Tag: Bellator News

Jake Hager, Former WWE Star, Calls for Fedor Emelianenko Fight

Jake HagerAdd former WWE star and current Bellator fighter Jake Hager, otherwise known as “Jack Swagger” to the list of potential opponents for Fedor Emelianenko‘s return to fighting. Emelianenko recently announced his return to Bellator after a long hiatus from competition. Bellator president Scott Coker also said that Emelianenko will make his return to the octagon […]

Jake Hager

Add former WWE star and current Bellator fighter Jake Hager, otherwise known as “Jack Swagger” to the list of potential opponents for Fedor Emelianenko‘s return to fighting.

Emelianenko recently announced his return to Bellator after a long hiatus from competition. Bellator president Scott Coker also said that Emelianenko will make his return to the octagon in style at Bellator 269 in his native Russia.

Although an opponent hasn’t been officially booked for the October 23rd event in Moscow, Hager has thrown his name in the hat of potential matchups for the card. He made his transition from professional wrestling to MMA back in 2017 when he signed with Bellator, although he still participates in All Elite Wrestling.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Hager went all-in on a potential fight with Emelianenko for the legend’s return to the promotion.

“Just because I have a shorter career doesn’t mean I’m not as worthy,” Hager told MMA Fighting. “I have a bigger following, I have more excitement behind me, and I have a brighter future than all of those guys. So give it to me [Bellator President] Scott [Coker], because I’m the one that you’re going to build this company on, not those guys that are just coming in for a one-and-done. I’m here for the next 10 years. Let’s go.”

Hager has accumulated a 3-0-1 record since making the move to MMA, including a razor-thin split-decision win over Brandon Calton at Bellator 250 last October. He has yet to fight in 2021 in Bellator’s heavyweight division, which includes the reigning champion, Ryan Bader.

Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Anderson Silva, and Fabricio Werdum are just a few of the names along with Hager that have been rumored into consideration for Emelianenko‘s next bout. Regardless of whether or not he ends up getting his wish, it’s eye-opening that Hager seems unfazed by one of the greatest MMA fighters in the sport’s history.

Do you think Fedor Emelianenko should fight Jake Hager in his return to Bellator?

Fabricio Werdum Takes Shot At Fedor Emelianenko, Calls For Rematch

WerdumIt’s fair to say Fabricio Werdum wants his name in the hat to face Fedor Emelianenko next. With the news that Emelianenko was set to return to action for Bellator in an event taking place October 23 in Moscow, Russia, a number of names have been in contact with Scott Coker to fight “The Last […]

Werdum

It’s fair to say Fabricio Werdum wants his name in the hat to face Fedor Emelianenko next.

With the news that Emelianenko was set to return to action for Bellator in an event taking place October 23 in Moscow, Russia, a number of names have been in contact with Scott Coker to fight “The Last Emperor” next.

Among them include Josh Barnett, Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem to name a few. We can now comfortably add Werdum’s name to that list despite him being the first fighter to stop Emelianenko’s legendary unbeaten run.

The former UFC heavyweight champion also took a dig at the Russian MMA legend in the process with some recent tweets.

“IF fedor The ? do you need revenge from me HEY I’m ready to go to Russia”

“Fedor was never the goat because I killed the ? @ScottCoker let’s go”

This follows Werdum’s tweets prior where he hyped up a rematch.

Werdum notably submitted Emelianenko in the first round when they clashed at a 2010 Strikeforce headliner. As a result, the Brazilian ended Emelianenko’s 28-fight unbeaten run at the time.

Do you want to see a rematch between them?

Bas Rutten Reacts To Joe Schilling Bar Knockout: ‘I’m Not Into That’

Bas RuttenBas Rutten has given his opinion on the viral video of Joe Schilling knocking out a drunk man in a bar. The Bellator MMA fighter justified his actions by claiming the man had made racist comments and was also a domestic abuser, posting “proof” of this to social media. After considering all of that Rutten […]

Bas Rutten

Bas Rutten has given his opinion on the viral video of Joe Schilling knocking out a drunk man in a bar.

The Bellator MMA fighter justified his actions by claiming the man had made racist comments and was also a domestic abuser, posting “proof” of this to social media.

After considering all of that Rutten says the guy “kind of deserved” to get knocked out.

“In the beginning, you go, was the guy really provoking him?” Rutten told MMA Fighting. “But the messages [Schilling, allegedly] got from his ex-wife, apparently, he was a violent guy. It looked like, yeah, why would he hit him? But apparently, he was saying really bad stuff, and he had done it in the past with his ladies. So he kind of deserved it, I guess.”

Rutten who served as a bouncer for many years insists, he would never have done what Schilling did. The MMA legend thinks the situation could have been handled in a much better way.

“For me, I don’t, not against a civilian,” he said. “In that situation, I wouldn’t have done it. I’m happy that it came out that he used to beat his exes, because I personally wouldn’t have done it. With me, they’re going to have to throw the first punch. Otherwise, I don’t do anything. And most of the time when I see they’re drunk, I’m not even going to fight. I might, if he really…put him in a choke. Just choke him out, put him on his side, call the cops.

“But listen, I’ve been drunk a lot in my life also. I don’t like to be the person – this guy knew what he was doing, obviously, what he was doing. But if somebody’s really drunk, why would I bash his face in? The next day he wakes up and doesn’t remember what happened. Yeah, I’m not into that.”

Do you agree with Bas Rutten? Should Joe Schilling have dealt with his recent bar altercation differently?

Paige VanZant: Leaving The UFC Was The Best Decision I’ve Ever Made

Paige VanZantFormer UFC fighter Paige VanZant has come out and said that she is better off financially since leaving the promotion. After going 5-4 in her UFC career and losing her last fight via armbar to Amanda Ribas in July of 2020, she decided to test free agency. After weighing her options, she signed a four […]

Paige VanZant

Former UFC fighter Paige VanZant has come out and said that she is better off financially since leaving the promotion.

After going 5-4 in her UFC career and losing her last fight via armbar to Amanda Ribas in July of 2020, she decided to test free agency. After weighing her options, she signed a four fight deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships that gave her a major pay raise. As a result, she also started a fan site that people can pay for to get exclusive content.

Needless to say, Paige VanZant is in a much better place with her money after leaving the UFC and becoming independent. She revealed more details in an interview with her and her husband, Bellator fighter Austin Vanderford. (H/T mmafighting.com)

“I had my whole career was built off the UFC,” VanZant said. “I was in the UFC for like six years. It was very nerve-wracking. There weren’t a lot of people who left the UFC in the prime of their career.

“For me, I was a free agent at 26 years old. I was really young. It was nerve-wracking to know you’re leaving the powerhouse of combat sports. But now I know it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Since I’ve left, I’ve seen multiple fighters leave the UFC — and it’s not a diss at the UFC necessarily, but I think it’s more an awakening in fighters knowing there’s money out there and we’re going to be compensated for what we’re doing.”

After a tough run in the UFC, Vanzant was looking for new management to help her with free agency. According to Vanderford, it was the catalyst to securing her financial success in the future.

“Meeting Malki [Kawa] and signing with First Round [Management] was truly … I can’t say it enough how much of a life changer it’s been for us,” Vanderford said. “Before we signed with them, he said, ‘I need you guys to agree that you’re going to follow my lead and you’re going to do what I say and you’re going to trust me,’ and so far it’s hard to even imagine. They’ve just done such a good job.

Her out of the cage career has been booming as well with the launch of her new website. Fans can pay a fixed rate every month to access exclusive photos and videos that VanZant posts their. VanZant talks about how difficult the decision was to open herself up like that.

“There was always this back and forth,” VanZant said about her decision. “There’s two sides of it. I didn’t want to put myself in a position where I would lose business opportunities based on having an exclusive content site, but I feel like I’m already seen as a sex symbol in the sports world. I wanted to do it on my own terms. So I actually joined Fan Time, it’s a separate company. I’m not with OnlyFans. It’s PaigeFanZant.com and it’s my own website and I have a lot of control over what goes on there. I’m proud to say I’m part of it.

“I work hard for my body. I work hard for who I am, and there’s a side of me that’s extremely girly and feminine, and I get to share that on my fan site. Now I think it’s becoming a lot more acceptable. It was a little bit more X-rated, just the view from the public. Not saying that’s actually what people have on there, but I wanted to do it my own way. I wanted to do it professionally and have my own website and that’s what I’ve done.”

After being in financial turmoil while fighting in the UFC, VanZant and Vanderford can both now say that they are in a good place for the future.

“I’m not planning for when I retire to go to college or try to figure out what’s next in my life. I’m able to just fight and save money and plan when I want to retire, I can just retire.”

Paige VanZant will return to combat sports against Rachael Ostovich at BKFC 19 on July 23rd.

What do you think of Paige Vanzant’s new financial success?

Joe Schilling Facing Potential Battery Charge for Florida Bar Altercation

Joe SchillingFormer Bellator middleweight contender Joe Schilling is facing legal issues in the aftermath of his now-viral altercation with a man at a Florida bar over the weekend. Footage surfaced yesterday of Schilling throwing a flurry of punches at a bar patron on Sunday night in Fort Lauderdale, whose identity was later revealed as Justin Balboa. […]

Joe Schilling

Former Bellator middleweight contender Joe Schilling is facing legal issues in the aftermath of his now-viral altercation with a man at a Florida bar over the weekend.

Footage surfaced yesterday of Schilling throwing a flurry of punches at a bar patron on Sunday night in Fort Lauderdale, whose identity was later revealed as Justin Balboa. In the video, Schilling appears to move politely past Balboa on his way back from the other side of the bar, but then he and Balboa exchange words and get in each other’s faces which resulted in Schilling knocking out Balboa in the process.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department quickly got involved, meeting with Balboa shortly after the assault. According to officers, Balboa had allegedly made inappropriate comments about Schilling’s girlfriend/wife leading up to the altercation. Yesterday, Balboa formally met with representatives of the police department and expressed his desire to press charges.

Balboa’s attorney, Robert Solomon said that Balboa went to the hospital after suffering a head injury stemming from the incident. Solomon spoke with MMA Fighting and issued a statement on the matter.

“It should not have happened,” Solomon told MMA Fighting. “You watch that video and you cringe. This is a professional fighter. To tell me you felt threatened as a professional fighter that’s fighting in the highest level of all the fighting, Bellator and all these things, I don’t buy it.”

“To punch somebody as hard as he punched this guy, he’s lucky he’s not dead and we’re dealing with a different type of case.”

Schilling hasn’t spoken to the media since the incident went viral on social media and the FLPD is investigating the incident. As of right now, no formal charges have been filed but that could change in the coming days and weeks.

Schilling was released by Bellator MMA last October after an up-and-down run in their kickboxing competitions and MMA cards. It’s unclear whether or not Schilling will return to MMA especially with the new legal issues he is now facing.

What was your reaction to the Joe Schilling bar footage?

Joe Schilling Claims Guy He Assaulted Was A Racist Domestic Abuser

Joe SchillingBellator middleweight Joe Schilling is asserting that the bar patron he assaulted earlier this week deserved it. A video surfaced showing Schilling punching a bar patron he bumped into, knocking the man out cold. Schilling seems to show no remorse for his actions as he walks away from the man and stunned bar patrons.  After […]

Joe Schilling

Bellator middleweight Joe Schilling is asserting that the bar patron he assaulted earlier this week deserved it.

A video surfaced showing Schilling punching a bar patron he bumped into, knocking the man out cold. Schilling seems to show no remorse for his actions as he walks away from the man and stunned bar patrons. 

After the video surfaced, Schilling took to social media to give his version of events. In an exclusive with Hans Molenkamp, Schilling asserted that the bar patron, who remains unidentified, had been aggressive and racist throughout the evening leading up to the incident. (H/T Beyond Kickboxing)

“Little context… this guy’s rapping like an idiot. The busboy, who happens to be black, walks by and this idiot bumps into him and screams out ‘me and broke n****s, we don’t get along.’ The busboy is serriously offended, but doesn’t want to lose his job.”

He continued, “as the night goes on, this clown starts looking at me… I go outside to smoke. As I’m walking back, he bumps into me. I put my hand out to catch him, he immediately says sorry. You can see me nod my head like cool. Then he realizes it’s me, the guy he’s been rapping to all night and yells, ‘Hey!’ I turn around and he flexes on me … bad decisions are made everyday.”

“The busboy and DJ came up to thank me. As you can see from this video, when he flexed on me, I was scared for my life and simply defending myself against the evil in this world.”

In a subsequent Instagram post, Schilling shares screenshots of what are, presumably, messages from the bar patron’s ex-partner and a friend of the ex-partner claiming that the man was abusive. Schilling posted the screenshot and labeled it “The Lord’s Work.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQsVHNCAy_G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Not sure if we should consider Schilling’s post as a supplement to his original explanation or as a justification for his actions. However, the internet has tons of opinions regarding his actions that range from supportive of Schilling to calling for legal action.

More to this story is likely to unfold, and Low Kick MMA will keep you updated.

Do you think Joe Schilling was justified in knocking out the bar patron in the video?