Tag: Alexander Shabliy

Insider’s Scoop: Fedor Emelianenko’s last ride, Tony Ferguson, ‘The Korean Zombie,’ more

MMA Junkie’s Nolan King shares news tidbits and rumblings from around the MMA world.

Before we get into the crux of what you all showed up for (news), we want to re-introduce you to the “Insider’s Scoop.”

Every once in and while, our reporters, when enough noteworthy developments have piled up, will release news in an easy-to-digest roundup for the MMA Junkie audience.

From fight rumblings to event locations and dates to roster departures and more, various tidbits will be featured each time “Insider’s Scoop” is released.

So without further ado, here’s the latest edition of “Insider’s Scoop.”

Bellator 272 adds Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Jeremy Kennedy, three other fights

Emmanuel Sanchez, Jeremy Kennedy, and Killys Mota are among the additions.

The Bellator 272 lineup continues to build with four recent additions including a bout between two top featherweight contenders.

Two-time Bellator title challenger [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) will look to end a recent losing skid when he battles former UFC fighter [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in a three-round featherweight bout.

A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Thursday, in addition to a lightweight booking between [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Killys Mota[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA).

The Bellator official also confirmed a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Tommy Espinosa[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Jornel Lugo[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), which was initially reported by My MMA News, as well as a welterweight fight between [autotag]Levan Chokheli[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), which was first reported by Cageside Press.

Bellator 272 takes place Friday, Dec. 3 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the additions, the Bellator 272 lineup includes:

  • Champ Sergio Pettis vs. Kyoji Horiguchi – for featherweight title
  • Jeremy Kennedy vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
  • Josh Hill vs. Jared Scoggins
  • John de Jesus vs. Keoni Diggs
  • Killys Mota vs. Mike Hamel
  • Levan Chokheli vs. Vinicius de Jesus
  • Tommy Espinosa vs. Jornel Lugo

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fhzkh0qrjmfdmks6 player_id=01eqvpqbw4ymnv0rjh image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Video: What Bellator 259 fight is flying most under the radar?

From current and former champions to rising hot prospects, Bellator 259 has a little bit of everything.

Bellator 259 fight week is upon us.

With women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg (23-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) defending her title in a rematch against Leslie Smith (12-8-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) atop the card, a lot of undercard fights aren’t necessarily getting the proper shine they deserve.

This is a solid card, top to bottom, with athletes ranging from current and former champions to undefeated hot prospects. Outside of the main event, what is the fight on the card that is flying the most under-the-radar and perhaps not getting the respect it deserves?

That’s the question “Spinning Back Clique” host John Morgan asked the panel of “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia, and Nolan King.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, and this week’s full episode below.

https://youtu.be/zzPLt_QAYVQ

Bellator signs Russian standout Alexander Shabliy to multifight deal

The promotion continues to ink notable names from the Russian talent pool.

Bellator continues to ink notable names from the Russian talent pool.

The most recent Russian addition to the roster is former Absolute Championship Berkut, Fight Nights Global, and ProFC lightweight standout [autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag], whom the promotion has signed to a multifight deal.

A Bellator official on Monday confirmed the signing to MMA Junkie following an Instagram post by Shabliy’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov, on Friday. Shabliy (19-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) doesn’t have a publicly known debut date or opponent at this time.

Shabliy, 27, rides a four-fight winning streak into his Bellator tenure with his most recent victory coming in December 2019. His resume includes wins over former UFC fighter Adriano Martins, former Bellator fighters Ryan Quinn and Gleristone Santos, as well as Brazilian standout Alexandre Cidade.

Sixteen of his 18 professional wins have come by finish. Since 2014, Shabliy has only lost one fight: a split decision defeat to Eduard Vartanyan in November 2016. Shabliy has been submitted once in his professional career, but has never been finished via strikes.

Recently, Shabliy moved his training to American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla. Since then, he has gotten in training with the likes of Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal, Movsar Evloev and Natan Schulte, among numerous other UFC, Bellator, and PFL athletes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLd0jQ0DJgz/