Hathaway Remains Unbeated after UFC 99 Victory

Originally posted on FiveOuncesOfPain.com

JOHN HATHAWAY VS. RICK STORY

Hathaway scrambles back to his feet from a couple of Story takedowns in the first before winding up on his back one last time where he searches for a kimura to finish out the first round.

The second sees both men exchanging on the feet for a bit before Hathaway secures the takedown and punishes Story with ground and pound. Story goes for a guillotine choke from the bottom and Hathaway is reversed while trying to escape. The round ends with Story punishing Hathaway from the top.

Story ends up in the top position in the third only to fight off a triangle attempt. After escaping the triangle Story is nearly caught in an armbar.

Winner: John Hathaway- Unanimous Decision

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John Hathaway vs. Rick Story officially added to UFC 99

Originally posted on MMAjunkie.com

MMA, 1-0 UFC) and UFC newcomer Rick Story (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has officially been added to "UFC 99: Franklin vs. Silva."

The UFC made the announcement on its official website.

UFC 99 is scheduled for June 13 at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.

Hathaway debuted in the UFC with a first-round TKO win over Tom Egan at UFC 93 in January. The British product has won all 10 fights of his near-three-year career, including five by knockout or TKO and two by submission.

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John Hathaway vs. Rick Story expected to be finalized for UFC 99

Originally posted on fiveouncesofpain.com

A welterweight bout between John Hathaway vs. Rick Story is expected to be added to the lineup for UFC 99 on Saturday, June 13.

A source close to the fight has revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that verbal commitments have been secured froom both fighters and that at least one of the fighter has returned a signed contract to the UFC.

Signed to a multi-fight contract prior to UFC 94 as a potential replacement for Karo Parisyan in a scheduled bout against Dong Hyun Kim, Story will be making his long-awaited debut for the promotion at UFC 99. Coming from a strong wrestling background, Story has an impressive 7-2 record that includes notable wins over Brandon Melendez, Ryan Healy, and Jake Ellenberger.

His first fight will be against Hathaway, a 21-year old U.K. native who made his Octagon debut in Dublin, Ireland this past January. Discovered during the tryout process for the upcoming ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter, he made a strong impression on UFC officials following his first round TKO victory over Tom Egan at UFC 93. With the win, Hathaway improved to 10-0 as a pro.

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John Hathaway on Today's Tagg Radio

John Hathaway, who made a successful UFC debut at this past weekend's UFC 93 event, will be a guest on today's edition of TAGG Radio.

Hathaway (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will break down his dominant victory over crowd favorite Tom Egan, and the Cage Rage vet will also discuss his plans for the future and a possible return at UFC 95.

Click here to listen to the entire show at taggradio.com

Newcomer John Hathaway expected to return at UFC 95

Originally posted on fiveouncesofpain.com

John “The Hitman” Hathaway not only improved his record to 10-0 with his first round TKO victory over Tom Egan during his UFC debut at UFC 93, but sources revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that the win likely earned him a second fight at UFC 95 on February 21.

UFC 95 would mark a homecoming of sorts for Hathaway, as he the UK native will be competing inside the O2 Arena in London, England.

A member of London Shoot Fighters, Hathaway was reportedly discovered by UFC officials during tryouts for the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. While Hathaway didn’t land a spot on the show, he impressed the UFC enough to earn a shot at UFC 95.

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UFC 93 Winners & Losers

Originally posted on Sherdog.com

Winners

Anyone Nicknamed ‘The Hitman’

It was all aces for both Martin Kampmann and John Hathaway at UFC 93, as they notched impressive and important wins on the undercard. For Kampmann, it was his debut as a welterweight, and against Alexandre Barros he quickly showed that the weight cutting had done nothing to snuff out his livewire offensive arsenal.

With all that pressure, at least Kampmann wasn’t a Brit fighting an Irishman in Ireland. That distinction belonged to John Hathaway, who rose to the occasion beautifully in his UFC debut by sending hometown hero Tom Egan to the pub for some counseling.

Considering the success these two had, I’d like to announce I shall be known henceforth as Tomas “The Hitman” Rios.

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Kampmann Shines in Welterweight Debut; Hathaway Triumphant in UFC Debut

Originally posted on Sherdog.com

The welterweight division welcomed a new threat at UFC 93.

Martin Kampmann took care of business after a slow start to his debut at 170 pounds, as he stopped Brazilian Alexandre Barros on second-round strikes in preliminary action at UFC 93 “Franklin vs. Henderson” on Saturday at the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

Kampmann (14-2) -- after he recovered from a low blow in the first round -- worked from the clinch early in round two and wound up in top position after the two men hit the mat during a scramble. The 26-year-old Dane peppered Barros with punches, transitioned to full mount and finished him from behind 3:07 into the second period.

Based out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, Kampmann has posted 10 wins in 11 fights, losing only to elite middleweight contender Nate Marquardt. The 32-year-old Barros (13-6), meanwhile, had won nine in a row entering the bout but left the Octagon empty handed, having tasted his first defeat since June 2004.

Unbeaten John Hathaway, another UFC debutant, fared far better.

Despite the hopes of his fellow Irishmen, Thomas Egan was overmatched against Hathaway, as he succumbed to elbow strikes 4:36 into the opening round. The 20-year-old Dublin, Ireland, native fought valiantly to stay on his feet, but he was taken down twice by his undefeated counterpart.

Once the battle reached the ground a second time, Hathaway (10-0) moved to side mount. Egan (3-1) then surrendered his back, and subsequent elbows to the head prompted the stoppage, as referee Marc Goddard had no choice but to intervene.

Click here to read the entire article at Sherdog.com

Bloodyknux.Com's UFC 93 Predictions

Originally posted on Bloodyknux.com

Martin Kampmann (13-2) vs. Alexandre Barros (13-5)

This is Martin Kampmann's first taste of 170 after his disappointing quick loss to Nate Marquardt at UFC 88 in September 2008. Previously the Dane had worked his way up through European competition before entering the UFC and comfortably defeating talented fighters like Thales Leites and Jorge Rivera. Now he'll have to keep to his high standards to stay afloat at welterweight.

Barros is a slight unknown from Rio de Janeiro but stayed 3 rounds with Matt Hughes, Aaron Riley and Dave Strasser back in 2002. His hands are light but he is clearly durable and tough. Kampmann is a helluva step up for him. While it's difficult to dismiss 'unknown Brazilians' after recently seeing Dos Santos demolish Fabricio Werdum, Kampmann takes his job professionally and will seek to put his name in the hat at WW. His grappling and Muay Thai belts highlight a roundedness that Barros will be unable to handle. Round 1 KO.

Tom Egan (3-0) vs. John Hathaway (9-0)

I don't know much about 20 year-old Tom Egan. His 3-0 record tells us little except that he likes to throw his hands and is so far successful at it. John Hathaway comes into this welterweight fight full of promise. He ends his fights on the mat, working methodically to pound out the win. Coming through the Cage Rage Contenders ranks untroubled is a clear indicator of his talent. He has come a long way in two years and will continue his progress here. If he can avoid Egan's early combinations, Hathaway should get this fight to the mat, work position and score enough damage on novice Egan to keep the locals jeering the English. First round stoppage win for Hathaway.

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Sherdog Predicts Hathaway and Kampmann Victories

Photo and Post courtesty of Sherdog.com

John Hathaway vs. Tom Egan

The breakdown: This one is simple for Hathaway: Don’t go mucking it all up by trading with Egan. From what I’ve seen of Hathaway’s striking, it’s mostly telegraphed punches that have all the force of a pillow-fight behind them. Keeping the boxing to a minimum would be in the best interests of his baby-face mug.

If Hathaway is serious about keeping his teeth securely in his mouth, he needs to get after Egan early with takedowns and swarm his inexperienced quarry with strikes and submission attempts. From there, Hathaway’s strong positioning and accurate striking should be all he needs to tip the balance in favor of the Britons.


* * *


The bottom line: I’ve never been too keen on doubling down with unproven boxers in MMA, and this bout is no exception. Egan may have the edge on the feet, but he’s not Ireland’s answer to Floyd Mayweather, and Hathaway’s tremendous pace on the mat is something Egan is unprepared for.

Irish Mayweather goes down in the first round thanks to British ground-and-pound. Damn, I shouldn’t have read that Ali biography.

Martin Kampmann vs. Alexandre Barros

The bottom line: In case you haven’t surmised it by now, I think I’ll be picking Kampmann to win this fight pretty easily. The long and short of it is that Barros’ sloppy striking and mediocre grappling are nowhere near enough to make it in the UFC -- a lesson that he’ll learn via knockout.

Afterward, expect Kampmann to go after John Hathaway for stealing his nickname. Things will get real ugly, though, when Thomas Hearns and Bret Hart join the fray and we end up with a freestyle tag team match headlining UFC 100. Please believe.

Click here to read the entire article at Sherdog.com

Full Contact Fighter Predicts Hathaway Victory

Originally posted on FCfighter.com

Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway

As far as I know, Egan is the only Irish fighter on the card. Hathaway is English, which means that this fight, despite being buried on the undercard, is likely to cause a riot in the arena; regardless of who wins. We'll know something has gone horribly wrong if Bruce Buffer walks into the octagon at the start of the pay-per-view and the place is already on fire. My Guess: Hathaway by TKO

Click here to read the entire article at FCfighter.com

UFC exclusive interview: John Hathaway on his debut against Thomas ‘The Tank’ Egan at UFC 93

Originally posted on mirror.co.uk

Ten wins and no losses.

Eight stoppages and two unanimous decisions.

John Hathaway is a hard-hitting all-rounder who in just three years has stormed up the ranks to earn himself a four fight contract with the UFC.

Not bad for a middle-class boy from Brighton who hadn’t even featured on a Cage Rage main show just one year ago.

It’s a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon down on England’s south coast and I’ve just woken up after being stuck on the train for almost three hours.

Yet despite the inclement distractions and sleep-disturbed grumpiness, it is hard not to notice that this seems a surprisingly salubrious part of the country to be visiting one of Britain’s most up-and-coming fighters.

Meeting at ZT Fight Skool, just behind Hove station, the first impression of Hathaway is how intelligent and articulate beyond his years this 21-year-old fighter is.

Composed about this Saturday’s fight at UFC 93 in Dublin, Hathaway does not seem intimidated about being thrust so suddenly onto the global MMA stage.

“Obviously it feels great to fight on such a big card, being in the UFC,” said Hathaway.

“It’s every fighter’s dream to get there. It’s the top of the sport, the biggest show in the world.”

But surely there must be some butterflies for your UFC debut?

“Well, I mean it’s the same sport as I’ve been doing for the last three years really, so I won’t know if the nerves affect me until I actually get there.

“As soon as we get in the Octagon it’ll be the same thing I’ve done plenty of times before in sparring and in competitions, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Hathaway’s confidence does not at come over as the arrogance of youth but as a firm belief in his own disciplined abilities that have yet to let him down.

It must also help that he’s coming up against a fellow unbeaten rookie in Thomas ‘The Tank’ Egan.

Even though the Dubliner will have the backing of a partisan crowd, Hathaway enters the event with more direct fight experience.

“I’ve been competing slightly longer than Tom has,” he says.

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