Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 18-24.
The lineup for Bellator’s second trip to “The Windy City” in five months continues to build with a former champion set for the prelims.
The lineup for Bellator’s second trip to “The Windy City” in five months continues to build with a former champion set for the prelims.
Former women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) will try to get back on track when she takes on fellow Brazilian [autotag]Paula Cristina[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Additionally, the undefeated [autotag]Keri Melendez[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will take on promotional newcomer [autotag]Sabriye Sengul[/autotag] (3-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).
Bellator 301, which features two title fights and a lightweight grand prix semifinal on the main card, takes place Nov. 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The event will be Bellator’s third trip to Chicago in a year.
In addition, lightweight prospect [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Pieter Buist[/autotag] (17-7 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Matheus Mattos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) meets former LFA bantamweight champion [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) on the preliminary card. Bellator officials informed MMA Junkie of the new bookings Sunday. An official announcement is expected Monday.
Velasquez had a perfect 12-0 start to her career, and in December 2020 upset Ilima-Lei Macfarlane to win the women’s flyweight title. She defended it seven months later against Denise Kielholtz. But in April 2022, she was submitted by Liz Carmouche in Hawaii and lost the belt. Eight months later, she was submitted by her in a rematch at Bellator 289. Cristina has dropped two of her past three fights after a 5-0 pro start. In May, she lost a decision to Kielholtz in her Bellator debut.
With the additions, the Bellator 301 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 5 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.
Two weeks ago, Archie Colgan and his wife had a child – so there’s only one matchup that could pull him out of Dad life in the immediate.
CHICAGO – [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] knew what he was getting himself into Friday at Bellator 297, but somehow, he was still surprised.
For the first time as a professional MMA fighter, Colgan (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) needed all 15 minutes to pick up a victory, when he defeated former featherweight title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez (20-9 MMA, 12-8 BMMA) via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout.
The decision win marked the end of his career-long finishing streak. While Colgan believed in his opponent’s reputation as a tough out, Sanchez’s stalwartness and durability was even above expectations.
“I did truly believe that I was going to get the finish in that fight,” Colgan told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “Leading into the fight, I believed that. Even during the fight, I was hitting him with some big shots. I was doing the damage and I believed until we heard 30 seconds left. Up until that point, I still believed that I was going to find a finish. I didn’t, but I see now why he is 20 fights in Bellator and has yet to be finished.”
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Colgan, 27, isn’t rushing to get back into the cage. His life is in the midst of a major personal event. Two weeks ago, Colgan and his wife welcomed their second child into the world.
“I would like to take a little bit of time off and enjoy Dad life and really get a bond with my second son, as I haven’t been able to really do that in the midst of this camp,” Colgan said. “Maybe late this year, October, November, or if a certain Irish lad in September needs a dance partner, they can get me out for that one.”
While Colgan didn’t specifically namedrop which Irishman, Peter Queally (13-8-1 MMA, 2-4 BMMA) is the lone 155-pounder from Ireland on the promotion’s roster. Queally, 34, most recently competed in February when he was finished with strikes by Bryce Logan.
The promotion’s September event, Bellator 299, takes place Sept. 23 in Dublin, the city which Queally fights out of.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
Rising Bellator star Archie Colgan explains how training with Justin Gaethje has improved his career.
CHICAGO – For top Bellator prospect [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag], his relationship with UFC contender [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] extends beyond business.
Since his early days as a pro fighter, Colgan (7-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) has sparred and trained alongside Gaethje in Colorado. Although they are at much different points in their MMA journeys, the two have meshed and bettered one another through their physical abilities, but more prominently through their attitudes.
“I feel like just the camaraderie and the brotherhood between us is just like every practice is about the same,” Colgan told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a Bellator 297 pre-fight news conference Tuesday. “We push each other. When you spar with somebody who you care about but you want to compete against, that in itself just brings the best out of you.
“It’s sweet that we’re both training for a camp. I’m a little earlier than he is – well, a lot earlier than he is. But when you go in there and if I hit you one time, being that brotherhood, you want to get it back with safety obviously. We want to take care of each other. But there’s always competition. Our training sessions are always good.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpVZlZmpHXM/
Colgan, 27, will attempt to once again use what he and Gathje have drilled in the gym when he fights former Bellator title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez (20-8 MMA, 12-7 BMMA) at Bellator 297 on Friday.
The matchup, Colgan thinks, will be a good test for him to prove to himself and the promotion he’s ready to continue his progression toward contender status.
“I understand what the task is. I understand what he brings to the table. I’ve had eight, 10 weeks to think about it,” Colgan said. “To watch video and see who he is as a person and as a fighter, he’s a traditional Mexican-style, hard-nosed fighter. He’s going to fight until that whistle, the bell, the 10-second dinger, until that’s done, he’s going to fight. I understand what I’m getting myself into. I hope he does, too.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 10-16
Archie Colgan stayed unbeaten with his second straight first-round finish when he took out Justin Montalvo with a TKO at Bellator 293.
TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] beat Justin Montalvo with a first-round TKO Friday on the main card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
Take a look inside the fight with Colgan, who stayed unbeaten with his second straight first-round finish.
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.
Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.
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 293.
Check out the best photos from Archie Colgan’s first-round TKO win over Justin Montalvo at Bellator 293.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Justin Montalvo[/autotag] at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. (Photos by Lucas Noonan, Bellator)
Check out the disclosed pay for all 30 fighters on Bellator 293, according to the California State Athletic Commission.
Thirty fighters competed Friday at Bellator 293 with [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] leading all disclosed payouts.
California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Friday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.
The main event and co-main event winners were the only two fighters to pocket six-figure disclosed paydays as a result of their performances Friday. Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) earned $100,000 flat for her unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in the co-main event. Then, main event winner James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) earned to $50,000 show and a $50,000 win bonus for his victory over [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).
Scroll below to see what the 30 fighters on Bellator 293 were paid – disclosed amounts only.
Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 293 main card, featuring Marcelo Golm vs. Daniel James and Leah McCourt vs. Cat Zingano.
| Golm vs. James |
McCourt vs. Zingano |
Jeffery vs. Salter |
Colgan vs. Montalvo |
Cauley vs. Trainer |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 35-24 |
 James (52%) |
 Zingano (72%) |
 Jeffery (65%) |
 Colgan (77%) |
 Cauley (72%) |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 37-22 |
James |
Zingano |
 Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 37-22/em> |
 Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 37-22 |
James |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 35-24 |
James |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 34-25 |
Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 34-25 |
Golm |
 McCourt |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 33-26  2018, 2022 Champion |
Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 33-26 |
James |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 32-27 2014 Champion |
Golm |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 32-27 |
Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 31-28 2017 Champion |
James |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
Bellator is back in Southern California this week with a heavyweight tilt at the top of the lineup.
Bellator 293 takes place Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
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In the main event, [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) at heavyweight. Golm is a -150 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on James is +120. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are divided and have Golm with the slimmest possible lead at 6-5 in the picks.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) meets former UFC title challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout that could determine the next title challenger. Zingano is the biggest favorite on the main card at -450, but she doesn’t have a shutout. One of our pickers is taking McCourt in an upset.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on former middleweight title challenger [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 8-3 BMMA). Jeffery is a -420 favorite, but he has just a narrow 6-5 lead in the picks from our staff members.
Our first of two unanimous picks is [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who nearly is a 3-1 favorite in his lightweight bout against [autotag]Justin Montalvo[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA). Their fight was elevated to the main card Friday.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is our second unanimous pick in his light heavyweight bout against [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA). Cauley is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, James (52 percent), Zingano (72 percent), Jeffery (65 percent), Colgan (77 percent) and Cauley (72 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
