Tag: bellator london

PFL Fighter In Coma Over 1 Month On From Botched Bellator London Weight Cut

Brazilian MMA promotion Nacão Cyborg has revealed on social media that a fighter formerly on its roster is currently in a coma after a botched weigh-in attempt for her Bellator debut last month Daiana Silva was set to compete against Eman Almudhaf at the Bellator Champions Series event that took place at the OVO Arena […]

Continue Reading PFL Fighter In Coma Over 1 Month On From Botched Bellator London Weight Cut at MMA News.

Brazilian MMA promotion Nacão Cyborg has revealed on social media that a fighter formerly on its roster is currently in a coma after a botched weigh-in attempt for her Bellator debut last month

Daiana Silva was set to compete against Eman Almudhaf at the Bellator Champions Series event that took place at the OVO Arena Wembley in London on September 14.

The fight was canceled after Silva, who is undefeated at 3-0, couldn’t make the featherweight limit, which would’ve been her first time competing in this weight class.

The 29-year old previously fought at lightweight and, as reported by her former promotion, which is led by Cris Cyborg, is currently still in a coma in London, England.

The PFL, which acquired the Bellator brand last year, has yet to address the situation, making the following Instagram post the first that many had heard about the tragic news.

“The Cyborg Nation Team, comes to the public to extend its solidarity with CM System MMA Team Athlete Daiane “Leidy Dai” Silva, who would be making her debut at the Bellator in London on 09/14/2024, however suffered complications during her weight cut and has since been hospitalized in serious condition in the Capital of England.
We at the Cyborg Nation Event, which launched the athlete, are committed to going deep to identify and hold the culprits accountable who allowed this to happen, we will bring you more information in the coming weeks.”

With the news now hitting social media, more information has come to light on the current situation and why there have been little updates about it.

Uncrowned Combat’s Drake Riggs posted the following update on X.

Continue Reading PFL Fighter In Coma Over 1 Month On From Botched Bellator London Weight Cut at MMA News.

Sara Collins scores epic upset, submits Leah McCourt in opening round – Bellator: London Highlights

Sara Collins scores epic upset, submits Leah McCourt in opening round - Bellator: London HighlightsSara Collins established herself as the featherweight division’s top contender with a jaw-dropping first-round submission victory over Irish fan…

Sara Collins scores epic upset, submits Leah McCourt in opening round - Bellator: London Highlights

Sara Collins established herself as the featherweight division’s top contender with a jaw-dropping first-round submission victory over Irish fan favorite Leah McCourt at the Bellator Champions Series: London event on Saturday.

McCourt looked to attack the lead leg of Collins early, but McCourt failed to set up the kicks, allowing Collins to snatch the leg and send her opponent to the mat. Collins declined to go down to the mat and allowed McCourt back to her feet.

Upright once again, Collins unleashed a massive right hand that sent McCourt crashing to the canvas. Smelling blood in the water, Collins swarmed and dropped a series of hammer fists that prompted McCourt to give up her back. Seeing her opportunity to finish things, Collins cinched her arm under McCourt’s neck and forced the tap out in round one via a rear-naked choke.

Official Result: Sara Collins def. Leah McCourt via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:25 or Round 1.

With the win over McCourt, Collins moves to a perfect 6-0 in her mixed martial arts career and is now the No. 1 ranked contender in Bellator’s featherweight division, lining her up for a potential title tilt with women’s MMA legend Cris Cyborg.

Check out highlights from Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins:

Bellator Champions Series Results & Highlights: Sara Collins Submits Leah McCourt

The fifth Bellator Champions Series event went down on Saturday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action. After taking the newly created Bellator Champions Series to Belfast, Paris, Dublin, and San Diego thus far since acquiring its rival promotion late last year, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) brought the brand back to […]

Continue Reading Bellator Champions Series Results & Highlights: Sara Collins Submits Leah McCourt at MMA News.

The fifth Bellator Champions Series event went down on Saturday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action.

After taking the newly created Bellator Champions Series to Belfast, Paris, Dublin, and San Diego thus far since acquiring its rival promotion late last year, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) brought the brand back to English soil for the first time in 2024.

And headlining inside the OVO Arena Wembley in London on September 14 was nine-fight Bellator veteran Leah McCourt. After the cancellation of a championship rematch between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, her clash with Australia’s Sara Collins was promoted to main event status.

The Melbourne native remained undefeated, submitting McCourt inside the opening round to secure top contender status for Cris Cyborg’s Bellator women’s featherweight title.

Also of note was the return of England’s own Simeon Powell, who overcame two knockdowns in the opening round to fall on the right side of a split decision against Rafael Xavier in the co-headliner. Beforehand, former UFC athlete Marc Diakiese made a successful debut and unbeaten American prospect Archie Colgan continued his winning ways.

With that said, see below for the full results, followed by all the highlights.

Bellator Champions Series: McCourt vs. Collins Results & Highlights

Full Card:

  • Women’s Featherweight: Sara Collins def. Leah McCourt via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 2:25
  • Light Heavyweight: Simeon Powell def. Rafael Xavier via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Light Heavyweight: Luke Trainer def. Laurynas Urbonavicius via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 4:15
  • Lightweight: Marc Diakiese def. Tim Wilde via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Lightweight: Archie Colgan def. Manoel Sousa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Middleweight: Mike Shipman def. Eslam Abdul Baset via TKO (knee and punches): R2, 2:32
  • Catchweight (170lbs): Joseph Luciano def. Steven Hill via submission (anaconda choke): R2, 1:22
  • Catchweight (140lbs): Ciaran Clarke def. Tuomas Grönvall via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Lightweight: Darragh Kelly def. Dmytrii Hrytsenko via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Darragh Kelly Def. Dmytrii Hrytsenko

Ciaran Clarke Def. Tuomas Grönvall

Joseph Luciano Def. Steven Hill

Mike Shipman Def. Eslam Abdul Baset

Archie Colgan Def. Manoel Sousa

Marc Diakiese Def. Tim Wilde

Luke Trainer Def. Laurynas Urbonavicius

Simeon Powell Def. Rafael Xavier

Sara Collins Def. Leah McCourt

Continue Reading Bellator Champions Series Results & Highlights: Sara Collins Submits Leah McCourt at MMA News.

Bellator Champions Series: Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins Results & Highlights (1 PM ET)

The fifth Bellator Champions Series event goes down on Saturday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action. After taking the newly created Bellator Champions Series to Belfast, Paris, Dublin, and San Diego thus far since acquiring its rival promotion late last year, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) has brought the brand back […]

Continue Reading Bellator Champions Series: Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins Results & Highlights (1 PM ET) at MMA News.

The fifth Bellator Champions Series event goes down on Saturday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action.

After taking the newly created Bellator Champions Series to Belfast, Paris, Dublin, and San Diego thus far since acquiring its rival promotion late last year, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) has brought the brand back to English soil for the first time in 2024.

And headlining inside the OVO Arena Wembley in London on September 14 is nine-fight Bellator veteran Leah McCourt. After the cancellation of a championship rematch between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, her clash with Australia’s Sara Collins has been promoted to main event status.

Also of note is the return of England’s own Simeon Powell, who will co-headline in his first fight since falling short of PFL Europe title glory in late 2023, the debut of former UFC athlete Marc Diakiese, and the latest outing for undefeated American prospect Archie Colgan.

Ahead of today’s event, see below for the full card and broadcast information, and be sure to check back later for live results and all the highlights.

Bellator Champions Series: McCourt vs. Collins Results & Highlights

Full Card (1 PM ET, MAX):

  • Women’s Featherweight: Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins
  • Light Heavyweight: Simeon Powell vs. Rafael Xavier
  • Light Heavyweight: Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
  • Lightweight: Tim Wilde vs. Marc Diakiese
  • Lightweight: Archie Colgan vs. Manoel Sousa
  • Middleweight: Mike Shipman vs. Eslam Abdel Baset
  • Catchweight (170lbs): Joseph Luciano vs. Steven Hill
  • Catchweight (140lbs): Ciaran Clarke vs. Tuomas Gronvall
  • Lightweight: Darragh Kelly vs. Dmytrii Hrytsenko

Continue Reading Bellator Champions Series: Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins Results & Highlights (1 PM ET) at MMA News.

Bellator Champions Series London Loses Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards On Late Notice, New Main Event Confirmed

The return of the Bellator brand to England’s capital has taken a major blow less than two weeks out. After the Professional Fighters League (PFL) acquired Bellator MMA and announced the Bellator Champions Series, founder Donn Davis outlined plans for two titles to be on the line at each of the eight events. While that […]

Continue Reading Bellator Champions Series London Loses Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards On Late Notice, New Main Event Confirmed at MMA News.

The return of the Bellator brand to England’s capital has taken a major blow less than two weeks out.

After the Professional Fighters League (PFL) acquired Bellator MMA and announced the Bellator Champions Series, founder Donn Davis outlined plans for two titles to be on the line at each of the eight events.

While that promise came through for event one in Belfast, the subsequent cards in Paris and Dublin saw just one piece of gold at stake. And although that trend continues in San Diego this week, London has now lost its one and only championship clash.

Following a lightweight title showdown between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alexandr Shabliy on US soil this coming Saturday, the Bellator Champions Series will cross the pond to stage its fifth event of the year inside London’s OVO Arena Wembley.

But just days out, fans planning to attend have received some disastrous news…

Eblen vs. Edwards Postponed, McCourt Headlines Championshipless Champions Series Card

Topping the lineup on Sept. 14 was scheduled to be middleweight kingpin Johnny Eblen and England’s own Fabian Edwards, with the latter slated to challenge for “The Human Cheat Code’s” title for the second time in as many years.

On Tuesday, however, a post on the Bellator MMA social media accounts announced that the pair’s main event has been scrapped from the card and will be rescheduled for a later date. The reason for the cancellation is unclear as of this writing.

With insufficient time to book a replacement bout with similar stakes and name value, the original women’s featherweight co-main event between Leah McCourt and Sara Collins has been elevated to the headline spotlight.

That news was met with frustration from plenty of UK fans, some of whom took to the comment sections on X and Instagram to enquire about possible refunds.

Below the promoted main event matchup, notable UK names like former PFL Europe standout Simeon Powell, ex-UFC contender Marc Diakiese, and highly touted American Archie Colgan are all set to be in action.

Continue Reading Bellator Champions Series London Loses Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards On Late Notice, New Main Event Confirmed at MMA News.

Michael Page Explains Why Bellator 281 Loss Was Exciting For Him

Despite losing out on having interim gold wrapped around his waist at Bellator 281, Michael Venom Page (MVP) has explained why the result has still left him feeling excited. After Bellator Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov withdrew from his scheduled defense against Page to continue his part in the Ukrainian effort to push back Russian forces,…

Continue Reading Michael Page Explains Why Bellator 281 Loss Was Exciting For Him at MMA News.

Despite losing out on having interim gold wrapped around his waist at Bellator 281, Michael Venom Page (MVP) has explained why the result has still left him feeling excited.

After Bellator Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov withdrew from his scheduled defense against Page to continue his part in the Ukrainian effort to push back Russian forces, Logan Storley agreed to cross the Atlantic into hostile territory.

At Bellator 281 last Friday, hosted inside the OVO Arena Wembley in London, MVP and Storley met in the main event with the interim strap on the line. After five rounds, the American wrestler was awarded a controversial split decision victory.

Many, including the promotion’s chief Scott Coker, have suggested that Storley didn’t deliver enough damage from his position to deserve the nod on the scorecards, with his wrestling game seemingly verging on a defense against Page’s striking rather than scorable offense.

Nevertheless, during a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Page acknowledged that he would have had a better chance of ensuring he left with the title had he been able to return to his feet.

“It’s a multitude of different emotions… For me, I needed to do better at not being held down,” admitted Page. “There’s a few things that I feel like I could’ve done, in retrospect, better. A few decisions that I made, I could’ve done better, and that could’ve guaranteed me the win.”

But despite the disappointment of failing to have his hand raised in front of his hometown crowd, “Venom” certainly wasn’t all doom and gloom following the result.

Page: “All I Have To Do Is Fix One Thing”

In fact, the setback, which marked only the second loss of MVP’s professional career and snapped his six-fight win streak, has actually made the 35-year-old striker excited for the future.

According to the English fan-favorite, the loss to Storley proved that he only has one flaw to address in his game before cementing himself as the “most dangerous” fighter in mixed martial arts.

“It’s also, weirdly enough, exciting for me, because it’s like, all I have to do is fix one thing in my game and I become the most dangerous person in MMA,” said Page. “That’s how I see it. People do not want to be in front of me while I’m doing what I do. So, it’s kind of exciting. I’m ready to get straight back to work.”

While Storley basks in title glory, albeit a controversial dose of it, it’s back to the drawing board for MVP. Given how determined he seems to address the hole in his game, perhaps we can expect a new and improved Michael “Venom” Page next time out.

Do you think that Michael Page can bounce back and make his way to another title shot down the line?

Continue Reading Michael Page Explains Why Bellator 281 Loss Was Exciting For Him at MMA News.