Tag: Austin Vanderford

Bellator 297 loses two bouts including former title challenger

Two fights have been removed from next week’s Bellator 297 card in Chicago, bringing the lineup down to 16 bouts.

Bellator 297 has taken a pair of hits the week prior to the June 16 event at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Former Bellator middleweight title challenger [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) was expected to face [autotag]Imamshafi Aliev[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), but that fight has been canceled for undisclosed reasons.

Additionally, the bantamweight bout between [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Nikita Mikhailov[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is off due to an illness with the former.

The card is set to proceed with 16 bouts including a light heavyweight title fight in the main event, as champion Vadim Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) tries to defend his title against former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA).

In the co-main event, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) looks to become the first fighter to win three divisional titles in the same major promotion when he takes on Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis (22-5 MMA, 9-5 BMMA).

With the cancellations, the Bellator 297 card includes:

  • Champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Freire – for bantamweight title
  • Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis
  • Daniel James vs. Gokhan Saricam
  • David McKinney vs. Max Metzgar
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Gabriel Sayeg
  • Kyle Crutchmer vs. Bobby Nash
  • Pieter Buist vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
  • Ramazan Kurmagomedov vs. Jaleel Willis
  • Mike Hamel vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Norbert Novenyi vs. Kamil Oniszczuk
  • Archie Colgan vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
  • Karl Moore vs. Alex Polizzi
  • Timur Khizriev vs. Richie Smullen
  • Jordan Newman vs. Matthew Perry
  • Edwin Chavez vs. Cody Law

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 1-7)

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 May 1-7.

Bellator 284 video: Aaron Jeffery wrecks Austin Vanderford with quick TKO

In 85 seconds, Aaron Jeffery finished Austin Vanderford with punches.

[autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] stepped into his second Bellator fight on short notice and instantly notched contender status in shocking fashion.

At Bellator 284, Jeffery (13-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) finished recent middleweight title challenger [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) with punches at 1:25 of Round 1. The bout kicked off the main card Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Jeffery found success on the feet early and often. An overhand right began the final finishing sequence and dropped Vanderford to the canvas. Vanderford rolled to his side and covered up as Jeffery finished off the job with some more punches.

Jeffery, 29, signed with Bellator in early 2022. The move marked his first major promotional gig after years as a champion on the regional scene and two failed attempts on Dana White’s Contender Series. Jeffery made his Bellator debut in June with a second-round TKO win over Fabio Aguiar. The victory Friday extended his winning streak to three.

As for Vanderford, he now enters the first losing skid of his career after his first loss came in February against Gegard Mousasi. Prior to 2022, Vanderford was 11-0 as a professional with six finishes.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 284 results include:

  • Aaron Jeffery def. Austin Vanderford via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
  • Marcos Breno def. Josh Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • DeAnna Bennett def. Justine Kish via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Sullivan Cauley def. Tyson Jeffries via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 1:39
  • Pat Downey def. Keyes Nelson via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 1, 0:36
  • Bailey Schoenfelder def. Mark Currier via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:35
  • Mitchell McKee def. Tony Ortega via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:28

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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Photos: Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins

Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and the final faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Check out these photos of the main card fighters on the scale and the final pre-fight faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Bellator 284 predictions: Who are our two unanimous picks in Sioux Falls?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 284 main card in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Gracie
vs.
Yamauchi		 Moldavsky
vs.
Mowry		 Ellen
vs.
Macfarlane		 Saricam
vs.
Sowma		 Jeffery
vs.
Vanderford
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
131-79		 yamauchi2022
Yamauchi
(58%)		 mowry2022
Mowry
(61%)		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane
(79%)		 saricam2022
Saricam
(62%)		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
(68%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
143-72
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
139-76		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
137-78
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
135-80		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
132-83		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
131-84		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
130-85		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 sowma2022
Sowma		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Nolan King
@mma_kings
127-88		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 ellen2022
Ellen		 sowma2022
Sowma		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
126-89
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
117-98		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
104-111		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford

Bellator returns to South Dakota this week with a welterweight bout atop the card, plus two former champions and a recent title challenger on the bill.

Bellator 284 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. 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.)

In the main event, [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) takes on first-time Bellator headliner [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) at welterweight. Gracie is a -200 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Yamauchi is +150. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Gracie as one of two unanimous picks on the main card – but in a rarity, our readers disagree and are backing Yamauchi at a big 58 percent clip.

In the co-feature, former interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) takes on unbeaten up-and-comer [autotag]Steve Mowry[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA). Moldavsky is more than a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, but he has the narrowest possible edge over Mowry in the picks at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) takes on former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA), who is fighting outside her native Hawaii or homebase of California for just the second time in nearly five years. Macfarlane is a slight favorite at -135, but is a near-unanimous pick with our staff members at 10-1. (It should be noted Macfarlane missed weight for for the first time in her MMA career. She came in at 129 pounds at Thursday’s weigh-ins.)

[autotag]Gokhan Saricam[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is a 2-1 favorite in his heavyweight bout against [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), and he’s got a blowout from our pickers at 9-2.

And to open the main card, our second unanimous pick is recent middleweight title challenger [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA), who is a -200 favorite against late replacement opponent [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Vanderford has an 11-0 shutout from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Yamauchi (58 percent), Mowry (61 percent), Macfarlane (79 percent), Saricam (62 percent) and Vanderford (68 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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Austin Vanderford opens up on Gegard Mousasi loss: ‘That was the worst performance of my life’

“I know that that was the worst performance of my life, and I’ll be able to just build off of it and get better.”

[autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] is not deterred by his first career loss.

Vanderford (11-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) had a fast rise up Bellator’s middleweight rankings, which resulted in a title shot against experienced veteran Gegard Mousasi.

But Vanderford tasted defeat for the first time when Mousasi finished him on the canvas in less than two minutes at Bellator 275 in February.

“I always hold myself to a high standard and going out and getting the victory regardless of what my record is or whatever,” Vanderford told MMA Junkie Radio. “So I don’t think (I had) any pressure in that sense. More than anything, I’m just excited, honestly, to get back out and fight again and go prove that – not that it was a fluke, but I had an off night and I learned some things in the fight and I might have let the pressure get to me a little bit more in that sense in that fight with that opponent. So I’m just excited to get back out and get right back to work.”

Vanderford is booked to face fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alum Aaron Jeffery (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at Bellator 284, which takes place Aug. 12 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

The 32-year-old American Top Team fighter hopes to remind everyone of his potential and takes solace in knowing his performance against Mousasi wasn’t an accurate showing of what he thinks he’s capable of.

“I wasn’t patient enough,” Vanderford said. “I got a little bit of an injury when I took a sh*tty shot, and just something I can learn from and get better from. I could confidently say that I know that that was the worst performance of my life, and I’ll be able to just build off of it and get better from there – and really the only way is up. So I’m excited to go showcase that on (Aug. 12).”

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With Anthony Adams out, Aaron Jeffery steps in to face Austin Vanderford at Bellator 284

Aaron Jeffery will get a big opportunity when he meets former title challenger Austin Vanderford.

[autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] will get a big opportunity when he meets a recent title challenger.

[autotag]Anthony Adams[/autotag] has been forced out and Jeffery (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) at Bellator 284, which takes place Aug. 12 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Jeffery confirmed the news on social media after an initial report from ESPN.

Jeffery fell short on two stints on Dana White’s Contender Series, losing to Brendan Allen in 2019 and Caio Borralho in September 2021. The former CFFC middleweight champion made a successful Bellator debut in June when he scored a second-round TKO of Fabio Aguiar.

Vanderford will look to rebound from his first career loss. After defeating Fabian Edwards at Bellator 259, Vanderford got a title shot against middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 275 in February, but was stopped in just 85 seconds.

With the change, the Bellator 284 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Neiman Gracie vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
  • Aaron Jeffery vs. Austin Vanderford
  • Gokhan Saricam vs. Said Sowma

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Marcos Breno vs. Josh Hill
  • DeAnna Bennett vs. Justine Kish
  • Sarvadzhon Khamidov vs. Jared Scoggins
  • Pat Downey vs. Jeff Souder
  • Mark Currier vs. Bailey Schoenfelder
  • Mitchell McKee vs. Tony Ortega
  • Jordan Newman vs. Lance Wright
  • Sullivan Cauley vs. Tyson Jeffries

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 11-17)

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 July 11-17.

Bellator 284 adds Austin Vanderford vs. Anthony Adams

Austin Vanderford competes for the first time with a loss on his record. How will he rebound?

[autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] has signed on for his first post-title fight assignment in Bellator.

At Bellator 284, Vanderford (11-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) will fight [autotag]Anthony Adams[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a middleweight bout, a promotion official Monday informed MMA Junkie. The event takes place Aug. 12 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Vanderford, 32, looks to rebound from a quick title fight loss to Gegard Mousasi. The bout lasted 85 seconds and Mousasi won by TKO. The loss was Vanderford’s first as a professional MMA fighter and came on the heels of a very bloody unanimous decision victory over Fabian Edwards.

Adams, meanwhile, will look to continue the momentum from his most recent outing, a unanimous decision upset over former UFC fighter Khalid Murtazaliev at Bellator 266 in September. The win came in Adams’ first fight in 13 months. He has not competed since, though did withdraw from a May booking against Lorenz Larkin.

With the addition, the Bellator 284 lineup includes:

  • Neiman Gracie vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Valentin Moldavksy vs. Steve Mowry
  • Anthony Adams vs. Austin Vanderford
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
  • Weber Almeida vs. Ilias Bulaid
  • Said Sowma vs. Gokhan Saricam
  • DeAnna Bennett vs. Justine Kish
  • Sarvazhon Khamidov vs. Jared Scoggins
  • Mitchell McKee vs. Tony Ortega
  • Mark Currier vs. Bailey Schoenfelder

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Austin Vanderford: Bellator 275 loss to Gegard Mousasi ‘will only make me a better fighter’

The first loss of Austin Vanderford’s career was a tough one, but he’s keeping a positive perspective on the experience.

The first loss of [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag]’s career was a tough one, but he’s keeping a positive perspective on the experience.

Vanderford leared a hard lesson – that there are levels to mixed martial arts – Friday at Bellator 275 after middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi schooled him en route to a TKO victory in just 85 seconds at 3Arena in Dublin. The victory was the 49th overall of Mousasi’s decorated career. For Vanderford, it was his first loss in 12 professional fights.

Vanderford didn’t speak to reporters after the fight. On Saturday, though, he posted about the loss on Instagram and was seemingly in good spirits as he thanked wife Paige VanZant and American Top Team.

“Last night wasn’t my night, but I’m thankful that this will only make me a better fighter,” Vanderford wrote.

You can read his full statement below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CacdEwoOzRc/?utm_medium=copy_link

“Humble in victory and defeat. Congrats to @mousasi on the well earned victory. Last night wasn’t my night, but I’m thankful that this will only make me a better fighter. Thank you to the friends, family and fans who support me! We’ll be back better than ever. Thank you to my team @americantopteam @parrumpaatt . Thank you to all my teammates at ATT, best gym in the world ⚔️. And last but most important, thank you to my loving wife @paigevanzant who is there for me forever and always ❤️. I’m good, and motivated to just get back to the gym 👊🏻🙏”

[lawrence-related id=2526538,2526512]

Vanderford, 31, was victorious on Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2018 but wasn’t offered a UFC contract after his win. He was later signed by Bellator and made his promotional debut in February 2019, reeling off five consecutive wins to earn his shot at Mousasi’s title.

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