Aaron Jeffery – Syndication Server

Former Bellator champ Douglas Lima books first assignment since extending contract

After a period of limbo, Douglas Lima is sticking with Bellator and has his next fight booked.

For a while, it seemed [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag]’s future in Bellator was up in the air, but he’s now on a new deal and has a fight on the books.

Lima (33-11) will face [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (14-5) at the Bellator Champions Series event Sept. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, a promotion official confirmed to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting.

The fight will mark Lima’s first in 16 months as he was in limbo during the early stages of the PFL-Bellator merger. Lima voiced displeasure with the new regime’s business dealings, but the two sides eventually came to terms.

Lima, 36, is one of the most decorated fighters in Bellator history. He served as one of the faces of the promotion during multiple reigns as its welterweight champion. In recent years, Lima has struggled. After four straight losses, Lima finally found victory in his most recent outing, a unanimous decision win over Costello van Steenis at middleweight.

Jeffery, 31, aims to bounce back from a March unanimous decision defeat to Fabian Edwards. The loss dropped him to 1-2 in his most recent three fights.

With the additions, the Bellator Champions Series: San Diego lineup includes:

Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Alexander Shabliy
Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
Levan Chokheli vs. Lorenz Larkin
Aaron Jeffery vs. Douglas Lima

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast results: Fabian Edwards edges out Aaron Jeffery to earn title rematch vs. Johnny Eblen

Fabian Edwards got himself a title rematch vs. Johnny Eblen after defeating Aaron Jeffery at Bellator Belfast.

It wasn’t pretty, but [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] got the job done.

The Bellator middleweight contender was able to edge out [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] in a lackluster unanimous decision win on the main card of Bellator Champions Series: Belfast, which took place on Friday at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Edwards (13-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) officially defeated Jeffery (14-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) by winning 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards.

The bout between Edwards and Jeffery was labeled as a title eliminator ahead of the event. After the verdict, it was confirmed that Edwards earned a title shot against Johnny Eblen.

“I’m coming,” Edwards said in his post-fight interview when asked about Eblen. “Listen, in September last year, I was winning that fight, and I made the wrong decision and got caught, but I’m coming.”

Edwards, brother of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, was knocked out by Eblen in the third round of their championship fight back in September at Bellator 299. It was his first professional KO loss. The only two prior defeats for Edwards had come by decision.

The fight against Jeffery was Edwards’ first fight since losing the championship bout. It was a lackluster decision where Jeffery was constantly looking to pressure and control Edwards against the cage. Although Edwards gave up a lot of control time, he was able to do the most damage and land the bigger shots of the fight.

Edwards is now 4-1 in his past five outings – a run that includes notable wins over veterans Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi.

On the other hand, Jeffery now finds himself 1-2 in his past three performances. He has defeated Dalton Rosta in his previous outing in August, which allowed him to bounce back from a decision loss to John Salter.

Up-to-the-minute BCS: Belfast results include:

Fabian Edwards def. Aaron Jeffery via unanimous decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28)
Leandro Higo def. James Gallagher via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Manoel Sousa def. Tim Wilde via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:48
Ciaran Clarke def. Darius Mafi submission (arm-triangle choke)
Alfie Davis def. Oscar Ownsworth unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Luke Trainer def. Grant Neal unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Nathan Kelly def. Vikas Singh Ruhil knockout (elbow)
Abraham Bably def. Isaiah Pinson unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 5-11)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 5-11.

Fabian Edwards vs. Aaron Jeffery targeted for Bellator 302 in Belfast

A matchup between top-ranked middleweights Fabian Edwards and Aaron Jeffery is in the works for Bellator 302.

A matchup between top-ranked middleweights is in the works for Bellator 302.

[autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] is expected to take place at Bellator 302 March 22 in Belfast in Northern Ireland at SSE Arena. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from John Morgan.

Edwards (12-3 MMA, 8-3 BMMA) will look to rebound from his knockout loss to middleweight champion Johnny Eblen at Bellator 299 in September. Prior to that, Edwards was on a three-fight winning streak – including a win over former champ Gegard Mousasi.

Jeffery (14-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is coming off a unanimous decision win over formerly unbeaten Dalton Rosta at Bellator 298. The former CFFC champion has won four of his past five.

The latest Bellator 302 lineup includes:

Corey Anderson vs. Karl Moore – for vacant light heavyweight title
Leah McCourt vs. Sinead Kavanagh
James Gallagher vs. Jeremy Kennedy
Fabian Edwards vs. Aaron Jeffery

Aaron Jeffery wasn’t worried about being outmuscled by Rosta: ‘It’s not a f*cking bodybuilding contest’

The MMA world might start looking at Aaron Jeffery as its next hidden gem if he keeps it up.

The MMA world might start looking at [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] as its next hidden gem if he keeps it up.

Jeffery (14-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) outworked the previously unbeaten Dalton Rosta (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) on the Bellator 298 main card this past Friday in Sioux Falls, S.D., for a unanimous decision. Jeffery was nearly a 2-1 underdog to Rosta.

The 30-year-old Canadian got back in the win column after a March loss to former Bellator title challenger John Salter. Before he arrived in Bellator, Jeffery’s only losses were to current UFC standouts Sean Brady, Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho – the latter two of which came in shots at a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.

But without those DWCS setbacks, Jeffery might not find himself experiencing the kind of success that likely will have him as the promotion’s No. 4 middleweight this week.

“I hope (I’m living up to Bellator’s expectations),” Jeffery said at his post-fight news conference. “I don’t think I’ve lived up to my own expectations yet. I think I can do a lot better than that still. I think I’m maybe starting to get my groove here a little bit. I got a loss out of the way. You never want to lose, but I think having that behind me now, maybe there’s a little bit of pressure off, too. I think I’m only going up from here.”

As for his win, Jeffery admitted the optics of him as a slightly taller and less visibly muscled fighter than Rosta may have had people overlooking him. He was overlooked when he made his biggest splash before this – an upset of Austin Vanderford a year ago this weekend after Vanderford fought for the title.

But Jeffery said he doubted Rosta’s strength would be an issue.

“It’s not a f*cking bodybuilding contest,” Jeffery said. “Obviously, he’s a strong guy, and that’s a strength, and he can outmuscle a lot of guys. But I don’t know – I’ve never really been outstrength and outmuscled, so it didn’t intimidate me that much.”

Jeffery has won four of his past five fights, including three of four for Bellator.

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

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 22-28)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from May 22-28.

Bellator 293 post-event facts: Unbeaten fighters fall on upset-heavy card

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.

Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 293.

John Salter def. Aaron Jeffery at Bellator 293: Best photos

Check out the best photos from John Salter’s unanimous decision win over Aaron Jeffery at Bellator 293. Salter retired after the fight.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]John Salter[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. (Photos by Lucas Noonan, Bellator)

Bellator 293 salaries: Cat Zingano, Daniel James lead the pack with six-figure disclosed paydays

Check out the disclosed pay for all 30 fighters on Bellator 293, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

Thirty fighters competed Friday at Bellator 293 with [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] leading all disclosed payouts.

California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Friday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.

The main event and co-main event winners were the only two fighters to pocket six-figure disclosed paydays as a result of their performances Friday. Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) earned $100,000 flat for her unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in the co-main event. Then, main event winner James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) earned to $50,000 show and a $50,000 win bonus for his victory over [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).

Scroll below to see what the 30 fighters on Bellator 293 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Bellator 293 predictions: What are our two down-the-middle picks in Cali?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 293 main card, featuring Marcelo Golm vs. Daniel James and Leah McCourt vs. Cat Zingano.

	Golm vs. James	McCourt vs. Zingano	Jeffery vs. Salter	Colgan vs. Montalvo	Cauley vs. Trainer
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 35-24	James (52%)	Zingano (72%)	Jeffery (65%)	Colgan (77%)	Cauley (72%)
Matt Erickson @MattE 37-22	James	Zingano	Salter	Colgan	Cauley
Nolan King @mma_kings 37-22/em>	Golm	Zingano	Jeffery	Colgan	Cauley
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 37-22	James	Zingano	Salter	Colgan	Cauley
Simon Samano @SJSamano 35-24	James	Zingano	Salter	Colgan	Cauley
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 34-25	Golm	Zingano	Jeffery	Colgan	Cauley
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 34-25	Golm	McCourt	Jeffery	Colgan	Cauley
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 33-26 2018, 2022 Champion	Golm	Zingano	Jeffery	Colgan	Cauley
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 33-26	James	Zingano	Jeffery	Colgan	Cauley
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 32-27 2014 Champion	Golm	Zingano	Salter	Colgan	Cauley
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 32-27	Golm	Zingano	Jeffery	Colgan	Cauley
Brian Garcia @thegoze 31-28 2017 Champion	James	Zingano	Salter	Colgan	Cauley

Bellator is back in Southern California this week with a heavyweight tilt at the top of the lineup.

Bellator 293 takes place Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) at heavyweight. Golm is a -150 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on James is +120. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are divided and have Golm with the slimmest possible lead at 6-5 in the picks.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) meets former UFC title challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout that could determine the next title challenger. Zingano is the biggest favorite on the main card at -450, but she doesn’t have a shutout. One of our pickers is taking McCourt in an upset.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on former middleweight title challenger [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 8-3 BMMA). Jeffery is a -420 favorite, but he has just a narrow 6-5 lead in the picks from our staff members.

Our first of two unanimous picks is [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who nearly is a 3-1 favorite in his lightweight bout against [autotag]Justin Montalvo[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA). Their fight was elevated to the main card Friday.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is our second unanimous pick in his light heavyweight bout against [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA). Cauley is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, James (52 percent), Zingano (72 percent), Jeffery (65 percent), Colgan (77 percent) and Cauley (72 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.