Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Adam Piccolotti beat Mandel Nallo with a late submission at Bellator 293 and got back in the win column after a loss this past October.
TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Adam Piccolotti[/autotag] beat Mandel Nallo with a third-round submission Friday on the preliminary card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
Take a look inside the fight with Piccolotti, who got back in the win column after a submission loss this past October.
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.
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.
No fighter in Bellator history has ever started their tenure with the promotion by earning six straight first-round knockouts.
For the first time since October 2019, Bellator will travel to Temecula, Calif., on Friday with Bellator 293, which takes place at Pechanga Casino Resort with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
A matchup of surging heavyweight contenders will be featured in the main event. [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will put their unbeaten promotional records on the line as they meet in a five-round contest that will elevate the winner into the title conversation.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 293.
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 from Feb. 27-March 5.
Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 287 main card in Milan, Italy.
| Piccolotti vs. Barnaoui |
Edwards vs. Ward |
Rogers vs. Wilde |
Fisher vs. Gonzales |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 167-100 |
 Barnaoui (58%) |
 Edwards (73%) |
 Rogers (76%) |
 Gonzales (84%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 179-93  2018 Champion |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 172-100 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 170-102 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 169-103 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 169-103 2014 Champion |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 166-106 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 165-107 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 159-113 2017 Champion |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 159-113 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 152-120 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 133-138 |
Barnaoui |
Edwards |
Rogers |
Gonzales |
Bellator is back in Italy this week with a lightweight matchup at the top of the lineup.
Bellator 287 takes place Saturday at Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, Italy. 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.)
In the main event, [autotag]Adam Piccolotti[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) takes on promotional newcomer [autotag]Mansour Barnaoui[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at lightweight. Barnaoui is a slight betting favorite around -150, and our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him as a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.
In the co-main event [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) is one of our three unanimous picks on the main card in his middleweight fight against [autotag]Charlie Ward[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA). Edwards is the brother of new UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards; Ward is a teammate of Conor McGregor. Edwards is as much as a 6-1 favorite and an 11-0 pick from our staff members.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) is a 4-1 favorite in his lightweight bout against [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (14-4-1 MMA, 2-1-1 BMMA). Rogers is our second unanimous pick on the main card.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Justin Gonzales[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) is nearly a 3-1 favorite in his featherweight bout against [autotag]Andrew Fisher[/autotag] (19-8-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA). Gonzales is our third 11-0 pick
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Barnaoui (58 percent), Edwards (73 percent), Rogers (76 percent) and Gonzales (84 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 287.
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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 from June 13-19.
A potential welterweight title eliminator is also in the cards, as the co-main event.
Bellator 283 is headed to Washington for the first time and the lightweight title will be on the line.
The promotion will hold its first event in the state July 22 at Emerald Queen Casino and Hotel in Tacoma, Wash., the promotion announced Tuesday. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Atop the card, Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 BMMA) defends his title against [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA). In the co-main event, welterweight contenders [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-10 MMA, 14-6 BMMA) and [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) square off in a potential title eliminator.
Also on the card, [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, takes on perhaps his toughest challenge to date in Team Alpha Male standout [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA).
The prelims feature the promotional debut of RIZIN lightweight champion [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) as he battles [autotag]Adam Piccolotti[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA), and a middleweight grudge match between [autotag]Dalton Rosta[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Romero Cotton[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA).
The current Bellator 283 lineup includes:
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“Fortunately, he didn’t die,” Mike Mazzulli said after reviewing Adam Piccolotti’s Instagram video of his brutal weight cut.
Bellator 274 winner [autotag]Adam Piccolotti[/autotag] has been suspended after he posted a video of what the Association of Boxing Commissions president is calling an “unnecessarily dangerous” weight-cutting process.
Piccolotti defeated Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Afterward, he posted an Instagram video, which shows him crawling out of a portable sauna and vomiting green/yellow fluid all over a grounded towel. Piccolotti also stated in the caption that he “continued throwing up 20-plus times through the night.”
On Wednesday, Mazzulli informed MMA Junkie that the lightweight contender has been suspended four to six months and will have to receive clearance from a nephrologist in order to return. Nephrologists are medical professionals who treat conditions and diseases of the kidneys.
“I reviewed the video and determined the process was unnecessarily dangerous,” Mazzulli said. “We’re always concerned for fighter safety and weight cutting. Hopefully this will be a learning experience (for Piccolotti). Fortunately, he didn’t die.”
[lawrence-related id=2525556,2525535]
Piccolotti’s cornermen – Raul Castillo, Mauricio Calvo and Matthew Aragoni – also were suspended four to six months by the Mohegan Department of Athletic Regulation.
Mazzulli said Piccolotti’s win over Karakhanyan will remain intact.
You can watch the video posted by Piccolotti below:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaQzUnLp7k2/?utm_medium=copy_link
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Georgi Karakhanyan will look to take out another top European prospect when he steps in on short notice to face Saul Rogers.
[autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] will look to take out another top European prospect in his ascent up the lightweight ladder.
[autotag]Adam Piccolotti[/autotag] has been forced out of Bellator 266 and Karakhanyan (31-11-1 MMA, 9-9 BMMA) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).
A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday after an initial post by Karakhanyan on social media. The person asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Bellator 266 takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Since moving back up to 155 pounds, Karakhanyan has won three of his past four and back-to-back fights for the first time since 2016. He’s coming off a first-round submission of Kiefer Crosbie at Bellator 263 in July.
Season 22 “Ultimate Fighter” finalist Rogers has split his past four appearances. After submitting Arbi Mezhidov in the first round at Bellator 248, Rogers was submitted by Mads Burnell at Bellator 257 in April.
With the change, the current Bellator 266 lineup includes:
