finds satisfaction in the past. 

A moment after relishing in his promotion's accomplishments in 2013, he turned back to the future to the work at hand. 

"I want to be on every TV around the world," Sefo said. "I don't care where you are, where you're from, where you live—if you have a television, I want to be on that TV." 

And with a product crafted after hours of studying, hard work and deliberation, they expect you to tune in and watch. 

Live from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla., the World Series of Fighting 8 will commence on Saturday, Jan. 18. Two championships will be on the line as the undefeated Justin Gaethje will battle Richard Patishnock for the vacant lightweight crown.

History will also be made as Jessica Aguilar and Alida Gray will fight to become the women's strawweight championship. The winner will be the first female champion in the promotions history.

It's a pretty solid card overall. Here's how you can watch the action:

When: Saturday, Jan. 18 at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

TV: NBCSN

Here's a look at the card, and a closer look at the featured bouts.

Preliminary Card

Gaethje Gets to Prove He's Worthy of WSOF Gold

Patishnock wasn't the opponent originally scheduled to face Gaethje in this bout, but after Gesias Cavalcante suffered an injury and his replacement, Lewis Gonzalez also went down, Patishnock got the call.

Though he isn't as experienced, the 29-year-old Patishnock is undefeated in the WSOF, with two wins over members of the Gracie family (Gregor and Igor).

Gaethje has made a name for himself as a dynamic finisher. He has stopped each of his last six opponents, and nine of the 10 men he's faced overall. Riley Kontek of The MMA Corner breaks down Gaethje's game: "With nasty leg kicks and powerful hands, he is a buzzsaw on the feet. He does have a good ground game as well, it’s just rarely seen because of his skilled striking attack."

Gaethje has the looks of a future superstar, but he needs this win as validation.

Will Gray or Aguilar Make History?

With just four professional fights to her credit, Gray will be attempting to become the WSOF's first women's strawweight title holder and first female champion overall.

She'll have to defeat Aguilar, who has had 20 pro fights spread over 12 different promotions. 

Gray has shown good KO power thus far in her career. That includes what may have been the K.O. of the year in MMA. This devastating one-punch K.O. of Soannia Tiem launched Gray's career, and paved the way for this opportunity.

Per Trula Howe of Sherdog, Gray says the WSOF was the first to reach out after her big, statement-making win. She said:

I was hoping [Invicta] would call for the next Invicta card, but they haven’t yet. WSOF contacted me via Facebook, saying that they needed to talk to me ASAP. I forwarded the information to my manager. When he called me back to inform me of the opportunity to fight Aguilar, we immediately had a meeting. We talked it over and took the fight. We are all excited for this opportunity.

Gray has stopped all four of her opponents, and the last three wins have come via K.O./T.K.O.

Aguilar is a submissions specialist with seven wins in that fashion. Can she stand up to Gray's power? The fight should be an interesting clash of styles.

Rumble and Kyle Could Be an Epic Slugfest

It's not a fight for the title, but the Johnson-Kyle bout might be the best scrap of the night. Both men are dangerous strikers who do their best work in stand-up competition.

Johnson does have more of a grappling background, so he could make this fight easier—and more boring—by taking Kyle to the mat. He's a UFC veteran who hasn't lost a fight since he left the promotion.

If Johnson commits to standing and trading, an explosive K.O. could be the result.

The two men have 35 career wins, and 23 of them have come by way of K.O./T.K.O. 

Follow me. I go back like Kimo and Dan Severn.

Many felt Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was the victim during his 10-month contract dispute with the company last year, when Bellator refused to let "The Silent Assassin" take his talents to the UFC. 

Apparently, a high-ranking World Series of Fighting official saw the series of events in the same way, but he had a unique way of stating it. 

On a conference call on Thursday, WSOF vice president Ali Abdelaziz suggested that Alvarez ruined Bellator with his contract dispute, comparing it to a similar situation that WSOF may endure with top light heavyweight Anthony Johnson, per MMA Mania:   

Eddie Alvarez single-handedly ruined one promotion because all this drama and nasty things that happened. He ruined some people's careers. I believe he ruined this promotion because they can't sign anyone because of one guy. Why would I force a guy to be with me if he doesn't want to be with me? You have to understand, the fan is always going to go with the fighters, if the fighter is right, and Eddie was right...If Anthony (Johnson's) contract is over and he want to go and fight in different place...Guess what? I'm going to give him a big huge hug and say good luck and wish him the best of luck. This is 2014. We're not boxing or different sports. If somebody have a dream to fight wherever you call it, the UFC, whatever...Who am I as a human being an individual, from keeping him from achieving his dreams? 

Alvarez lost the 155-pound strap to Michael Chandler in a "Fight of the Year" contender at Bellator 58 in November 2011, but he bounced back with consecutive knockouts over Shinya Aoki and Patricky Freire.

After 13 months on the shelf, the Philadelphia native shocked the world by beating Chandler in a rematch in November at Bellator 106. The 25-minute instant classic arguably surpassed their first bout. 

The bout was so epic that Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney stated at the post-fight press conference that Alvarez vs. Chandler III would be the next lightweight title fight, per MMA Junkie.

As far as WSOF goes, Johnson headlines WSOF 8 next week against Mike Kyle in the last bout on his contract. 

However, the company has attempted to sweeten the pot by guaranteeing "Rumble" a shot at its inaugural light heavyweight title if he re-signs, per MMA Fighting. 

Since being cut from the UFC in January 2012, Johnson has rattled off five straight wins, with three knockouts.

Did Abdelaziz hit the nail on the head, or are his views on Alvarez's contract dispute with Bellator a little off base? 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

World Series of Fighting match maker Ali Abdelaziz floated an interesting idea on the MMA Hour, proposing a WSOF vs. Bellator MMA pay-per-view event.

While WSOF lacks a roster sexy enough to craft a pay-per-view, and Bellator's initial foray into the pay-per-view business turned out less-than awesome, putting the two together creates very interesting matchmaking possibilities.

Abdelaziz made his own card and plugged it with Ariel Helwani. We grabbed a screenshot, which you can see here:

WSOF exec @AliAbdelaziz00 on #themmahour wants a WSOF vs. Bellator fight card. Check out the line up (if u can see). pic.twitter.com/lIY23V6CLC

— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) January 6, 2014

For those who can't make out the blurry text, the lineup is:

• Tyrone Spong vs. Quinton Jackson
• Anthony Johnson vs. Attila Vegh
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Vitaly Minakov
• Marlon Moraes vs. Eduardo Dantas
• Yushin Okami vs. Alexander Shlemenko
• Rousimar Palhares vs. Douglas Lima
• Justin Gaethje vs. Eddie Alvarez (or Michael Chandler)
• Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Daniel Straus
• Jon Fitch vs. Rick Hawn
• David Branch vs. Brett Cooper

That really is something of a fantasy, mind you. That lineup includes all of Bellator's champions, as well as the most recognizable fighter on the roster, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Along with the champions, there will also be the two men who will face off to fill the vacant welterweight belt. (Douglas Lima vs. Rick Hawn will fight to take over for Ben Askren as the 170-pound champion.) 

Granted, most of WSOF's most popular fighters are there as well (the lone exception being Nick Newell), but it's unlikely that both promotions would realistically want to tie up all their biggest draws for one card.

That said, co-promotions are by no means uncommon in the world of MMA. While the best known examples are likely the Dynamite!! cards, Japanese events co-promoted by kickboxing organization K-1 and MMA promotion Dream, the likes of Strikeforce, EliteXC and M-1 have all dipped into each others' cards in the past.

While it isn't necessarily the best move for Bellator, the fact that WSOF seems to be looking to co-promote with other major organizations is definitely interesting. We'll see if they start to reach out to Invicta FC, or even possibly Glory, in terms of co-promoting larger events.

Now-former Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren appeared on the Dec. 9th edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and dropped bombshell after bombshell regarding his present and future in MMA. The biggest, most important topic he covered was his future in MMA.

After weeks of rumbles, Askren officially revealed that he will be leaving Bellator to join Singapore-based promotion ONE FC. 

The announcement hardly comes as a surprise, with Bloody Elbow revealing last week that Askren had joined Evolve MMA, a gym he had previously trained at that is home to numerous ONE FC fighters such as Leandro Issa, Eddie Ng and many more. Askren joins numerous high-profile fighters in ONE, including Japanese submission artist Shinya Aoki, famed bantamweight Bibiano Fernandes and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.

The announcement still comes as something of a surprise, however, as many predicted that Askren would join World Series of Fighting—including UFC president Dana White, who strongly suggested he join the promotion to "show what he's got" in an interview with MMA Junkie.

According to Askren, though, it was Dana's suggestion that ultimately pushed him to join ONE.

"I thought we were going to come to a deal [with the UFC]," he said. "It's clear that it isn't about me, it's about Dana's quarrel with Bellator."

When a WSOF contract slid over his desk after being officially shot down by the UFC, though, he refused to let them call the shots for him: "I've got a really hard time with people telling me what to do, and if I'm you're employee, I'm going to listen to you...but now I'm not your employee and you're telling me what to do? That's crazy.

Ultimately, the welterweight seems content with where he's at and flatly stated he will be making more money than 85 to 90 percent of UFC fighters. 

Unfortunately, ONE has a limited roster of welterweights. While he ultimately would have had the opportunity to face relatively established fighters like Jon Fitch and Josh Burkman in WSOF, the only opponent who lies on the horizon for him in ONE would be journeyman Phil Baroni, who is 2-7 since 2009.

Only time will tell what will happen with Askren in Asia.

With the proper tools and a little bit of know-how, one could probably extract some serious poetry from Georgi Karakhanyan’s professional MMA debut. The name of the event? “BOOYAA.” Caps not inserted by the author for emphasis.

The ballad's second verse practically writes itself: Karakhanyan’s opponent that evening outweighed him by a good 50 pounds.

“I was training one day, and someone came into the gym and said, ‘Who wants to fight in King of the Cage?’” Karakhanyan recalled. "I said yes. Then, five minutes before the fight, they came in and said, ‘You’re fighting a guy who’s 208.’”

Karakhanyan went out there anyway, and in the second round sank in a guillotine choke. Fight over. BOOYAA.

That was 2006. Seven years, more than 25 contests and 16 finishes later, Karakhanyan owns a reputation as one of the nastiest and most fully fearless featherweights in the game. After an undistinguished run in Bellator, Karakhanyan launched an eight-fight winning streak, including four wins by submission and one by knockout.

That streak earned him a chance to become the first 145-pound champion in the fledgling World Series of Fighting promotion; he’ll face fellow super-prospect Lance Palmer for that distinction Saturday at WSOF 7.

Karakhanyan says his career turned around when he gained patience and lost his spotlight jitters. But that doesn't mean he went all molasses-in-January on people. Only eight of his pro contests have gone the distance; 13 ended in the first round.

“I'm more of a fighter who pushes forward,” Karakhanyan said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “I want to make it exciting. Flying knee, flying kicks. It’s never going to be boring.”

Despite the striking terminology and an avowed admiration for K-1, the 28-year-old Karakhanyan (22-3-1) is mainly a jiu-jitsu ace, and generally uses his submission game, or the threat of same, to earn a finish.

The roadmap may not be so clear Saturday night. Palmer, a four-time college wrestling All-American who took the fight on short notice after Rick Glenn pulled out for personal reasons, could smother that aggression. 

To the surprise of no one, Karakhanyan is undaunted. Palmer has yet to face a threat like him, he reasons. Meanwhile, Karakhanyan has conquered big-league MMA veterans—Waylon Lowe, Din Thomas, Hiroyuki Takaya and Micah Miller—in his last four contests.

So, in Karakhanyan's mind, Palmer really isn't a very big deal. In other words, he's facing down the problem like it’s just another fighter who outweighs him by 50 pounds. 

"I know Lance comes from a good wrestling background,” he said in a recent media conference call. “But...I'm looking to go out there and finish. I don't mind getting punched in the face. And I don't mind punching him back.”

The Beaten Path is a series highlighting the top prospects in MMA. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Scott Harris is a writer for Bleacher Report MMA. For more on MMA prospects and the kind of general blithering you just can't get anywhere else on the Internet, follow Scott on Twitter.

Rousimar Palhares, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who was permanently banned from the UFC for holding dangerous submissions after referee stoppages, has signed with the fledgling World Series of Fighting promotion.

According to a report Monday evening from John Morgan and Dann Stupp of MMA Junkie, the controversial welterweight joins the WSOF fold despite previous assertions from promotion president Ray Sefo that WSOF had "no interest" in signing Palhares.

Palhares has more than once held his signature submission move, the heel hook, after a referee has called for an end to the bout. In March 2010, Palhares, then a middleweight, was suspended by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board for 90 days for failing to release a heel hook following his UFC 111 win over Tomasz Drwal. 

The UFC handed Palhares a lifetime ban after UFC Fight Night 29, held in Brazil on Oct. 9. Palhares looked terrific in his welterweight debut, submitting tough wrestler Mike Pierce in only 31 seconds. However, the victory was tarnished when Palhares refused to let go of his hold.

Palhares said after the fight and before his UFC release he believed he stopped when he noticed the referee's exhortations for him to do so, and that he did not feel he should receive any additional punishment.  

Despite the controversy, however, Palhares remains popular with fans for his aggressive submission game and exuberant style in the cage.

In addition to a popular fighter, WSOF also gets a seasoned and accomplished welterweight in Palhares, who is 15-5 as a pro and who, at age 33, may be far from done as an elite competitor. 

Before dropping to welterweight, Palhares had lost two straight in the UFC middleweight division. His final middleweight fight, a knockout loss to Hector Lombard in December 2012, was further besmirched when Palhares tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. Prior to that fight, Palhares lost by TKO to longtime UFC veteran Alan Belcher.