Josh Barnett, Cole Escovedo, Rich Franklin News, More

Jul 14, 2010 - 7:04:18 AM by Devis Owens

- Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and PRIDE veteran Josh Barnett returned to MMA when he headlined the debut event of the upstart Impact FC organization this past Saturday. Barnett (26-5) faced a mammoth former super heavyweight in Geronimo dos Santos (18-10). Barnett used a pair of takedowns to secure dominant position and unleash a ground-and-pound barrage to force the 1st round stoppage.

- DREAM/WEC veteran Cole Escovedo (16-5) was defeated by 19 year old Michael McDonald (10-1) for the Tachi Palace Fights Bantanweight Championship last week in Lemoore, California. McDonald won via KO at 1:12 of the second round. McDonald avenged his only loss in his KO defeat of Escovedo.

- Bellator Fighting Championships has signed Travis Reddinger (14-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC) to the organization. Reddinger has joined its eight-man season-three bantamweight tournament, which crowns Bellator's first-ever 135-pound champion. Reddinger, a 5-foot-10 fighter nicknamed "The Hurricane" who enters the tourney with a four-fight win streak, joins other confirmed participants Danny Tims, Ulysses Gomez and Nik Mamalis.

- World Extreme Cagefighting® lightweight star and contestant on Season One of The Ultimate Fighter® Alex Karalexis will speak to The Street Teen Organization in Las Vegas, Nev. on Tuesday, July 20 at 5:00 PM PT. Karalexis, who lives and trains in Las Vegas, will look to rebound from a loss in his last WEC appearance when he returns to the cage later this year. Street Teens is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting homeless, abandoned and at-risk youth, ages 12-21, in the Las Vegas area.

- UFC light heavyweight Rich Franklin got good some good news from doctors on Monday. The former champ, who broke his arm in a UFC 115 main-event victory over Chuck Liddell, does not need surgery on the left limb, and a targeted December or January return date is still a possibility. Franklin's business manager, J.T. Stewart, said that the fighter's full-arm cast was removed and replaced with a smaller, lighter forearm cast.