Tag: Adli Edwards

Bellator 295 post-event facts: Patchy Mix’s knee knockout caps off epic grand prix run

Patchy Mix is firmly in the Bellator record books after a perfect knee made him $1 million richer at Bellator 295.

Bellator 295 took place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and marked the second night of the promotion’s weekend doubleheader in Hawaii.

The final fight of a loaded week proved to be the most memorable, because [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) scored one of the greatest knockout highlights in company history when he flattened [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) with a picture-perfect knee to the jaw knockout just 80 seconds into their main event. The nasty finish not only won him the interim bantamweight title, but he is the last man standing in the bantamweight grand prix, winning $1 million after completing the eight-man field.

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 295.

Bellator 277 results: Aaron Pico pulverizes Adli Edwards for sixth-straight win

Originally thought of as a long-term project, could Aaron Pico be nearing the title conversation after all these years?

SAN JOSE, Calif. – [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] keeps rolling.

On the Bellator 277 main card Friday at SAP Center, Pico (10-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) put on a technically-sound battering of short-notice foe [autotag]Adli Edwards[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) en route to a TKO stoppage at 0:55 of Round 3.

From the opening bell, Pico mixed up his tools. When the striking did damage and Edwards covered up, Pico took the fight to the ground. Once Edwards worked his way back to the feet, Pico made him pay with punches to the head and body.

Tougher than many, Edwards hung in there. He largely absorbed visibly-hurting damage, but was not seemingly rocked until the final barrage. An overhand right to the head started things off, followed by a left hook to the body. Edwards crumpled up and referee Mike Beltran dove in to save him.

With the victory, Pico adds another win to the longest streak of his career at six. A fighter who has spent his entire MMA career under the Bellator banner, Pico had a rocky start to his mixed martial arts career. But since a 4-3 start, Pico has continually shown signs of improvement, as he continues to craft himself into an elite fighter. Other victories on his current streak include Justin Gonzales, Aiden Lee, John De Jesus, Solo Hatley Jr., and Daniel Carey.

Pico was originally supposed to fight fellow contender Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 277. However, less than two weeks prior to Friday’s card, Kennedy withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Edwards.

As for Edwards, the defeat snaps a seven-fight winning streak. Edwards fought just 13 days ago, when he defeated 10-pounds-over Josh Harvey at XMMA 4.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 277 results include:

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Bellator 277 salaries: A.J. McKee, Patricio Freire lead the pack of guaranteed purses

At Bellator 277, A.J. McKee, Patricio Freire, Vadim Nemkov, and Corey Anderson are set to lead disclosed fighter payouts.

SAN JOSE, Calif – Bellator 277 takes place Friday at SAP Center where three fighters are scheduled to take home six-figure paydays regardless of outcome.

At the 14-fight event, MMA Junkie acquired a list of disclosed salaries from California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster.

In the main event, champion [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and former champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] square off in a title rematch. Both fighters had a disclosed payday of $250,000 flat. The co-main event is a grand prix final. Light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (on an $80,000 to show/$80,000 to win basis) and Corey Anderson ($250,000 flat) will collide with the winner making an additional $1 million.

The total payout or show money is $1.378 million. Check out the full list of payouts below. The story will be updated with exact disclosed payouts at the conclusion of the event.

With Jeremy Kennedy out, Adli Edwards steps in to face Aaron Pico at Bellator 277

Adli Edwards will get the big opportunity he was hoping for.

[autotag]Adli Edwards[/autotag] will get the big opportunity he was hoping for.

[autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] has been forced out of Bellator 277 and Edwards (9-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) on April 15 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

A person with knowledge of the new matchup told MMA Junkie of the booking Thursday, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. TSN was first to report the news.

Training under former UFC lightweight Marcus Davis in North Carolina, Edwards is fresh off a first-round submission of Josh Harvey in this past week’s XMMA 4 event. The All-American wrestler has won seven in a row and recently told MMA Junkie he expected a win over Harvey to catapult him to the next stage.

Pico, who just signed a new Bellator deal, went the distance for the first time in his career when he scored a lopsided unanimous decision over Justin Gonzales at Bellator 271. Prior to that, the 25-year-old had four straight finishes over Daniel Carey, Chris Hatley, John de Jesus and Aiden Lee.

With the change, the Bellator 277 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Freire – for featherweight title
  • Champ Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson – for light heavyweight title; light heavyweight tournament final
  • Adli Edwards vs. Aaron Pico
  • Tim Johnson vs. Linton Vassell

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Ali Jafri
  • Rakim Cleveland vs. Tyrell Fortune
  • Rafael Carvalho vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Kyle Crutchmer vs. Michael Lombardo
  • Calob Ramirez vs. Bobby Seronio III
  • Rhalan Gracie vs. Tyson Miller
  • Edwin De Los Santos vs. Alberto Mendez
  • Socrates Hernandez vs. Rogelio Luna
  • Laird Anderson vs. JT Donaldson
  • Alan Benson vs. Theo Haig

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XMMA 4 free live stream video: John Dodson vs. Francisco Rivera, more UFC alums (6:30 p.m. ET)

XMMA 4 is loaded with former UFC fighters – and you can watch a free live stream on MMA Junkie starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

There is no UFC, Bellator, PFL, ONE Championship or Eagle FC this weekend. There’s not even a BKFC.

So how are fight fans supposed to get their weekly helping of violence? That’s where XMMA comes in handy

XMMA 4 takes place Saturday at The Fillmore in New Orleans, and you can watch the entire card live and free on MMA Junkie in the video player above beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

A dozen UFC alumni are on the card, including main event participants [autotag]John Dodson[/autotag] and [autotag]Francisco Rivera[/autotag]. Other fighters with UFC experience include [autotag]Kyle Bochniak[/autotag], [autotag]Zak Ottow[/autotag], [autotag]Curtis Millender[/autotag] and [autotag]John Howard[/autotag].

The entire XMMA 4 fight card includes:

  • John Dodson vs. Francisco Rivera
  • [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag] vs. Curtis Millender
  • Zak Ottow vs. [autotag]Kyle Stewart[/autotag]
  • John Howard vs. [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]
  • Kyle Bochniak vs. [autotag]Carlton Minus[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kyron Bowen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sasha Palatnikov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tateki Matsuda[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Louie Sanoudakis[/autotag]
  • Cole Smith vs. [autotag]John Sweeney[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Adli Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Josh Harvey[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tyrek Malveaux[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andrew Garrette[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Mead[/autotag]

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On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with April wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator, or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety – one for the second time – return to the cage for what could be their stepping stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

  • An under-the-radar New Englander looks to capture his second CES MMA title weeks after he captured his first – and punch his ticket to the UFC.
  • An 8-1 fighter hopes a win over a prospect with the same record finally propels him into the big show.
  • A veteran Oklahoma-born fighter continues to improve and feels an LFA title win will show he’s ready for the next level.
  • A surging prospect with a funky arsenal of submissions wants to add another highlight to his reel, an LFA title to his trophy case, and a UFC contract to his resume.
  • A South Carolina-based bantamweight is eager to keep up his exciting fights in order to catch the eye of a major promotion.