Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of legendary pugilist and civil rights activist Muhammad Ali, has earned his first win…
Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of legendary pugilist and civil rights activist Muhammad Ali, has earned his first win as a professional mixed martial artist.
After scoring six straight highlight-reel knockouts as an amateur, Ali Walsh made his pro debut as part of the PFL vs. Bellator prelim card on Saturday inside the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. Fight fans were expecting Ali Walsh to once again unleash his fists on his Argentinian challenger, Emmanuel Palacio.
Instead, Ali Walsh flexed his ground game, grinding out a dominant decision victory to get his career off on the right foot.
Official Result: Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Emmanuel Palacio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Check out Highlights From Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. emmanuel palacio at PFL vs. Bellator:
Le petit fils de Muhammad, Biaggio Ali Walsh fait son entrée pour ses débuts en pro ! #PFLvsBellator
Days away from his highly anticipated return to the cage, Johnny Eblen went on an extravagant shopping spree with…
Days away from his highly anticipated return to the cage, Johnny Eblen went on an extravagant shopping spree with Jessenia Rebecca — a popular OnlyFans model with nearly two million followers on Instagram.
According to a report from TMZ, the undefeated Bellator middleweight champion dropped a whopping $85,000 during their expensive outing, spending $30,000 at Alex The Jeweler, $25,000 at Dior, and another $30,000 at Louis Vuitton. Interestingly, the pair are not even dating, though Eblen is said to be in an open relationship with another woman.
À 12 jours d’une défense de son titre des Middleweights du Bellator, Johnny Eblen a été surpris dans la rue avec une modèle au compte OnlyFans connu… et de 85.000$ de cadeaux. https://t.co/Ws5pHTKUkW
On February 24, Eblen will feature on the PFL vs. Bellator card emanating from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dubbed ‘The Battle of Champions,’ Eblen is scheduled to face the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament winner, Impa Kasanganay, in the co-main event of the evening.
“I’m on a different level,” Eblen told Sports Illustrated while discussing his impending clash with Kasanganay. “At the same time, any grown man with some technique can knock you out. If I’m not on point, I’ll f*cking lose this fight. So I’m not taking any shortcuts. That mentality is going to show how I’m on a different level than him.”
With his existing contract set to expire in the fall of 2025, Eblen plans to test out free agency.
“I plan to test free agency and see what’s out there,” Eblen revealed. “We’ll see how everything plays out. I know I can beat every single middleweight. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to get in the cage with everyone I want to fight. I really want to put myself out there and test myself.”
Eblen makes his PFL debut with an unblemished record of 14-0, including wins over Gegard Mousasi, Anatoly Tokov, and Fabian Edwards in his last three outings.
BKFC CEO David Feldman is hitting 2024 fast, and strong. Not only did he mention the plans for a…
BKFC CEO David Feldman is hitting 2024 fast, and strong. Not only did he mention the plans for a BKFC reality TV show in a recent LowKick MMA exclusive, but he’s also discussed the importance of BKFC making big moves in the MMA free agent market this year.
Not a stranger to big free-agent deals: David Feldman has willed outrageous deals into existence. Not only did they sign a potential star like Mike Perry from the UFC, but Feldman also has since matched him up with huge names in the industry such as Luke Rockhold, and Michael ‘Venom’ Page to name a few.
The mission is never over, however, and in the LowKick MMA exclusive interview, he mentioned how adamant the brand is about getting some of these big deals done.
David Feldman reveals More Big Signings are on the way to BKFC
“Bringing in the big names is something we’re going to focus big on in 2024,” David Feldman told LowKick MMA reporter, Makoa Goble, while speaking about BKFC’s ambitions for this year. “As well as the prospect series and growing them (fighters) from the ground up. So, we’re gonna bring up the big stars from up top and grow it from the ground up and we’re going to meet in the middle, and hopefully, that’s the recipe for success.”
Feldman mentioned he had some big news up his sleeve that he couldn’t speak on, but opened up a little bit more about the specifics as the conversation went on.
“The problem is, and I hate to do this to the journalists, but I can’t talk about it because If I do, it could blow my deal. But, yes, there are 13 guys right now. 13 guys on the radar. Four of them I would consider superstars, and the rest I would consider stars. Absolute stars.”
David Feldman was very patient and generous, and when asked if he could hint at the combat sports brands the fighters hailed from, he obliged.
“I mean, two boxing world champions. UFC. A few guys from Bellator. That’s probably it, really. But, the couple of boxing world champions I am getting: superstars.”
While exact names weren’t discussed, one could begin speculating about the identities of the fighters, since the MMA free-agent market is extremely thin up at the top. For the UFC fighters, guys like Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal have been speculated to make an appearance inside BKFC. Greg Hardy is another semi-notable name who is a free agent. While he was released from the UFC back in 2021, BKFC needs heavyweight stars to compete with the likes of Ben Rothwell, and Todd Duffee.
The speculation could probably go on endlessly, but honestly. It also wouldn’t be hard to figure out names just by studying the market. For the boxers, the market is a little bit more wide open. Shakur Stevenson is a recent free agent who fights in the lightweight division. This puts him on track to compete with the likes of Luis Palomino, Austin Trout, and Mike Perry to name a few. Such a signing would make sense for BKFC, and Stevenson was also the WBC lightweight champion so he fits the bill of a “world champion boxer”.
Who do you think David Feldman will sign out of the free agent market?
The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A few short months…
The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A few short months after the Professional Fighter League’s blockbuster announcement that it had acquired Bellator MMA, we now know when and where the highly anticipated event featuring PFL champions vs. Bellator champions will go down. According to a report from Ariel Helwani, the event will emanate from the Saudi Arabian capital next month with a slew of exciting fights.
In the main event of the evening, 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira will take on Bellator MMA heavyweight titleholder Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader. In the co-main event, 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay will face Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in a 185-pound fight.
Also announced for the main card is 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo who will face Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, and 2023 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov will square off with Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.
Rounding out the card will be a series of can’t-miss clashes, including former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza vs. Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov in a heavyweight bout. Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee will go down in a lightweight scrap and fight fans will also be treated to a heavy-hitting affair as Thiago Santos meets Yoel Romero.
Also expected to feature on the card will be the return of women’s boxing ‘GWOAT’ Claressa Shields, and the pro mixed martial arts debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh.
Check out the full fight card below:
PFL vs. Bellator Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):
Undefeated welterweight grappler, Dillon Danis has officially been released from his multi-fight contract with the Scott Coker-led, Bellator MMA…
Undefeated welterweight grappler, Dillon Danis has officially been released from his multi-fight contract with the Scott Coker-led, Bellator MMA this weekend – bringing an end to his two-fight stint with the organization.
Danis, a who boasts an unbeaten 2-0 professional mixed martial arts record, has yet to compete inside the cage since he locked up a first round armbar submission win over Max Humphrey at Bellator 222 in New York City.
Just last weekend, New Jersey native, Danis made his return to combat sports competition, fighting professional wrestling star and podcast host, Logan Paul in a tense, bad-blooded professional boxing match – suffering a disqualification loss in their Manchester showdown.
Prior and after the bout, Danis, a training partner of former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor, called for multiple debuts in the Octagon – welcoming fights with the likes of Nate Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev, and Kevin Holland to name a few.
And off the back of his boxing match with Paul, it seems Danis will be free to test the waters and markets, landing his release from Bellator MMA officially.
“Dillon Danis is a free agent,” Ariel Helwani posted on his official X account. “Bellator officially released Danis this weekend, sources say.”
Dillon Danis is a free agent.
Bellator officially released Danis this weekend, sources say.
A decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Danis, who made his mixed martial arts debut back in 2018 with a first round toe hold submission win over Kyle Walker under the Bellator MMA banner, had been sidelined from combat sports competition amid a slew of knee injuries, undergoing multiple surgical procedures to address.
Dillon Danis calls for fightwith Islam Makhachev after UFC 294
With Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night. With rumors of the promotion […]
With Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night.
With rumors of the promotion being sold to a third party swirling, Bader is uncertain where he or other members of the Bellator roster currently stand.
“I’ve had some talks with my manager about ‘what ifs,’ but really nobody knows what’s happening,” Bader told MMA Fighting. “So what you can do, keep that on the outside and take care of your job. Put yourself in the best position moving forward with a merger or who knows what happens. Are we all free agents? Are we merging with PFL? We don’t know.
“You can think of all different scenarios, but none of them may be true. What we have to do is keep our heads down and think about the fight in front of us, and put ourselves in the best position to get your contract picked up, or if you’re a free agent, a new contract. Being the heavyweight champion has a little bit of weight going into that.”
Ryan Bader Looks at a Potential Legacy Fight with Francis Ngannou
The prevailing theory thus far has Bellator being absorbed by the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that is looking to make a strong push in the next few years courtesy of an aggressive expansion in Europe and Africa. Not to mention the acquisition of former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou.
Currently, Ngannou is gearing up for a big-money boxing match with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on October 28. Once that bout is in the books, ‘The Predator’ is expected to turn his attention back toward MMA, making his PFL debut in early 2024. No official opponent has been announced for his premiere performance inside the Smart Cage, but whoever earns the opportunity will walk away with a fat sack of cash, win or lose.
“[Ngannou] has a minimum [of $2 million dollars], and that’s anybody that fights him gets $2 million,” Bader said. “You go in there as a champion and negotiate your terms too, that’s a nice little payday and something you work toward. Something like that’s definitely on the line, so maybe this is happening at the right time for the right reason.
“Obviously we’ve got to see how things shake out, but it seems to be happening at the right moment. It’s one of the things I’m talking about. If this merger or whatever comes to happen, that’s a big money fight and it’s something that’s very, very interesting.”
Ryan Bader is unsure about Bellator’s future, but eyes "very, very interesting" Francis Ngannou fight
Ryan Bader first broke onto the MMA scene after winning the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2008. Over the next eight years, ‘Darth’ would compete against a who’s who of light heavyweight talent inside the Octagon, including Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Rashad Evans, Glover Teixeira, and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.
However, it wasn’t until he ventured to Bellator in 2017 that Bader would hit his strike, capturing both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles. In February, ‘Darth’ successfully defended the heavyweight strap against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 290. A fight that could end up being his last for the promotion.
“I’ve hit a lot of those plateaus and peaks as far as winning the heavyweight grand prix while holding the light heavyweight belt. You can’t really top that,” Bader said. “[I beat] Fedor [Emelianenko], and being heavyweight champ for so long — so yeah, a lot of it is you want to make [money], and I’ve been making great money, and I want to continue making great money or even more money.
“I’m 40 years old. I’m not going to be fighting here forever. I’m not going to be fighting four or five more years. So yeah, that’s a big motivator, too. Go out and get these paychecks, but deep down the [competitor] in me wants to go out and win, and win titles, and do that kind of stuff also. They go hand in hand.”
ESPNEWS & ESPN+
ESPNEWS & ESPN+
Days away from his highly anticipated return to the cage, Johnny Eblen went on an extravagant shopping spree with…
À 12 jours d’une défense de son titre des Middleweights du Bellator, Johnny Eblen a été surpris dans la rue avec une modèle au compte OnlyFans connu… et de 85.000$ de cadeaux. 
BKFC CEO David Feldman is hitting 2024 fast, and strong. Not only did he mention the plans for a…
The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A few short months…
Undefeated welterweight grappler, Dillon Danis has officially been released from his multi-fight contract with the Scott Coker-led, Bellator MMA…
With Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night. With rumors of the promotion […]