Tag: AJ Agazarm

Commission head Mike Mazzulli responds to AJ Agazarm’s biased judging claim at Bellator 243

Mohegan Sun commission head Mike Mazzulli responds to AJ Agazarm’s comments about judge Doug Crosby.

[autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] will not be fined for his behavior during and after his Bellator 243 fight vs. [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] on Friday.

The trash-talked-filled fight included a headbutt and post-round contact, and the bad blood continued boiling over after Lencioni was named the winner by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28).

According to Mohegan Tribal commission head Mike Mazzulli, Agazarm has been warned, but will not be fined for his language or actions. Mazzulli said Agazaram apologized for the clash of heads. Should Agazarm repeat such offenses in the future, Mazzulli said the fighter will face harsher disciplinary measures.

However, Mazzulli took particular exception with a particular post-fight claim. Agazarm insisted on speaking to reporters after the fight despite losing the bout. During the impromptu scrum, Agazarm claimed judge Doug Crosby had a conflict of interest and shouldn’t have been judging the fight.

Mazzulli disputed Agazarm’s claims when speaking to MMA Junkie on Saturday.

“What I don’t like is a fighter that has opinions that aren’t merited at all,” Mazzulli said. “There’s no merit in that at all. Basically, AJ came to me afterward and state that he couldn’t believe there was a 30-26 score. He automatically assumed that it was Doug Crosby and that was incorrect.”

Crosby scored the fight 29-28, making him the only of the three judges to score a round in Agazarm’s favor.

According to Mazzulli, all of his officials are required to sign a code of conduct, which includes avoiding conflict of interests. Mazzulli said numerous judges have notified him of conflicts in the past, including Crosby, who has been an official under his jurisdiction since 2002.

Mazzulli said, like many other members of the MMA community, Agazarm and Crosby had crossed paths in the past. However, he affirmed the two individuals do not have a direct relationship.

Additionally, Mazzulli said he spoke to referee Mike Beltran about his decision to pull the fighters together. While Mazzulli praised Beltran as one of the best referees in the world, he said a well-intentioned attempt to get the fighters to shake hands could have the potential to incite things further.

“It wasn’t necessary, but he was only trying to do the right thing,” Mazzulli said.

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Cris Lencioni still isn’t a fan of ‘sore loser’ AJ Agazarm after Bellator 243 victory

After the bad blood continued following their bout at Bellator 243, Chris Lencioni labeled rival AJ Agazarm a ‘sore loser.’

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It’s not uncommon to see fighters bury the hatchet after going head to head in the cage, but that wasn’t the case after [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag]’s victory over [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] Friday night at Bellator 243.

The bad blood between the pair continued even after Lencioni (7-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) secured a unanimous decision victory. But while Agazarm (3-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) remained irked following the fight, “Sunshine” preferred to look on the bright side.

When asked if he had hate for his opponent after their ill-tempered preliminary card clash at Mohegan Sun Arena, Lencioni told reporters, including MMA Junkie, “Dude, hate? No way! I don’t hate anybody. Hate is such a strong word.”

However, it’s fair to say Lencioni still isn’t a fan of his opponent, as he explained, “I dislike him to a fair degree. I think he’s an incredibly disrespectful bully. I think he’s bad for the mixed martial arts community. I think he should go back to fighting YouTubers. I think he should go back to that.”

Lencioni explained how the bad blood began between the pair, after the Portland, Oregon native mistook Agazarm for a commission official before an amateur fight. Agazarm, Lencioni said, didn’t react well to not being recognized.

“I didn’t know who he was,” Lencioni explained.” I thought he was part of the Oregon State Athletic Commission. And I was like, ‘Hey man, I need a water. I’m about to go fight,’ and he was like, ‘I’m not going to get you a ‘bleep’ water… I’m A.J. Agazarm.’

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“I was 8-0 at the time as an amateur, and I didn’t see him again for a couple of years, then we did another SUG (Submission Underground) and he got beat by another Portland cat, Nate Orchard, humiliated him, and that’s just kinda where it started, you know? Just because I didn’t know who he was. Sorry!”

The ill-feeling continued after the decision was made when there was a terse exchange as the referee attempted to get the pair to shake hands. Lencioni said Agazarm’s reaction showed that he isn’t a true martial artist.

“Dude, fight’s over. I won. Get over it,” he said. “Tried to shake his hand. It’s the fight game, feelings get hurt. … We did the fight, I won, I destroyed you, shake my hand. I’m shaking your hand, let it go. Show everybody that you’re a martial artist here. He’s not, though. He’s not a real martial artist.”

Lencioni also stated that Agazarm hit him with illegal shots, including a headbutt, during the bout as he labeled his opponent a cheat.

“That’s a sore loser right there, I’ve gotta tell you that,” he said. “I was willing to shake his hand once it was all said and done. But, man, he is a cheater. He’s a cheater in every way. He headbutted me, he did a lot of illegal strikes. Yeah, sure, I was slow to get off of him one round, but he got a lot of free shots in there, and did nothing to me. Am I damaged right now? Do I have much on my face, mark-wise?

“That dude is effed-up. I molested that guy’s face. I know that’s not the best word, but I did very naughty things to that man’s face. And I’m going to do very naughty things when I get home to someone else that I’m very much acquainted with, because it’s been a while. I haven’t seen my wife for maybe three times in the last month. I’m trying to make some little ‘Sunshines’. Let’s get some positive stuff, man. I already fought somebody. I’m over that, I’m done. Look at my hand, I hit that guy so much my hand hurts. It’s like hitting a piece of fricking metal. Stupid metal.”

Recap Lencioni’s full post-fight press conference via the video above.

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AJ Agazarm claims judging bias in loss to Cris Lencioni, wants result overturned

A.J. Agazarm leveled accusations of bias against judge Douglas Crosby, the only judge to give him a round in his unanimous decision loss to Cris Lencioni.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Bellator featherweight [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] already had a reputation as a hothead going into his Friday night fight with Cris Lencioni. His actions following his unanimous decision loss on the undercard of Bellator 243 did nothing to change the notion.

Agazarm (3-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) lost on scores of 30-27, 30-26, and 29-28. Then he got into an argument with Lencioni (7-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), with whom he had heated back-and-forth exchanges all week, which ended with Agazarm flipping off his opponent in the middle of the cage.

Upon going backstage at Mohegan Sun Arena, Agazarm was greeted by Mohegan Tribal Department of Athletic Regulation president Mike Mazzulli, who told him he did not appreciate Agazarm’s actions after the fight.

Agazarm then insisted on having a media scrum, even though Bellator had only been giving the floor to the evening’s winners. Bellator PR was caught off guard and told Agazarm multiple times he was not required or expected to talk to the media, but he took the mic anyway.

There, Agazarm went ahead and leveled charges of bias against judge Douglas Crosby.

“The first thing that I noted is that there was a judge that shouldn’t have been there, judging the fight,” Agazarm said. “Douglas Crosby, he’s had relationships with me, he’s had relationships with my opponent, he’s definitely not impartial. I don’t know what business he had being on the side and judging that fight. That should be immediately examined and the fight should be a draw.”

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Crosby scored the bout 29-28, making him the only judge to give Agazarm a round. Mike Murtha had the 30-26 card and Dave Tirelli 30-27.

“I don’t know what there process is, I don’t know how that works, but all I know is there is a judge that should not have been in that corner,” Agazarm continued. “He knows that. He’s a tenured judge. He’s had years of a relationship with myself, my opponent, the coach of my opponent. What was he doing judging that fight? It should be immediately pulled.”

Agazarm also made it clear he’s not about to let go of the bad blood with Lencioni. Agazarm appeared to headbutt Lencioni early in the fight, but afterwards, Agazarm claimed Lencioni caused an accidental clash of heads.

“He talked about a controversial headbutt, he lifted me up and slammed my head, it was an unintentional, and it made him take control of the first and second rounds.”

MMA Junkie reached out to Mazzulli for comment on Agazarm’s accusations and did not receive an immediate reply.

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Myles Jury vs. Georgi Karakhanyan, Derek Campos vs. Adam Borics added to Bellator 243

Bellator continues to shape up its Aug. 7 event.

Bellator is stacking up its second event in its return from a hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Two new fights have been added to Bellator 243, which takes place Aug. 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.: A lightweight bout between [autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] and [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] on the main card and a 150-pound catchweight bout between [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] and [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] on the prelims.

MMA Junkie verified both matchups with a Bellator official. Campos vs. Borics was first reported by Combate.

Jury (18–5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Brandon Girtz in February. He successfully bounced back from a defeat to Benson Henderson, which marked his Bellator debut. Meanwhile, Karakhanyan (29-10-1 MMA, 7-8 BMMA) looks to continue a successful campaign at 155 pounds. The former featherweight fighter most recently fought in February where he submitted Paul Redmond.

In the 150-pound catchweight bout, featherweights Campos (20-10 MMA, 8-8 BMMA) and Borics (14-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) have their first fights since getting bounced from the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix. Campos lost to A.J. McKee and Borics fell short to Darrion Caldwell.

Additionally, MMA Junkie confirmed bouts between [autotag]Joel Bauman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Taylor Johnson[/autotag], which was first reported by Cage Side Press, and[autotag] Chris Lencioni[/autotag] vs. [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag], which was reported by Fansided.

Bellator 243 is being headlined by a key lightweight bout pitting former Bellator champion Michael Chandler against former UFC champion Benson Henderson in a rematch from 2016, which Chandler won by split decision.

With the additions, the Bellator 243 lineup includes:

  • Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson
  • Tim Johnson vs. Matt Mitrione
  • Myles Jury vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
  • Sabah Homasi vs. Curtis Millender
  • Joel Bauman vs. Taylor Johnson
  • Adam Borics vs. Derek Campos
  • Chris Lencioni vs. AJ Agazarm

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Video: 20 must-see Bellator ‘fire’ fights (in full)

If you’ve got nearly six hours to kill, here you go with some classic Bellator action.

Since its first event held in 2009, Bellator has given us some of the most memorable fights in MMA history.

While events remain on hold because of coronavirus pandemic, Bellator has put 20 of its greatest bouts – “fire” fights, if you will – all in one place, which you can watch in the video above.

The complete list, which goes for nearly six hours, includes:

  • 1. [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] 1 – Bellator 58 | 0:00
  • 2. [autotag]Joe Schilling[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Melvin Manhoef[/autotag] – Bellator 131 | 24:51
  • 3. [autotag]L.C. Davis[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hideo Tokoro[/autotag] – Bellator 135 | 37:25
  • 4. Michael Chandler vs. [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] – Bellator 165 | 55:41
  • 5. [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] – Bellator 238 | 1:31:16
  • 6. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] – Bellator 138 | 1:56:41
  • 7. [autotag]Henry Corrales[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] – Bellator 214 | 2:09:58
  • 8. [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gerald Harris[/autotag] – Bellator 218 | 2:17:18
  • 9. [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] 3 – Bellator 181 | 2:29:29
  • 10. [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brennan Ward[/autotag] – Bellator 170 | 2:49:20
  • 11. [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] vs. Paul Daley – Bellator 158 | 2:59:15
  • 12. Douglas Lima vs. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] – Bellator 221 | 3:18:09
  • 13. [autotag]Patricky Freire [/autotag]vs. [autotag]Roger Huerta[/autotag] – Bellator 205 | 3:33:28
  • 14. Patricio Freire vs. [autotag]Daniel Straus[/autotag] – Bellator 178 | 3:44:52
  • 15. [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] vs. Brandon Girtz – Bellator 219 | 3:57:46
  • 16. [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Adel Altamimi[/autotag] – Bellator 238 | 4:19:31
  • 17. [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] – Bellator 233 | 4:36:10
  • 18. Douglas Lima vs. [autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag] 2 – Bellator 100 | 4:57:18
  • 19. Patricio Freire vs. [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] – Bellator 209 | 5:11:22
  • 20. [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] – Bellator 204 | 5:44:13

So sit back, relax and enjoy the action.

AJ Agazarm breaks down ‘patented’ submission finish at Bellator 238

The “Agazarm,” as he naturally calls it, isn’t like your typical triangle-choke.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] got what he wanted.

Agazarm, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, picked up a submission win in his fourth professional fight on Saturday at Bellator 238. Agazarm (3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) submitted Adel Altamimi with a triangle-choke after a back-and-forth battle that dragged into the third round at The Forum.

Although Agazarm got the tap, he didn’t do it with the textbook triangle MMA fans are used to seeing inside the cage.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” Agazarm said in his post-fight scrum. “That’s called the ‘Agazarm,’ and that’s my patented move.

“I learned it from my jiu-jitsu professor a long time ago and just kind of made it my own. You’ve seen that submission finish in Polaris like three or four times. Actually, funny enough, I just shared it on my Facebook like three days ago, so it was cool to finally get that.

“It’s a bait move, so you go for the arm bar, and you trick him into falling for the triangle, and he fell right for it. It’s not really your traditional triangle. It’s a bit of a variation, so I was stoked on that one.”

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It appeared Altamimi did a light tap before the referee called off the fight. Yet, Altamimi kept on engaging in the grappling exchange a second after the contest was waived off. Some people on social media said Agazarm’s opponent didn’t really tap.

The Nick Diaz Army fighter assures he got the clean submission win and says he “could’ve kept it longer” if needed.

“It was as tight as tight can get without his head popping off,” Agazarm said.

Regardless of what people think of the finish, Agazarm is now on a three-fight winning streak after losing his professional MMA debut in early 2019. Agazarm is happy with his performance but thinks there’s a lot to work on, calling himself a “white belt with three stripes” in MMA.

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Bellator 238’s Adel Altamimi ready to bounce back after decision defeat

“I’m from a different culture and stuff, and this (loss) happening is a little bit damaging.”

LOS ANGELES – After marking his Bellator debut with a quickfire submission win, Iraqi fighter [autotag]Adel Altamimi[/autotag] was brought back down to earth with a unanimous decision loss to Salim Mukhidinov at Bellator 229 last October. Now the 30-year-old karate black belt plans on bouncing back into the win column at Bellator 238 this weekend.

Chatting to MMA Junkie ahead of his bout against noted grappler [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag], Altamimi (8-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) revealed he learned not to let his ego get in the way of his success in the cage after competing injured last time out.

“It was really big lesson to me,” he explained. “A lot of people don’t know what’s going on in camp, or injuries, but it’s never been an excuse when you get in there. But it was a big lesson to me. It was the first time in my career that I went to a decision, but I learned a lot how to stay there (in the fight) for 15 minutes. I was injured, and I was injured during the fight, too. But I just wanted to stay there. That’s who I am, I will never give up. I got a little punched in the face, but I will never quit.”

Altamimi said he still wouldn’t be able to bring himself to pull out of a fight at short notice, but his experience of picking up an injury in the leadup to his last fight has helped him to taper back his intensity as he prepares for his next test inside the Bellator cage.

“Sometimes your ego… I never backed down, I never turned down a fight because you’re injured and stuff, especially when you’re injured the week before (the fight),” he explained. “I never want to call and go: ‘Hey, I’m hurt. I’m this, I’m that.’ But yeah, (I’m) definitely being smart in the camp when you get closer, being smart and not getting hurt. It was a good lesson. And I fought a good opponent. He was really good, not taking anything away from his skills. All respect to him.”

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Altamimi has seven submissions to his name, but that stat serves as a smokescreen to his predominant skillset – karate. The black belt in Kyokushin karate admits he hasn’t yet been able to showcase his full striking arsenal as a mixed martial artist, but says he’s hoping to do just that against BJJ specialist Agazarm (2-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) on Saturday night.

“It’s exciting, because I know what he’s going to bring to the fight,” he said. “He’s comfortable to grapple and not be on the feet, but it’s going to be a test. I’m a black belt in jiu jitsu. I have eight wins, seven submissions and one knockout. I believe that’s why Bellator matched us up, because he’s a grappling specialist and you see my record, and they see a test of skills. But you know my background, I’m a champion in karate, I’m a black belt in karate, and I still haven’t shown a lot of my striking. I’m excited to show a little bit of my striking and takedowns and wrestling. I’m excited for it.”

With a notable name from the grappling world lining up against him on Bellator’s first big fight card of 2020, Altamimi has the perfect opportunity to bounce back in eye-catching fashion, and the Baghdad-born featherweight says he’s ready to do just that after a tricky time in his career.

“Yeah. Last year it was life-changing. There was a lot of change and pressure. I’m from a different culture and stuff, and this (loss) happening is a little bit damaging, but it takes a little bit of time to reset and get back to yourself,” he said. “A lot of changes happened … I’m good. I’m excited for this one. I know where I am and I’m seeing clear in front of me. I have the hunger and fire inside of me, and I’m excited and ready to go.”

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AJ Agazarm reflects on ‘white belt’ year in MMA heading into Bellator 238

The Diaz brothers-protege believes he’s come a long way since his debut last January.

LOS ANGELES – Almost one year ago to the day, [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] made his MMA debut.

On Saturday night at Bellator 238, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Agazarm (2-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) steps into the cage for his fourth bout. The Diaz brothers protege believes he’s come a long way in the past year.

On Wednesday at Bellator 238 media day, Agazarm told MMA Junkie he’s learned a lot about how to operate in and out of the cage during his “white belt” year.

“I came into MMA a white belt,” Agazarm said. “I’ve been fortunate to have some red belts to look up to. It’s been a journey.”

Agazarm said he’s learned the importance of keeping an open mind. Every combat sport is different. While he had a very successful career in grappling, MMA has different nuances he’s picked up.

“The dynamic of anything – I come from a big family, so it’s a pretty dynamic family,” Agazarm said. “There’s always a lot of moving parts just like anything else. You look at things more as a whole. I try not to individualize myself in the situation. There are a lot of fighters on this roster. You look at Bellator’s schedule over the past couple months, they were in Japan, they were in Hawaii, they were all over the place.

“This is just another show on their calendar, but I’m working to make this a special show. That’s why I work my tail off – to give you guys something to report on (and) give the fans something to watch. I’ll give myself my best foot forward in everything I do.”

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At Bellator 238, Agazarm takes on his most experienced opponent to date, Adel Altamimi. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Altamimi (8-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) has seen the judges’ scorecards only once in his pro career.

“Every fight has their go-to things,” Agazarm said. “There’s something to be said about when you turn up the heat a little bit. You put the sun right in their eyes and you get it as hot as possible. It’s like, ‘How good are you?’ That’s really what I’m going to do. I’m going to start it with as hot as I possibly can and sustain that for the entire duration until he either gives up or the final bell rings.”

Bellator 238 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full pre-fight interview with Agazarm above.