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Bellator 263: “Pitbull vs McKee” is set to air TONIGHT (Sat., July 31, 2021) from The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif., broadcasting via Showtime. Headlining the event will a Featherweight title fight between division kingpin, Patricio Friere and A.J. McKee. The bout will also mark the conclusion of the promotion’s $1 million Featherweight Grand Prix, which began in mid-2019 and was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bellator 263’s main card will air on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET. MMAmania.com will deliver results for the full card and comprehensive play-by-play for the televised portion of Bellator 263 below.

Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 263) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!

BELLATOR 263 QUICK RESULTS

145 lbs.: Featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull vs A.J. McKee (Featherweight World Grand Prix Final) – McKee via first round submission (HIGHLIGHTS)
145 lbs.: Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Mads Burnell – Burnell via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Manny Muro – Nurmagomedov via first round TKO (HIGHLIGHTS)
155 lbs.: Brent Primus vs. Islam Mamedov – Mamedov via split decision
155 lbs.: Goiti Yamauchi vs. Chris Gonzalez – Yamauchi via first round TKO
125 lbs.: Vanessa Porto vs. Ilara Joanne – Porto via split decision
155 lbs.: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Daniel Carey – Rabadanov via first round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS)
145 lbs.: Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Jonathan Quiroz – Magomedsharipov via second round TKO (HIGHLIGHTS)
180 lbs.: Joshua Jones vs. Johnny Cisneros – Jones via second round TKO
155 lbs.: Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Kiefer Crosbie – Karakhanyan, first round submission
135 lbs.: Brian Moore vs. Jordan Winksi – Moore via unanimous decision

BELLATOR 263 PLAY-BY-PLAY:

Patricio Pitbull vs A.J. McKee – Featherweight World Grand Prix Final

Round 1: McKee with an inside leg kick. “Pitbull” lands a hard low kick. Both men are tentative to start. A lot of circling, feeling out. McKee lands a hard right kick that stuns “Pitbull.” He’s hurt! McKee goes in for the kill and “Pitbull” looks like he’s out. McKee celebrates the win but the fight is not over. McKee goes in and latches on a guillotine. It’s tight, “Pitbull” is out! Now it is over and McKee pulls off the upset! Wow!

Final Result: Mckee via first round submission

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Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Mads Burnell

Round 1: High kick from Sanchez. Burnell goes in for the single leg, no-go. Nice low kick from Burnell. Body shot from Sanchez, then up top. Body shot from Burnell and Sanchez fires right back. No one is backing down in this slugfest. Sanchez with a nice liver shot but Burnell eats it right up. Low kick from Burnell and Sanchez fires right back. These two are exchanging shots until Burnell goes in and lands the takedown. Burnell lands a nice one-two punch combination on the break. Both of these men are letting it all fly. What a great first round. Sanchez is bleeding from his left eye. Nice uppercut from Sanchez finds its spot and Burnell goes in for another takedown and he gets it. Great first round. 10-9 Sanchez

Round 2: Burnell goes in and lands another hard takedown, Burnell’s wrestling is on point tonight. He has Sanchez up against the cage. Sanchez separates and starts to let his fists fly. This is an absolute dog fight. Sanchez goes in for a lazy takedown. Spinning kick from Sanchez and Burnell ducks right under it. Both men look exhausted. Nice shot to the body from Burnell and he goes in and lands another takedown. Burnell in half guard. Sanchez trying to throw shots from the bottom position. Burnell in control in top position. Sanchez trying to grab a hold of Burnell’s wrists. 10-9 Burnell.

Round 3: Burnell goes in for another takedown early and he secures it. Sanchez gets up but Burnell takes him down one more time. Burnell takes his back and is looking for a rear-naked choke. Sanchez defends well but Burnell isn’t let the position go. Sanchez rolls out of it and he is now in side control. Sanchez needs to do something here because he could very well be down on the judges’ scorecards. Burnell trying to land another takedown and he gets it with two minutes remaining. Sanchez staying busy, though, looking for submissions. He simply doesn’t stop moving. Burnell now in side control with one minute remaining. Sanchez with an elbow from the bottom. Sanchez looks for advice from his corner. Both men trying to score some points as the fight comes to an end. Will be a tough one to call. 10-9 Burnell.

Final result: Burnell def. Sanchez via unanimous decision

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Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Manny Muro

Round 1: Nurmagomedov with a high kick and then another, follows it with a straight right hand. Another high kick. Nurmagomedov takes him down with the quickness and he now has his back. Muro in trouble here. Nurmagomedov looking for the rear-naked choke. Muro eating shots from the side. He scrambles but Usman is too quick and takes him down again. Muro is back up but Nurmagomedov simply takes him down again. Muro’s eye is starting to swell. He reverses position and he gets back up. Nurmagomedov tags him with a vicious knee to the body and drops Muro. Nurmagomedov goes in for the kill an earns the first round stoppage win.

Final result: Nurmagomedov def. Muro via first round TKO

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Brent Primus vs. Islam Mamedov

Round 1: Inside leg kick from Mamedov. Primus with a one-two combination. Kick to the body from Mamedov, Primus returns the favor. Big right hand from Mamedov finds its spot. Double jab from Primus. Primus pushes Mamedov to the cage and unloads a right and a left hand. Mamedov reverses position and pushes the former champion against the cage. Reverse from Primus. Mamedov reverses position and lands a takedown. Primus looking for an ankle and now Mamedov is in full guard. Primus looking for an omoplata. Mamedov once again in guard. Primus holding him close to his body. Mamedov separates and tries to unload some ground-and-pound. 10-9 Mamedov

Round 2: Mamedov with a jumping knee to start the round. Primus grabs a hold of him and pushes him up to the cage before being taken down. Primus gets right back up almost instantly. Jockeying for position against the cage. Nice elbow from Primus lands. Mamedov scores a nice judo throw and is in side control. Primus looking for the submission but Mamedov defends well. Though on the bottom, Primus is staying very busy in search of a submission forcing Mamedov to defend. 10-9 Primus

Round 3: Mamedov sweeps Primus early in the round and he jumps into half guard. Once again Primus defends and goes on the offensive from the bottom. Close fight going into the last round. Nice short elbow from the bottom position from Primus. A lot of the same as the first two rounds, Mamedov is in top position but isn’t doing much with it. Primus has a tight hold on Mamedov’s arm and he is torqueing it, he is really bending it but he refuses to tap. Wow, that looked painful. Primus lets go and Mamedov is once again in guard. This is going to be a tough fight to score. 10-9 Mamedov

Final result: Mamedov def. Primus via split decision

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Goiti Yamauchi vs. Chris Gonzalez

Round 1: Gonzalez opens up with a high kick. Blitzes in with a left hand that grazes Yamauchi, who counters with a high kick. Hard kick to the body from Yamauchi and another. Low kick from Gonzalez. Inside leg kick form Yamauchi and a jumping knee. Kick to the body lands for Gonzalez. Uppercut lands for Gonzales who fires right back. Intense first round. They exchange knees in the clinch. Counter right hook from Gonzalez. Yamauchi lands a three punch combination and then a right uppercut. Yamauchi lands a straight right hand that floors Gonzalez! He pounces and starts landing bombs to put an end to the fight. Wow.

Final result: Yamauchi def. Gonzalez via first round TKO

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To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.

A UFC flyweight failed an in-competition USADA test and accepted the punishment.

The UFC career of flyweight Juancamilo Ronderos is not off to a great start. Following an unsuccessful Octagon debut, where get got submitted by David Dvorak, the Colombian has now failed an in-competition USADA test for cocaine and accepted the one-month suspension for the infraction.

The test dates back to the day of UFC Vegas 27, May 22, when Ronderos met and was finished by Dvorak. Per USADA’s official statement, the punishment is retroactive to the day of the test, meaning that Ronderos is already eligible to compete again. You can read the whole document below:

““USADA announced today that Juancamilo Ronderos Alvis, of Las Vegas, Nev., has accepted a one-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy. Alvis, 26, tested positive for cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine as the result of a sample collected in competition at the UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on May 22, 2021. Cocaine, a non-Specified stimulant, is prohibited in-competition and considered a Substance of Abuse under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and the UFC Prohibited List.”

“An athlete who discloses the use of a prohibited substance to USADA upon entering the UFC Anti-Doping Program will not be deemed to have committed a violation if USADA determines that a positive test for that substance resulted from the athlete’s use prior to entering the program. Alvis did not declare the use of cocaine on his onboarding declaration forms. Alvis received a reduction to the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility because under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, athletes may receive a reduced sanction for Substances of Abuse if they can establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the violation did not enhance, and was not intended to enhance, the athlete’s performance in a Bout and they subsequently complete a drug rehabilitation program.”

Before his disappointing UFC debut, Ronderos (4-1) was on a four-fight winning streak at regional organization Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting, where he scored two submission and two decision wins, including one over former UFC fighter Eric Shelton.

Former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw says he would have stopped Cory Sandhagen if not for a prior injury.

Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw did score a split decision win over Cory Sandhagen is his return after two years away from the Octagon. However, the 35-year-old believes he could have done an even better job and finished the ‘Sandman’, had it not been for a knee injury he suffered in the fight.

On Bruce Buffer’s podcast ‘It’s Time’, Dillashaw mentioned how his back takes could have been more effective if his leg were healthy. Nonetheless, he is still satisfied with the way the fight developed, because he was able to showcase more of skills and state of mind in a 25-minute battle.

“Cory is really lucky that my knee was messed up when I took his back so many times, because it would have been a different story if I was actually able to lift him or throw my hooks in. When I took his back, I tried doing a couple of trips. But every time – I remember lifting him in the second round, I took his back and my knee completely buckled on me and I was like ‘Oh, we can’t do that anymore.”

“So a lot of those back controls would have been – I believe I would have finished him if my leg would have been healthy.” Dillashaw continued. “But you know what? Maybe it’s better I didn’t. I got to show that I have that grit, I have that comeback mentality, I have that fight-through-adversity, and I showed that my cardio is second to none. No one is going to outpace me. I work harder than everyone. So maybe it worked out in my favor. I built a lot of fans back in that fight.”

Dillashaw has since learned that his injured knee is due to a bucket handle tear of the lateral meniscus and a lateral collateral ligament rupture. The ailments will require surgery, but recovery time should not be very long.

Dillashaw (17-4) served a two-year USADA suspension after testing positive for banned substance EPO, which stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow, on January 19, 2019. That day, the 35-year-old lost his bantamweight belt to Henry Cejudo via TKO, but before that he was on a four-fight winning streak, with victories over Cody Garbrandt, John Lineker and Raphael Assuncao.

Bellator MMA’s Featherweight Grand Prix will conclude later tonight (Sat., July 31, 2021) with division king Patricio Freire taking on A.J. McKee for the $1 million prize. But another one of the promotion’s tournaments is nearing its end, as well.

The semifinal round of the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix will go down at an upcoming event on Oct. 16 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ., and will be headlined by a 205-pound title fight between division king, Vadim Nemkov, taking on Anthony Johnson.

Nemkov moved on to the semifinal round by defeating Phil Davis for the second time in the quarterfinals to improve his win streak to eight (highlights), six under the Bellator umbrella. Johnson, meanwhile, survived an early scare in his quarterfinal bout against Jose Augusto at Bellator 258 before knocking him in round two. The fight was “Rumble’s” debut for the promotion after making the jump from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The other semifinal bout will see former division king Ryan Bader take on his ex training partner Corey Anderson. Bader took out Lyoto Machida in the opening round at Bellator 256 (see it), while Anderson knocked out Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov to advance at Bellator 257. The winners of these bouts will then face off in the finale to not only possibly crown a new champion but also for a massive $1 million payday.

Predictions?

For more Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.

Bellator MMA returns to action with a special Saturday night card later tonight (July 31, 2021) with Bellator 263 inside The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif., airing exclusively on SHOWTIME. Headlining the event will be the finale of the promotion’s Featherweight Grand Prix between division kingpin, Patricio Freire, and A.J. McKee, who has yet to taste defeat (17-0).

While you will have to have a subscription to SHOWTIME to catch Bellator 263 tonight (get one here), the promotion is once again offering up the undercard for free and we will have a video stream for your right here. Just click on the embedded video player above to enjoy all of the action.

Here is a quick rundown of all of the “Prelims” action, which begins at 7 p.m. ET:

185 lbs.: Joshua Jones (10-4) vs. Johnny Cisneros (13-7)
125 lbs.: Vanessa Porto (22-9) vs. Ilara Joanne (9-5)
155 lbs.: Gadzhi Rabadanov (15-4-1) vs. Daniel Carey (7-4)
155 lbs.: Georgi Karakhanyan (30-11-1) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (8-2)
135 lbs.: Brian Moore (13-7) vs. Jordan Winski (11-2)
145 lbs.: Khasan Magomedsharipov (5-0) vs. Jonathan Quiroz (3-4)

If you are in Canada, here is the link for you to catch all of the action.

MMAmania.com will deliver coverage of Bellator 263 tonight on Showtime right here. To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.