Scott Coker reacts to Nemkov-Anderson headbutt in Bellator grand prix final, explains what’s next

The Bellator light heavyweight grand prix reached its conclusion, but it still lacks resolution.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Bellator light heavyweight grand prix reached its conclusion, but it still lacks resolution.

The tournament final between champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] ended in a no contest after an accidental headbutt from Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) to Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) that caused huge cut on his eyebrow. The officials overseeing the fight Friday at SAP Center ruled it a no contest as since it hadn’t reached the three-round threshold to go to the judges’ scorecards.

It was a messy way to end the tournament, with Bellator president Scott Coker expressing that he wasn’t happy with how things unfolded and he expects to run back the fight later this year.

“It’s unfortunate the way that fight ended,” Coker told reporters at the Bellator 277 post-fight press conference. “I was surprised. I didn’t realize that his cut was so deep to the bone because I was asking (California State Athletic Commission executive) Andy Foster, ‘What happened? There’s only three or four seconds left. Why couldn’t they finish the fight?’ And he said, ‘No, the damage was too much, and we couldn’t safely move forward.’

“They have the rule here where it has to go three rounds to go to a decision, so there’s no tournament champion. So what we’re going to do is regroup and put that fight together in the next three or four months as soon as everyone is healthy and ready to go. We’re definitely going to re-run that fight. That’s probably in late summer maybe.”

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As far as the logistics on how the promotion proceeds with the no contest, Nemkov remains Bellator champion, but the grand prix title remains in neutral hands until Nemkov and Anderson can settle it in the cage. The promotion will also hold the $1 million prize until the final gets rebooked and there’s a winner.

“Basically you have to win the tournament to win the money because the tournament prize is on top of the regular purses they get paid,” Coker explained. “So both sides get paid their normal contract pay. And the million dollars is just a bonus check on top of their pay.

“So in order to win that money, you have to win the fight, be the champ. So there’s no champ here, so it will continue on, and we will give the million-dollar check once we continue the tournament in sometime, let’s say, August or September.”

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Bellator 278: Make your predictions for Velasquez vs. Carmouche

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 278 event in Honolulu.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 278 event in Honolulu

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 278 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 278 takes place Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. It is the first of back-to-back nights of Bellator events in Hawaii’s capital city. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Dana White: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic ‘makes sense’ for this summer

UFC president Dana White is hopeful to get Jon Jones back in the octagon, and he sees Stipe Miocic as his ideal foe.

UFC president Dana White is hopeful to get [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] back in the octagon this summer, and he sees [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] as the leading candidate for his opponent.

Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC), a former multitime UFC light heavyweight champion, hasn’t fought since February 2020. He’s been plotting a move up to the heavyweight division for the majority of the time since, but contract disputes, legal trouble and more have kept him out of the cage.

It appears a Jones comeback fight is looming, however, as White told TMZ that he has the desire to book Jones in the coming months – with Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) being the ideal opponent.

“I was just telling somebody the other day, our lineup for this summer is incredible,” White said. “So I’m hoping Jon Jones is going to be part of that lineup this summer. … Stipe makes sense.”

A person close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told MMA Junkie that Miocic was recently offered an interim heavyweight championship bout against Jones at UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas. Whether Miocic agrees to the terms and Jones can come to an agreement with the promotion, that remains to be seen.

The UFC intends to implement an interim belt regardless, though, since reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is expected to be sidelined for likely the rest of 2022 after undergoing knee surgery. He’s also been public about his own contract dispute with the promotion.

Championship movement at heavyweight has been idle since Ngannou’s title defense over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January, but White’s comments indicate the situation could be progressing.

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UFC’s Mounir Lazzez uneasy discussing Daniel Kinahan after in-cage praise of alleged Irish mob boss

The U.S. government recently put a $5 million bounty on Daniel Kinahan’s head, so why was a UFC fighter praising him after a win?

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 34 winner [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag] had just been interviewed by Daniel Cormier inside the octagon, and while Cormier was ready to end it, Lazzez still had more to say.

He even went out of his way to grab the mic so he could say it.

“I would love to thank my coaches and my brother, Daniel Kinahan,” Lazzez said. “Without him, I would never be the man that I am today and to my career to this point. Thanks a lot.”

It was a curious choice of words in a UFC cage and with a nationally televised ESPN audience watching.

Kinahan, 44, is a suspected Irish mobster from Dublin wanted by the U.S. government. On Monday, the Treasury Department announced that it has imposed sanctions on Kinahan and other key members of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group, which is alleged to partake in narcotics trafficking, money laundering, firearms trafficking, and murder.

The Treasury Department also is offering a reward up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Kinahan, who’s become a major figure as a boxing promoter through MTK Global, with a roster that includes Tyson Fury, Terence Crawford, Josh Taylor, and more – although MTK Global issued a statement that Kinahan will have “no future involvement” with the company in the wake of the U.S. sanctions.

U.S. Department of State wanted poster for Daniel Joseph Kinahan issued on April 12, 2022.

Following Lazzez’s win, reporter Alan Dawson opened his scrum by asking for an explanation of him praising Kinahan in the octagon.

“That man is a friend and adviser,” said Lazzez, who is represented by MTK Global. “He’s the one who picked me up every time that life kick me down. He’s a real man of his word. He’s the one who teach me what does it mean, family, a real friend. It’s someone I cannot thank him enough for what I am today and who I am today. He teach me the real manner. He teach me how to be responsible in my family and my friend. That’s why I said that, all the credit and shoutout to him.”

When asked if he was aware of the sanctions placed on him five days earlier, Lazzez said, “No, I don’t know that.”

As earnest as Lazzez was to thank Kinahan inside the cage, it became evident he didn’t want to discuss things further as the line of questioning continued.

“I think I’m here to entertain people, and I give the credit to whoever deserve credit,” Lazzez said. “I’m not involved in this kind of stuff. I don’t know about, and I will investigate how it is and how it goes. …

“I don’t follow really this kind of news. I focus on the sport, I focus on my family, I focus in entertain people, and that’s most important.”

Lazzez’s controversial remarks came after he scored a unanimous decision win over Ange Loosa to move his overall record to 11-2 and UFC mark to 2-1.

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UFC on ESPN 34 results: Belal Muhammad outpoints Vicente Luque, calls out ‘big-mouth Karen’ Colby Covington

Belal Muhammad continued his unbeaten streak with a solid performance in the UFC on ESPN 34 main event.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] continues his rise up the UFC welterweight rankings.

Muhammad notched a big win Saturday night, out-pointing Brazil’s [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] in the main event of UFC on ESPN 34 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Muhammad (21-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) topped Luque (21-8-1 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in a unanimous decision that read 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 on the judges’ scorecards. It was a fight in which Muhammad survived a few rough patches but in the end best managed the bout.

The first two rounds were very even as Luque did most of the chasing, while Muhammad stayed on the outside looking to keep away from Luque’s power.

Both fighters had their moments on the feet, but the biggest difference was that Muhammad secured a takedown in both rounds. Both takedowns came with almost two minutes of control time each and enough ground-and-pound to avoid a stand-up. On both occasions, Luque was able to get back to his feet and resume the striking battle.

In the third, Luque’s striking shined. He connected several times on Muhammad and was clearly having an edge. In two different instances, Luque wobbled Muhammad and put him in survival mode. It was a clear round for the Brazilian.

The fourth round was competitive, but Muhammad was able to score a takedown early and control a good portion of the fight. Once the fight got back to the feet, Luque did a great job at pressuring forward and implementing his striking, but Muhammad also had shots of his own that connected well.

In the final round, Muhammad likely was at his best. He took down Luque and controlled him against the cage for a good portion of the fight. He was also able to neutralize Luque’s striking while having success with several combinations of his own.

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In his post-fight interview, Muhammad didn’t waste time campaigning for a title shot. Instead, he set his sights on fellow title contender Colby Covington.

“Let me get the big-mouth Karen, Colby Covington, who’s out here calling out 55ers,” Muhammad said. “Come and fight a real 70-pounder, you coward. I’m a real 70-pounder. I’m winning fights. I’m not Masvidal off of two losses, I’m not Woodley off of five losses, I’m ‘Bully B’ off of seven wins. Come and fight a real challenge, coward.”

Muhammad now finds himself unbeaten in his past eight bouts. He has seven wins and one no contest, which came against top contender Leon Edwards in 2021. Muhammad’s streak contains several notable names such as Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson and now Luque.

Meanwhile, Luque saw a four-fight losing streak come to an end. This was his first defeat since coming up short in a decision against Stephen Thompson back in late 2019.

Complete UFC on ESPN 34 results:

Accidental or intentional? Francis Ngannou, others question illegal elbow ruling at UFC on ESPN 34

How could Martin Buday land an illegal elbow to end his fight with Chris Barnett and not be penalized?

Should it have been a disqualification or a no contest? That’s the question many in the MMA world were asking following the [autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]-[autotag]Chris Barnett[/autotag] fight on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 34.

The bout ended with a technical decision in favor of Buday following an illegal elbow to the back of Barnett’s head in Round 3 of their heavyweight contest. Because referee Dan Miragliotta determined the elbow to be accidental and not intentional, the fight went to the judges’ scorecards, with Buday being awarded a unanimous decision despite landing the illegal blow that ended the fight.

Many fighters questioned the ruling as they thought Buday’s elbow was far from accidental. Below is how several UFC fighters reacted.

UFC on ESPN 34 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 34 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 34 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT).

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, Vicente Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on Belal Muhammad (20-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) at welterweight.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+ and 8:30 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN and ESPN+.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN 34 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

Emotional Corey Anderson on fluke headbutt and 3 seconds that cost him $1 million

A clearly frustrated Corey Anderson said he won’t stop until he’s officially Bellator’s light heavyweight champion.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – A clearly frustrated [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] said he won’t stop until he’s officially Bellator’s light heavyweight champion – with a belt, not just a fight he was cruising in that won’t be on the record books.

In the Bellator 277 co-main event, Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) challenged 205-pound champion Vadim Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) for the title in a bout that doubled as the grand prix final – and would have come with an extra $1 million paycheck on top of Anderson’s $250,000 flat purse for the fight.

But late in the third round, Anderson, after dominating the champion on the ground for the better part of 10 minutes, inadvertently clashed heads with Nemkov. He knew it right away and signaled to referee Frank Trigg what had happened.

Trigg stopped the action with three seconds left in the round because of the clash – and a deep cut that opened above Nemkov’s left eye. A cageside doctor said the cut was too deep for him to continue – and because the five-round title fight hadn’t made it to the fourth round, it had to be ruled a no contest.

That meant no light heavyweight title for Anderson, presuming things would have continued to go his way. And it meant no $1 million extra check.

“I’m over it now. I’m not over it-over it. But a coach of mine told me in college you have five minutes to sulk. I had those five minutes. I jumped in the shower. There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Anderson said at the post-fight news conference at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. “It’s very upsetting, especially because I broke him, you know? You can’t say I wasn’t winning the fight and the clash (of heads) happened. It is what it is. I went out there and did exactly what I was supposed to do, like I said I was going to do. I said I was going to go out there and dominate – he can’t handle my wrestling, my ground-and-pound. I was pacing myself and I knew the fourth round, it was going to be over.”

Anderson acknowledged that if he just would have kept going, there’s a chance the headbutt would have either gone unnoticed because it happened during other ground-and-pound, or if the third round just was completed and went to the fourth, the judges would’ve been allowed to score the fight.

Instead, he said it was his own sportsmanship that may have cost him.

“There’s a good sport in me. I saved him myself, you know?” Anderson said. “I felt the heads hit and the ref was like, ‘Keep going, keep going.’ And I said, ‘I head-butted him.’ And that’s why they stopped it. So if I wouldn’t have said nothing, that three seconds would’ve been over and I would’ve been the champ. But the good sport in me … it is what it is.”

Anderson said there’s no next option for him other than a rematch with Nemkov for the title. And Bellator president Scott Coker said after the fight that the promotion would rebook the bout as soon as both fighters could go – likely in the summer.

Coker also said the $1 million still will be up for grabs since right now, the light heavyweight grand prix doesn’t have a winner because of the no contest.

But Anderson isn’t sure about a timeline for a rematch coming that quickly.

“I’d like to go as soon as possible, but we were in the medical tent next to each other and the one cut, he’s got to get plastic surgery for that. And other than the cut, I guess I crushed his orbital, so he’s going to be out for a while on that, as well,” Anderson said. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to try to push the fight back as long as he can, maybe even to 2023 – I hope not. As soon as possible, I’d like to get it over with so I can move on, get this money and go back to living my life for my family and not in training camp for a year straight like I have been.”

The only win Anderson can take from Friday is that even though he was a betting underdog, he really didn’t seem to have many problems with the champ.

Moral victories won’t get him the $1 million or the title, so he’ll have to repeat that performance when they run it back. But it doesn’t seem like that’s something he thinks he’ll have an issue with.

“I know I’m the champ,” Anderson said. “You guys can’t say anything else. I don’t care what the casuals say, I don’t care what the media (members) say. We saw the accidental headbutt, but you guys saw the 15 minutes. You saw what happened. First round, yeah, it was a lot closer. But the second and third, you can’t tell me – no way (a judge) was going to score that for him. I am the champ.

“I’ve been saying it for years, so what do you mean? It ain’t going to change my mind. My mind don’t change: I am the best. I’ve said it, I believe it and I know it. Now I really know it. I just went out there and dominated. I didn’t just beat him – I broke him, the guy they said was untouchable, on an untouchable run. Nobody’s ever touched him since he got into the Bellator cage. Can he go out there and make it nine or 10 or however many it was? The answer is no.”

Check out Anderson’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

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UFC on ESPN 34: Quick picks and prognostications

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC on ESPN 34 main card, which features Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad at welterweight.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC on ESPN 34.

UFC on ESPN 34 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

Last event’s results: 3-2

Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2022: 31-11

Welcome to MMAJunkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.

With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive. My goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by Tipico Sportsbook.

If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.

So, without further ado …

Patricio Freire: If A.J. McKee wants a trilogy fight, it has to be at featherweight

With the featherweight belt back around his waist, Patricio Freire has no plans on relinquishing it again anytime soon.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – With the featherweight belt back around his waist after a respite of a little more than eight months, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] has no plans on relinquishing it again anytime soon.

Freire (33-5 MMA, 21-5 BMMA) avenged his 2021 submission loss to A.J. McKee (18-1 MMA, 18-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 277 main event Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., with a unanimous decision. McKee was more than a 3-1 favorite to retain the title, but “Pitbull” handed him the first loss of his pro career.

The fight was at times hard to score and closely contested. Freire got a 49-46 scorecard from one judge and a pair of 48-47s from two others. Of the MMA media outlets tracked by MMADecisions.com, 13 of 16 scored the fight for Freire.

The Brazilian, long considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in Bellator history, said he wasn’t deterred for long when McKee submitted him to win the belt in 2021.

“MMA is a tough sport,” Freire said at the Bellator 277 post-fight news conference. “To be defeated is normal. I don’t like it. Nobody likes it. I just went home, trained harder and smarter, and came back. That’s it: Focus.”

Now when it comes to his next focus, there likely are some options on the table – all of which Freire said he’ll just wait to hear answers on.

With their rivalry knotted at 1-1, the easy assumption is a trilogy fight against McKee would be the top option. But McKee said in his post-fight news conference he’d only welcome a third fight with Freire if it took place at lightweight since he intends to move up to that weight class – where Freire’s brother, Patricky, is the champion.

But Patricio Freire called no joy about such a potential move and said if McKee wants a shot at the title again, it’ll have to be at 145 pounds.

“He’s tough – he’s very good. But the king is here,” Freire told MMA Junkie. “The featherweight division is my division. I fought at lightweight (before) because of Michael Chandler (and our rivalry). My brother has the belt (at lightweight). I don’t care about that division. If he wants to fight me again, he has to come to featherweight. That’s it.”

And at featherweight, Freire has fighters like Adam Borics and former McKee teammate Aaron Pico waiting in the wings.

He also echoed a call many Bellator fighters have made over the years, which is the hope against hope that UFC president Dana White one day will agree to a cross-promotion matchup that would pit a Bellator champion against a UFC champion. In that case, Freire wants to fight UFC titleholder Alexander Volkanovski, even if it’s a pipe dream.

“If Dana White has some balls, let’s put champion vs. champion. That’s my goal,” Freire said. “(But) I don’t care who’s next. I’m going to kick all their asses.”

Check out Freire’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

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