Tag: Alexander Shabliy

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/