Tag: Bellator News

Official – Patricio Pitbull vs. A.J. McKee Headlines Bellator 263 On July 31

PitbullThe Bellator featherweight Grand Prix finale between two-weight champion, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire, and the #1 ranked featherweight contender, A.J. ‘Mercenary’ McKee has finally got its landing pad — in the form of a main event tilt at Bellator 263 from Los Angeles, California on July 31.  Headlining the promotion’s return to California, Pitbull looks to […]

Pitbull

The Bellator featherweight Grand Prix finale between two-weight champion, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire, and the #1 ranked featherweight contender, A.J. ‘Mercenary’ McKee has finally got its landing pad — in the form of a main event tilt at Bellator 263 from Los Angeles, California on July 31. 

Headlining the promotion’s return to California, Pitbull looks to lodge the sixth successful defence of his undisputed featherweight championship under the Scott Coker-led banner, following his most recent win over two-time foe, Emanuel Sanchez at Bellator 255 in April — stopping the Milwaukee native with a first round guillotine.

For Long Beach standout, McKee, he’ll make his 18. walk under the Bellator banner, attempting to lift gold at the first time of asking, after a hugely innovative hybrid neck crank finish over former bantamweight gold holder, Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 253 in November of 2019. McKee currently holds a perfect professional record of 17-0. MMA Fighting reporters, Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin were first to report the finale bout, whilst Bellator officials confirmed the matchup this afternoon. 

Riding a seven-fight undefeated streak into the tournament finale, Pitbull began the featherweight Grand Prix with a unanimous decision win over former bantamweight champion, Juan Archuleta back in September of 2019 before progressing into the quarter final stage where he defended his crown with a quickfire one-punch knockout over Straight Blast Gym mainstay, Pedro Carvalho.

A Bellator feature since his 13. professional fight dating back to April of 2010, Freire has also lodged other notable victories against the likes of Wilson Reis (x2), Georgi Karakhanyan, Daniel Straus (x3), Daniel Weichel (x2), Pat Curran, Henry Corrales, and took the lightweight championship from recent UFC lightweight title challenger, three-time Bellator gold holder, Michael Chandler.

On route to his final appearance, McKee, the son of Bellator feature, the veteran, Antonio McKee — has managed to notch wins over contenders, common-foe, Georgi Karakhanyan and promotional alum, Derek Campos. 

With six knockouts to go with another six submission successes, McKee has been a Bellator staple since his professional debut back in April of 2015 — spending his 17-fight career under their banner. 

Yaroslav Amosov Dethrones Douglas Lima – Bellator 260 Highlights

Yaroslav AmosovIn the Bellator 260 main event a new welterweight champion was crowned as Yaroslav Amosov put on a dominant performance over five rounds to dethrone Douglas Lima. Amosov closed the distance and wrestled Lima to the mat in each and every round. The undefeated Ukranian fighter was able to control on top and land enough […]

Yaroslav Amosov

In the Bellator 260 main event a new welterweight champion was crowned as Yaroslav Amosov put on a dominant performance over five rounds to dethrone Douglas Lima.

Amosov closed the distance and wrestled Lima to the mat in each and every round. The undefeated Ukranian fighter was able to control on top and land enough damage to avoid being stood up by the referee. Any time spent on the feet was easily dealt with by Amosov who stayed out of trouble. The only slight moment of success for Lima came with 30 seconds left as he threatened with a submission, but Amosov eventually escaped and claimed the victory.

This loss brings an end to Lima’s third reign as the Bellator welterweight champion. Amosov stretched his perfect record to 26-0 while claiming the 170lb strap.

Check out the highlights from the Bellator 260 main event.

Do you think Yaroslav Amosov will enjoy a long reign as champion?

EXCLUSIVE | Nick Newell Plans To Retire With Bellator: ‘There’s Nowhere Else I Want To Go’

Nick NewellNick Newell says he never wants to leave Bellator and plans to retire with the promotion. The 35-year-old previously had dreams of reaching the UFC but fell short in his bid to join MMA’s premier organization back in 2018. Newell fell to a unanimous decision defeats against Alex Munoz when he appeared on Dana White’s […]

Nick Newell

Nick Newell says he never wants to leave Bellator and plans to retire with the promotion.

The 35-year-old previously had dreams of reaching the UFC but fell short in his bid to join MMA’s premier organization back in 2018. Newell fell to a unanimous decision defeats against Alex Munoz when he appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Today, Newell couldn’t be happier with how things turned out and says he can never see himself fighting for anyone but Bellator after the brilliant treatment he’s received as one of their fighters. Newell and other fighters received their pay despite not competing last year as COVID-19 swept the globe.

“I’ve made it known since my Bellator debut, I had such a fantastic time working with Bellator and working for them, that my fight career will end in Bellator,” Newell told LowKickMMA. So, this is, this is it for me. I’m Bellator for life, there’s nowhere else I want to go. This is where I want to be and they took care of me and we needed a minivan. So, the fight purse went to the minivan fund, and we ended up getting one.”

Unfortunately, that means Newell will never get the chance to avenge his most famous loss which came against the former UFC interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje.

“I never had had anything personal against him,” Newell said. “He’s been nothing but great before and after. You know, things happen in this war. Obviously, if you ask me to fight him again, I would do it. I wasn’t scared the first time. Why would I be scared now? He’s had a great career. He’s a great fighter, but I’m in Bellator and I have my goals and in Bellator. So that’s where my vision lies right now.

Newell’s Bellator career continues tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. He’ll square off against Bobby King in a lightweight bout.

Do you like to see fighters such as Nick Newell showing loyalty to their fight promotion?

EXCLUSIVE | Justin Gonzales Is Fired Up Ahead Of His Bellator Debut

Justin GonzalesJustin Gonzales’ Bellator debut will consist of numerous unique circumstances. Bellator 260 will be the promotion’s return to sold-out crowds for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and will be Gonzales’ first fight in almost a year due to injuries. But he’s ready for the spotlight of competing on one of the highest stages […]

Justin Gonzales

Justin Gonzales’ Bellator debut will consist of numerous unique circumstances. Bellator 260 will be the promotion’s return to sold-out crowds for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and will be Gonzales’ first fight in almost a year due to injuries.

But he’s ready for the spotlight of competing on one of the highest stages in the sport in the Bellator featherweight division. He’ll face Tywan Claxton in his first test in this new venture in his combat sports career.

Gonzales spoke with LowKickMMA and was full of energy when discussing the improvements he’s made in his game after earning the LFA featherweight title last July. Gonzales says that fans should watch out for this under-the-radar fight at Bellator 260 and plans to overwhelm Claxton in the octagon.

“He’s a gangster,” Gonzales said when asked about Claxton’s style. “He’s a very good opponent. He’s good at what he does. Good high-level wrestler, southpaw. He comes at you with some flashy stuff. He’s very explosive. I gotta keep moving and I’ll know what’s coming. I’ve got some things in store for him as well. I’m so ready for this fight. I get my shackles taken off of me and it’s time to handle business.”

Before earning the contract with Bellator, Gonzales had competed on Dana White‘s Contender Series and came as close as you can get to earn a UFC contract, dominating Zach Zane en route to a unanimous decision victory. Despite being robbed of an opportunity from UFC president Dana White, Gonzales used this moment as motivation rather than wasting time feeling sorry for himself.

When Bellator president Scott Coker gave Gonzales the call that he wanted him to join his promotion, “J-Train” was ready to take on all comers.

“I feel like it was long overdue,” Gonzales iterated. “So whenever I get the opportunity, I’m going to actually have a little talk with Mr. Scott Coker and say “what took so long, man?”. I was running into an issue where I was running out of opponents. I was literally fighting the best I could against people that would actually take the fight. It’s a really interesting situation to be in. And so now just stepping up to the next level, I’m so pumped. I’m the best in the world at 145 and I’m ready to prove it.”

Gonzales will join a stacked featherweight division that includes double-champion Patricio Pitbull, along with top contenders AJ McKee and James Gallagher. A win over Claxton would cement Gonzales as the potential dark horse of the division.

Despite suffering from multiple injuries and the overall struggle of dealing with quarantine over the past year, Gonzales feels that his best performances are still yet to come.

“I’ve grown everywhere,” Gonzales said when asked about his nearly one-year layoff from fighting. “Maybe these kinds of injuries and COVID, and just having this long layoff was kind of a godsend.”

“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting passed.”

Do you think Justin Gonzales has what it takes to be a title contender in Bellator?

Scott Coker Open to Bringing Logan Paul to Bellator for MMA Fights

Scott Coker Logan PaulBellator president Scott Coker would be interested in bringing YouTuber and Boxer Logan Paul to Bellator if he wanted to prove himself against MMA fighters in his promotions. Coker was in attendance for Paul’s eight-round fight with Hall of Fame boxer Floyd Mayweather on Sunday night and came away impressed by Paul’s prowess in the […]

Scott Coker Logan Paul

Bellator president Scott Coker would be interested in bringing YouTuber and Boxer Logan Paul to Bellator if he wanted to prove himself against MMA fighters in his promotions.

Coker was in attendance for Paul’s eight-round fight with Hall of Fame boxer Floyd Mayweather on Sunday night and came away impressed by Paul’s prowess in the ring. Paul, a former high school wrestler in Ohio, could be a unique addition to Bellator if both sides wanted to make the move.

“I think this kid has shown athletic ability to go in there with Floyd but also we know he’s a high school all-star wrestler from Ohio and I think they’re just getting better and better at combat sports,” Coker told MMA Fighting when asked about the Paul brothers. “If he wanted to get into MMA, we would do it.”

“As far as combat sports, I think Logan just upped his value. Was it a great fight? No, it was a lot of dirty boxing going on in that fight but let’s face it, Floyd usually goes and closes the gap and takes care of business and he didn’t do it this time.”

Paul echoed Coker’s sentiment during his post-fight press conference after going eight rounds with Mayweather and expressed a profound interest in possibly making a run in MMA at some point in the future.

“Yeah I’d do MMA for sure,” Paul said after the fight. “Because I am a good grappler. I’m a wrestler at heart and I think it’d be silly of me to not use it in boxing, to the best of my ability.”

In comparison, UFC president Dana White has all but dismissed the notion that he would ever bring the Paul brothers to his promotion, but Coker seems extremely interested in making the move happen. Bellator has already had an extremely successful first half of the year of fights, which included Sergio Pettis earning the bantamweight title and women’s featherweight titleholder Cris Cyborg dominating Leslie Smith in her first defense of the year.

The Paul brothers’ stock has skyrocketed this year after Jake Paul defeated former UFC welterweight Ben Askren back in April and Logan just went eight rounds with one of the greatest boxers of all time. It’ll be interesting to see if Coker brings on the 24-year-old Logan at some point in the near future.

Do you think Logan Paul could compete against some of the best fighters that Bellator has to offer?

Yoel Romero Targeting August Comeback, Wants To ‘Kill Somebody’

RomeroYoel Romero is itching to return to action. Romero recently signed with Bellator and was set to take on Anthony Johnson in a dream fight in the quarterfinal of the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix last month. That was, until he failed to pass a pre-fight medical screening forcing him to pull out the fight. […]

Romero

Yoel Romero is itching to return to action.

Romero recently signed with Bellator and was set to take on Anthony Johnson in a dream fight in the quarterfinal of the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix last month.

That was, until he failed to pass a pre-fight medical screening forcing him to pull out the fight. It was later revealed to be an issue with his eye.

However, fans can expect to see him in the next few months as “The Soldier of God” plans on competing and winning titles in both the middleweight and light heavyweight division.

“The fans can see me very soon,” Romero said in a recent interview (via Middle Easy). “Maybe August. Maybe August, maybe 205 or maybe 185. I want to fight in both classes, I wanted the belt in both classes, but I’m coming soon. … I wanna kill somebody.”

Of course, it’s highly unlikely that Romero will face Johnson with the latter beating José Augusto via knockout to advance to the semifinals. In case of injury to any opponent before the semifinals, there is a chance that Romero could step in and make his debut.

But even if that’s not the case, the former UFC title challenger expects to face Johnson at some point in the future.

“Yes, I can see this fight happening,” he added. “I can see the face of this amazing athlete. This will happen, I think so.”