Tag: Adam Borics

Adam Borics: Patricio Freire is the best fighter in Bellator history, but I’m ‘better everywhere’

“I’m just ready for anything. I feel I’m better everywhere than him so I’m ready to get that belt.”

[autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] expects to shock the world at Bellator 286.

Borics (18-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) challenges featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (33-5 MMA, 21-5 BMMA) in the main event on Oct. 1 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif.

As is usually the case for fighters who go up against “Pitbull”, the Hungary-born fighter is an underdog – but he doesn’t think the odds are accurate, in reality.

“We know what we are expecting from him, but it always can change,” Borics told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m just ready for anything. I feel I’m better everywhere than him so I’m ready to get that belt.”

He continued, “I just want to make a statement again. I feel like people are underestimating me, but I’m telling you, I’m one of the biggest prospects in this game.”

Although he sees a change in Freire’s game over the years, Borics acknowledges that former dual-champ “Pitbull” as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

“In the beginning of course when he was younger, he was more active,” Borics said. “He’s now just kind of the guy who’s waiting for his counters and he doesn’t want to go high pace, but he’s still dangerous. He has really, really good eyes and I mean he’s the best fighter in Bellator history I think, and I’m really happy I can fight with this guy. I want to be the best so if I want to be the best, I have to beat the best, and he is the best right now. He’s the pound-for-pound guy and after that, it’s gonna change.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

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Bellator 286 in Long Beach set to feature Patricio Freire, A.J. McKee – but not against each other

Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee won’t complete their trilogy just yet.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] won’t complete their trilogy just yet.

Instead, featherweight champion Freire will put his title on the line against [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] in the Bellator 286 main event Oct. 1 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif. McKee also will compete on the card and make his lightweight debut against [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] in front of his home city fans.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The Long Beach Press-Telegram was first to report the news.

Freire (33-5 MMA, 21-5 BMMA), who lost his featherweight title to McKee at Bellator 263, reclaimed the belt when the pair rematched at Bellator 277 in April. Freire edged out McKee in a five-round battle and handed him the first loss of his career. He meets Borics (18-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA), who’s currently riding a four-fight winning streak and coming off a unanimous decision win over Mads Burnell at Bellator 276.

McKee (18-1 MMA, 18-1 BMMA) has been teasing a move to lightweight for a while and now has committed. After he submitted Freire to win the Bellator featherweight grand prix and title, McKee dropped the rematch in a fight he thought he won. Carlyle (14-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has won five straight since parting ways with the UFC in 2020.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

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MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for March: A brutal welterweight war

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for March.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

Bellator 276 results: Adam Borics outpoints Mads Burnell in high-paced, five-round striking battle

The Bellator 276 main event delivered with Adam Borics and Mads Burnell going toe-to-toe for 25 minutes of action.

[autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] and [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] made the first five-round non-title featherweight main event in Bellator history a memorable one.

At Bellator 276, Borics (18-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) and Burnell (16-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) slugged it out for 25 minutes until the final horn sounded. Shortly thereafter, Borics’ hand was raised with a unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 49-46) victory. The event took place Saturday at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.

The opening round was closely-contested. Burnell mixed up his striking levels as he targeted the head, midsection, and legs of Borics. At one point, the Hungarian fighter returned the favor with a short, stunning shot that seemingly rocked Burnell. Both men were all-action. Both men moved forward.

The fast tempo and willingness to give and take sent the tempo for what the rest of the fight would look like. In Round 2, Borics began to take over more decisively. He broke out his signature flying knee as a frequent counter. Toward the end of the round, Borics sealed the frame when he dropped Burnell with a punch.

In Round 3, Burnell found the most success. His body punches relentlessly ripped Borics, who winced on multiple occasions but kept a good poker face thereafter. Round 4, Borics came out firing. His urgency was back and it showed. Burnell slowed, but picked up the pace after he broke out an impromptu dance move. Borics answered – with a dance move of his own before the end of the round.

Round 5, both men were tired but unwilling to take their feet off the gas. Borics seemed one step ahead of Burnell, if even by a slim margin. When the bell rang, both men raised their hands – but Burnell was the only one to walk home victorious.

With the win, Borics makes his case as a potential No. 1 contender for the winner of champion A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire at Bellator 277 in April. The victory extends his winning streak to four.

As for Burnell, the loss is his first in the promotion and snaps a seven-fight winning streak. His most recent loss prior to Saturday came in his final UFC fight in May 2018, a loss to Arnold Allen.

Official Bellator 276 results include

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Bellator 276 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs video highlights and photo gallery

Check out the final faceoffs ahead of Bellator 276 headlined by Adam Borics vs. Mads Burnell.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Bellator 276 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins took place Friday, and the fighters came face to face one final time before Saturday’s event.

The weigh-ins took place at Family Arena. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. In the main event, [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] and [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] are set to meet in what should be a featherweight title eliminator.

In addition to the ceremonial video highlights above, you can catch the early and official Bellator 276 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.

Check out our gallery below.

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Bellator 276 breakdown: Mads Burnell spells trouble for Adam Borics. Here’s why.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the Bellator 276 main event between Adam Borics and Mads Burnell.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 276.

Bellator 276 takes place Saturday at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Video: Adam Borics, Mads Burnell make weight for Bellator 276 headliner

The Bellator 276 main event is set with both featherweights on the mark for their No. 1 contender fight.

ST. LOUIS – The Bellator 276 main event is set with both featherweights on the mark for their No. 1 contender fight.

[autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) was first to the scale in the one-hour weigh-ins window and was on the mark at 145.8 pounds. [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) was the second to last fighter to come to the scale with about eight minutes left in the window. He weighed in at 145.6.

The winner will be in position to potentially challenge the winner of the upcoming featherweight title rematch between champion A.J. McKee and former champ Patricio Freire.

Check out Borics and Burnell’s trips to the scale at the Bellator host hotel in St. Louis in the video above.

Bellator 276 takes place Saturday at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

MMA Junkie Radio #3239: Guest Adam Borics, UFC 272 preview, Cain Velasquez, more

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,239, the fellas welcomed guest [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag], who headlines Bellator 276 next week against Mads Burnell in St. Louis. They also looked ahead to Saturday’s big UFC 272 card in Las Vegas, discussed the shocking Cain Velasquez developments, and talked about the rest of the biggest news in the sport. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 7-13)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 from Feb. 7-13.

Bellator 276 set for March 12 in St. Louis with Adam Borics vs. Mads Burnell

A key featherweight matchup is set for next month with Adam Borics taking on Mads Burnell in St. Louis.

A key featherweight matchup is set for next month with [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] taking on [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] in a matchup that will likely determine a future challenger Bellator’s 145-pound title.

Promotion officials today revealed that the contest headlines the newly announced Bellator 276 event, which takes place March 12 at Family Arena in St. Louis.

Borics (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) carries a three-fight winning streak into the contest, notching decision wins over Jeremy Kennedy, Erick Sanchez and Mike Hamel. Borics was scheduled to compete this past August, but his opponent, Jay Jay Wilson, missed weight, and the bout was canceled. Borics now returns from an 11-month layoff.

Meanwhile, Burnell (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) is riding the strength of a seven-fight winning streak, with the first four in that run taking place under the Cage Warriors banner before shifting over to Bellator, where he has since taken out Emmanuel Sanchez, Saul ROgers and Darko Banovic.

Additional matchups announced for the event include light heavyweights Julius Anglickas (10-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) vs. Phil Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA), lightweights Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Jay Jay Wilson (8-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and light heavyweights Jose Augusto (7-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) vs. Alex Polizzi (9-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA).

The lineup for Bellator 276 currently includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Adam Borics vs. Mads Burnell
  • Phil Davis vs. Julius Anglickas
  • Jay Jay Wilson vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET )

  • Jose Augusto vs. Alex Polizzi