Bellator Champions Series: Belfast – Make your predictions for two title fights

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator Champions Series event in Belfast.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator Champions Series: Belfast event in Chicago.

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 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator Champions Series: Belfast main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator Champions Series: Belfast takes place Friday at SSE Arena in Belfast. Broadcast details will be announced Wednesday.

Make your picks for the main card fights below.

Francis Ngannou hints MMA might stay on hold: ‘I feel like boxing owes me something now’

Francis Ngannou is seeking redemption in the ring.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is seeking redemption in the ring.

Ngannou (0-2) was knocked out cold in Round 2 of his boxing match against Anthony Joshua (28-3) earlier this month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The loss doesn’t sit well for the former UFC heavyweight champion, who surprised the masses in his boxing debut with a valiant effort against WBC champion Tyson Fury. Ngannou has a sour taste in his mouth, which appears to have him contemplating boxing again before returning to the cage.

“What’s next for me? Maybe a third boxing match,” Ngannou said on his YouTube channel. “I feel like boxing owes me something now. I have to regain what boxing took from me. I think my ego will not let me step back and let this go like this without doing everything to reinstall and prove to the world that I am the man of this job.

“I can do it, you know. I slipped, but I didn’t fall. I stumbled, but I didn’t fall. I think if I go back, train, learn from it and use it as an advantage and experience for my personal growth, for my professional growth, I think it will not be a loss. I will be able to reverse it and make it a victory – a life victory, not only a sports victory.”

Ngannou never intended on leaving boxing. The plan was always to lace up the gloves again, but with PFL heavyweight Renan Ferreira awaiting him in the cage, many believed a return to MMA could be next after his loss to Joshua.

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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Joshua vs. Ngannou.

Why Scott Coker passed on PFL after Bellator sale: ‘I’m an entrepreneur at heart’

Longtime Bellator boss Scott Coker revealed the reason he didn’t go to the PFL after its purchase of his former promotion from Viacom.

[autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] and combat sports are as comfortable together as an old pair of shoes. The idea of the MMA world without Coker seems almost unnatural.

So when he wasn’t part of the crew from Bellator that made the move to the PFL after the sale this past fall, a few eyebrows were raised. Some people wondered either why the Bellator boss didn’t go to the PFL, or at the very least what was up his sleeve next.

We now know Coker will stay in the MMA game with a new event called Fight Night at the Tech, which premieres May 18 at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, Calif. Coker will be an executive producer and will work alongside former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.

And that venture and the idea of being his own boss again seem to be big factors in his decision to not move over to the PFL.

“I’ll tell you honestly: I thought about it,” Coker told MMA Junkie Radio. “The opportunity was there. But how I felt was, it’s time to go. It’s time for me, for myself, to be an entrepreneur. I love that the most. I worked for Viacom and Paramount for nine years (as Bellator president). It was a great experience. I’m glad I did it. Paramount was very good to me. I learned a lot over there. But I’m an entrepreneur at heart. It’s really the first job (working for someone other than myself) I took as an adult.”

Many of Bellator’s fighters now are in the PFL, as are some of its executives and behind-the-scenes personnel. Others went different directions, some of their own choosing, and some because they weren’t asked to stay on with the PFL.

Coker was the Bellator frontman from June 2014 until November 2023, when the PFL’s acquisition was finalized. Prior to his long run with Bellator, Coker was the CEO of Strikeforce, a promotion the UFC acquired from him in 2011.

Coker said despite his close ties to the success Bellator built, he knew well in advance the direction he mostly likely would take if Bellator ever was sold.

“I worked hard. I think we built some great value in that company,” Coker said. “When Strikeforce built, it had value. Somebody wanted to come buy it. When Bellator built, it had value. Somebody wanted to come buy it. This is something that is natural in business. But I always felt like if they sold the company one day, I always told myself I would go back and be an entrepreneur – and that’s really what I wanted to do.”

2024 MMA retirement tracker: A list of those who hung up the gloves

The MMA world already has said goodbye to a number of retiring fighters in 2024, with more surely to come for the rest of the year.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.

2024 has already seen a number of notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).

Baysangur Chamsoudinov def. Cedric Doumbe at 2023 PFL Europe 1: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting the 2024 PFL Europe 1 main event that ended with a bizarre controversy.

Check out these photos highlighting the 2024 PFL Europe 1 headliner between [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] and [autotag]Baysangur Chamsoudinov[/autotag], which ended with “Baki” winning on a bizarre controversial injury TKO at Accor Arena in Paris. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

Francis Ngannou says Anthony Joshua fight result will determine PFL future: ‘Most likely MMA is this year’

Francis Ngannou is still mentally committed to MMA but admits his path forward hinges largely on the result of his bout vs. Anthony Joshua.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is still mentally committed to MMA but admits his path forward hinges largely on the result of Friday’s boxing match with Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 0-1 boxing), a former UFC heavyweight champion, will make his second venture into the boxing ring after exceeding expectations in his debut split decision loss to Tyson Fury last October. Now with more confidence and experience under his belt, “The Predator” will look to raise the bar against Joshua in their 10-round bout at Kingdom Arena (pay-per-view).

Although the boxing is likely more prosperous and lucrative for Ngannou, he has already signed a contract to compete for PFL in the future. The timeline of when that happens remains uncertain as Ngannou makes his mark in the boxing world, and he said he won’t have a full path forward until the outcome against Joshua is decided.

“Not most likely (in 2025) – it’s possible it’s this year, too,” Ngannou told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “Most likely MMA is this year, as well, because after tomorrow I will have a clear idea of the future of my MMA career.”

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If Ngannou does return to MMA under the PFL banner, the promotion has already determined 2023 PFL heavyweight champion [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] will be the opponent. Ferreira (13-3) secured the potential opportunity with a 21-second knockout of Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in February, and Ngannou was impressed with what he saw inside the cage.

“It was a crazy performance,” Ngannou said. “He was incredible. I was ringside and coming to the fight obviously I know (about him), I had Renan Ferreira in that fight for sure. But I thought like maybe Ryan Bader had an opportunity for wrestling and take him to the deep water. But when the fight started I looked at Ryan and he wasn’t there at all. Renan Ferreira was on fire. He was ready to go to war.”

For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Joshua vs. Ngannou.

The bizarre 2024 PFL Europe 1 main event controversy, explained: What was THAT?

The way Cedric Doumbe’s first loss happened was completely weird – and dumb.

The conclusion to the 2024 PFL Europe 1 headliner between [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] and [autotag]Baysangur Chamsoudinov[/autotag] will go down as one of the most bizarre in the history of a major promotion’s event, but what exactly happened

In the end, the sellout crowd inside Paris’ Accor Arena and fight fans across social media were thoroughly disappointed all because of … a tiny piece of glass? That appears to be the case.

Something afoot

A little more than minute into the third and final round of what was a close fight, Doumbe signaled to referee Marc Goddard as if to suggest his left foot was injured. Goddard could be heard on the broadcast immediately telling Doumbe, “Don’t stop, you can’t stop, you’ve got to keep going.”

So they did.

But for the next 10 seconds or so, Doumbe and Chamsoudinov only stood in front of each other hesitant to attack. This prompted Chamsoudinov to first make a gesture at Goddard and then Doumbe again followed by pointing at his foot. 

At this moment, Goddard waved off the fight and addressed Doumbe as he did so, much to the chagrin of the French fan favorite. Chamsoudinov was awarded a third-round TKO win by injury stoppage. 

Breakdown from ‘Big’ John

On the broadcast, former referee and PFL analyst “Big” John McCarthy broke down what transpired.

“What’s going on is you had Cedric Doumbe saying that he has something wrong with his foot,” McCarthy said. “You can’t call timeout. Now, if something was done by an incident in the cage that was a foul, Marc Goddard would call a time to it and take care of the problem. But when Cedric Doumbe says, ‘Oh, my foot,’ and then (Goddard) tells him, ‘No, fight on,’ and then he again goes back to his problem with his foot, that’s a self-inflicted injury or an injury that was caused by something fair in the fight. You’re trying to call a timeout to gain something in that (situation). Marc Goddard is completely right in this. It is a TKO victory for Baki.”

Doumbe’s side

As it turns out, Doumbe wasn’t exactly injured, but he was dealing with something that out of his control.

“I didn’t want to stop the fight, not at all. I wanted to fight, of course, as everybody saw. But I have a small – because I still have, I don’t want to remove. I don’t want people to say I’m a liar. I have a small (piece) of glass in my foot,” Doumble told PFL color commentator Sean O’Connell during his post-fight interview. “I don’t know (if it was) inside the cage, so it’s hurting me. I just wanted to remove it and keep going. The referee told me, ‘You can’t stop.’ I said, ‘OK.’ I wanted to fight. And then my opponent is looking at me. He’s saying that something is annoying me. He said, ‘Just remove it.’ And then we stopped both together, looking at the referee, and then he stopped the fight. It’s not (Chamsoudinov’s) fault. Of course, that’s not his fault. That’s just the referee’s fault. But, you know, it is what it is. I don’t even know what to say.”

Fair or foul?

What can Doumbe say? The outcome, quite honestly, was completely dumb – but it appears to have been the right call based on the rules in that Goddard doesn’t have the leeway to stop the fight assess if Doumbe’s injury is legitimate.

Should language be included to allow for unforeseen circumstances such as debris in the cage? Tough call.

2024 PFL Europe 1 video: Lackadaisical fighter pays price for casually starting bout with hands down

What in the world was Mickaël Groguhe thinking as his fight began at PFL Europe 1?

Is [autotag]Mickaël Groguhe[/autotag] doing OK?

It’s a fair question not just because he suffered a brutal knockout Thursday at 2024 PFL Europe 1 in Paris, but also because … what the hell was he thinking?

Look what happened to Groguhe when he casually strolled to the center of the cage with his hands down as his heavyweight bout with Islem Masraf began (via X):

First-round head-kick knockout in 10 seconds!

As PFL play-by-play man Sean O’Connel noted on the replay, Groguhe walked out “like he was on his way to purchase a newspaper” (via X).

Truly bizarre and hands down one of the most embarrassing things you’ll ever see in a cage.

Video: Watch 2024 PFL Europe 1 main card live stream

Watch the main card of 2024 PFL Europe 1, which features Cedric Doumbe vs. Baissangour Chamsoudinov at Accor Arena in Paris.

2024 PFL Europe 1 takes place Thursday and you can watch a live stream of the event right here on MMA Junkie.

The event taking place at Accor Arena in Paris, France features a welterweight showdown between undefeated welterweights [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] and [autotag]Baysangur Chamsoudinov[/autotag].

The self-proclaimed face of MMA in France, Doumbe (5-0) will aim to showcase his high-level striking skills under the PFL Europe banner for the second time. His first appearance last September was a lightning-fast nine-second finish of Jordan Zebo. Chamsoudinov (7-0), who will be making his PFL Europe debut, has slightly more experience in MMA competition and is also capable of finishing fights early.

Also in action in the co-feature will be France’s “Lazy King” [autotag]Abdoul Abdouraguimov[/autotag] (17-1), who meets England’s Jack Grant (19-7).

Watch the full main card in the video above (U.S.-based viewers only).

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The full lineup 2024 PFL Europe 1 includes:

MAIN CARD (MMA Junkie, 2:30 p.m. ET)

  • Cedric Doumbe vs. Baissangour Chamsoudinov
  • Abdoul Abdouraguimov vs. Jack Grant
  • Ibrahim Mane vs. Chequina Noso Pedro
  • Ignacio Capella vs. Yazid Chouchane
  • Jakub Kaszuba vs. Kane Mousah
  • Daniele Miceli vs. Yassin Najid
  • Mickael Groguhe vs. Islem Masraf

PRELIMINARY CARD (DAZN, 11 a.m. ET)

  • Patrick Habirora vs. Claudio Pacella
  • Marian Dimitrov vs. Erhan Kartal
  • Anatolij Baal vs. Connor Hughes
  • Alex Chizov vs. Daniele Scatizzi
  • Tomasz Łangowski vs. Florim Zendeli
  • Andreeas Binder vs. Mark Ewen
  • Kevin Del vs. Younes Najid

‘Lazy King’ Abdoul Abdouraguimov proud of French MMA renaissance, praises countryman Cedric Doumbe

France is quickly establishing itself as an MMA hotbed – and the ‘Lazy King’ is so excited about it he could (and will) do a cartwheel.

The French Renaissance of MMA may very well be upon us all.

Though the sport was only legalized in France less than five years ago, the world has quickly taken notice of its wild popularity in the country. With UFC, PFL, and Bellator events producing rowdy crowds each time, “Lazy King” [autotag]Abdoul Abdouaguimov[/autotag] is proud to be one of the figureheads in his home country’s movement.

“It’s very amazing, the French arenas here (with) the fans,” Abdouraguimov recently told MMA Junkie. “Even I saw the PFL tournament final of PFL in America. There wasn’t much public in the arena, like Paris. It’s very popular here now in France. It’s the right moment for the fighters to fight. We have a lot of propositions to fight for other fighters. It’s the right time here in France. Before it was forbidden, MMA. Now, it’s a great time here for MMA fighters and fans.”

Abdouraguimov (17-1) debuted with an electric finish of Brad Wheeler in his promotional debut in September. Thursday, he has the chance to repeat when he fights Jack Grant (19-7) at 2024 PFL Europe 1 in Paris.

Sharing the card with Abdouraguimov is kickboxing sensation Cedric Doumbe, perhaps the most popular fighter in the country’s limited mixed martial arts history. Doumbe (5-0) fights fellow top Frenchman Baysangur Chamsoudinov (7-0).

“He’s a superstar now here in France and even internationally he’s well known,” Abdouraguimov said. “I know him, yes. We talk with each other. He’s a good fighter. He is confident. It’s very important as a fighter to have confidence. So I’m curious to see what he’s going to do in his next fight because he has a very good opponent, also, ‘Baki.’ His nickname is ‘Baki.’ I know him and I talk with him. So I’m curious to see how the fight is going to be.”

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Despite his pride for France and his love for the people, Abdouraguimov’s willingness to take on all comers is not hindered. Both Doumbe and Chamsoudinov are in his division, so future matchups aren’t out of question.

A France vs. France matchup would likely do mega numbers nationally.

“As a fighter, I’m open to fighting anybody,” Abdouraguimov said. “Of course, if it’s a guy who I’m training with all the years at my gym, that’s like my brother. So that fight is not very cool. But I’m open to fight anybody. For me, it’s no problem (to fight) a countryman. At the end of the day, it’s a sports game. It’s nothing personal. So for me, there’s no problem.