Tag: Alexandr Shabliy

Usman Nurmagomedov faces Alexandr Shabliy at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego

One of the biggest stars outside the UFC has his next fight on the books – and it’s a tough test.

The should’ve-been Bellator lightweight grand prix semifinal title fight is back on the books.

Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] will defend his title Sept. 7 vs. [autotag]Alexandr Shabliy[/autotag] at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego at Pechanga Arena, the promotion announced Tuesday after an initial report from OC Register.

Nurmagomedov (17-0) was expected to face Shabliy (24-3) in May, but withdrew due to injury. The upcoming fight will be his first since a positive drug test surrounding an October fight vs. Brent Primus. The result that was initially a unanimous decision win was overturned to a no contest due to the test failure. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) did not reveal what substance Nurmagomedov tested positive for.

The result stands as the only non-victory on Nurmagomedov’s record. Notable victories include Benson Henderson and Patricky “Pitbull” Freire.

Shabliy looks to extend his winning streak to 10. His three most recent wins came against Brent Primus, Tofiq Musayev, and Patricky “Pitbull.” In May, Shabliy expressed discontent with the PFL-Bellator regime for not honoring the $1 million grand prix that was only half-complete at the time of the merger.

No other fights have been revealed for the card at this time.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

Bellator 292 post-event facts: Michael Page takes sole possession of company knockout record

Check out the numbers to come out of Bellator 292, where Michael “Venom” Page broke a longstanding tie for most KO/TKO wins in history.

Bellator put on its third event of the year Friday with Bellator 292, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

The lightweight grand prix got its start on the card with a pair of quarterfinal matchups. Reigning champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) made his first step in defending through the tournament when he quickly stopped former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA) by first-round submission.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 292.

Bellator 292 pre-event facts: All-time KO leader meets all-time submission leader

Bellator 292 will see the man who holds the most knockout wins in company history share the cage with the promotion’s all-time submission leader.

Bellator returns to its home base of San Jose, Calif., on Friday with Bellator 292, which takes place at SAP Center with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The main event features the start of the promotion’s lightweight grand prix. The title will be on the line in the opening-round matchup, as reigning 155-pound champ [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) will attempt to make his first defense against former UFC and WEC titleholder [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA).

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 292.

Combat Rewind, April 6: Top highlights include the frightening ‘Turkish Tyson’

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

    • GLORY 6: [autotag]Max Baumert[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ismail Uzuner[/autotag] – April 6, 2013
    • ProFC 53: [autotag]Alexandr Shabliy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arsen Ubaidulaev[/autotag] – April 6, 2014
    • GLORY 6: [autotag]Marc de Bonte[/autotag] vs. [autotag]L’houcine Ouzgni[/autotag] – April 6, 2013
    • ProFC 53: [autotag]Akhmed Aliev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dimitry Zebroski[/autotag] – April 6, 2014
    • GLORY 6: [autotag]Gokhan Saki[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Ghita[/autotag] – April 6, 2013

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.