Bellator 238 – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Emilee King credits teammate Taylor Turner for big win over Ava Knight at Bellator 238

Emilee King explains how teammate Taylor Turner’s past experience facing a boxer helped her in win over Ava Knight.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Emilee King[/autotag] took out a boxing champion and had an example to look back at in preparation.

King (4-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) upset WBC boxing champ Ava Knight (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in her promotional debut. King submitted Knight in a little more than two minutes at Bellator 238 this past Saturday.

It wasn’t the first time a former boxing champion crossed over to the Bellator cage. Former WBO featherweight champ Heather Hardy had a rude awakening in her second MMA bout when she was battered and stopped by Kristina Williams at Bellator 185.

Hardy also took on King’s teammate, [autotag]Taylor Turner[/autotag], this past June and suffered a second-round TKO loss at Bellator 222.

With Taylor in King’s corner, King had the kind of pointers she needed against a boxing champion, herself.

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“We absolutely did read into (Turner’s win over Hardy),” King said after her win. “I relied heavily on coach Taylor, not only for my strength and conditioning, and as like a mentor, but she relived some of her experiences with that Heather Hardy fight with me and that was a huge asset to me during this fight camp – so very thankful.”

Once the fight hit the canvas, it was right in King’s world. After a couple submission attempts, she was able to transition to a rear-naked choke and made quick work of Knight.

“My whole goal was just to get to the ground, and I knew once I hit the ground, I was fine,” King said. “I’m not sure exactly what takedown I hit. We’ve worked several throughout the game plan. It might have been a guard pull, to be honest. But I knew I threw one side kick, and that was kind of the game plan – of setting up the takedowns with the kicks. And after that, it was just hunt for the submissions, so one after the other.”

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Curtis Millender relieved after Bellator 238 win, reveals three possible targets for next fight

Curtis Millender says he has his sights set on three of the division’s most exciting names following his victory at Bellator 238.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Curtis Millender[/autotag] kicked off his second stint as a Bellator fighter with a unanimous decision win at Bellator 238, then said he has earmarked three prominent members of the promotion’s welterweight division as future opponents.

Millender (18-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) outpointed Moses Murrietta (8-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) at The Forum to claim victory on his return to the organization he last fought for back in January 2017, and said he was happy with his display after a solid all-around performance.

“I feel like I performed very well,” he told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage after the fight. “I went out and I showed a lot of things that I wanted to show. I wrestled a little bit, got a couple of takedowns, dropped him a couple of times. Overall, without getting a finish, getting two 10-8 rounds is just close (enough).”

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As well as his reunion with Bellator, the fight also represented Millender’s return to a familiar venue, and the Anaheim native said he was both happy and relieved to pick up a much-needed win to halt his two-fight losing skid.

(It was ) a big load (off my shoulders),” he admitted. “The last time I won was in this building, in December 2018, so it’s been a while, so just hearing that I won, it’s awesome.”

Now back in the win column with his new promotion, Millender is now targeting more eye-catching matchups, and has a trio of potential opponents in mind for future matchups in 2020, with fellow striker Michael Page at the top of his list.

“I still want that, man,” he said. “It’s up to him. It’s clearly up to him, because everybody knows I want the fight. I want exciting matchups: (Jason) Jackson, I wouldn’t even mind Ed Ruth. I have to beat the kind of guys who have been my Achilles heel throughout my career. That’s the only way I’m going to get what I deserve.”

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Raymond Daniels only interested in fight with Michael Page if title on the line

Raymond Daniels would only fight Michael Page under one condition: if a title is on the line.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] have a history together.

Both come from a kickboxing and sport karate background, and Daniels (2-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and Page have competed against each other three times before. Daniels won all three times.

After an highlight-reel promotional debut in which he landed a 720-degree punch knockout, Daniels made good in his second appearance for Bellator with a first-round finish over Jason King at Bellator 238.

And having notched only two wins with Bellator so far, Daniels is already being asked about a potential matchup with one of the promotion’s biggest stars in what would be a thrilling stylistic matchup.

But Daniels said he only would fight Page under one condition.

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“I don’t necessarily have an interest to fight him off the bat or anything like that,” Daniels said. “If he had the title, I want to be the best. And if you check my resume, no matter what league I’ve ever competed in, I’ve always risen to the top.

“People always compare Mike and I. Mike is a little bit younger than me, so he gets his style a little bit from where I come from, because we come from the same environment. But he’s not necessarily on my radar. People compare us because we both control time and space a little bit really well. I think we’re completely different fighters, to be honest. But people see that movement and that distance because we come from a similar background.”

The 39-year-old Daniels has picked up two wins since he ended his 11-year hiatus from the sport. And while it was hard for him to match his highlight-reel finish in his debut, he’s happy with his overall performance against King.

“I like to have big finishes, things that will be heard kinda like around the world,” Daniels said. “So I wasn’t able to get that finish, but I did get the finish and I was excited about it because I was at least able to show different elements of my game.”

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Scott Coker: Aaron Pico looked great at Bellator 238, but we’ll stay cautious with matchmaking

Scott Coker was impressed with Aaron Pico’s performance at Bellator 238 but won’t feed him again to the big dogs – at least not yet.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] liked what he saw from [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] on Saturday night.

Coker was content with Pico’s performance at Bellator 238 at The Forum. The young prospect, who entered the event coming off back-to-back stoppage loses, picked up a dominant second-round knockout over Daniel Carey to bounce back from a skid that had some doubting his future in the sport.

Coker thought Pico (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) showed enough to prove he’s developing and advancing in his game as a mixed martial artist.

“Aaron Pico is back. He looked great,” Coker said following the event. “He had a great knockout, and I thought he was a fighter who had a lot of patience in there. He wasn’t just rushing in, trying to finish. He looked like he took a step forward in his development as an athlete and a mixed martial arts fighter.

“I think Pico showed me you have to be patient in there and have to work certain things. What I saw was a patient fighter that wasn’t just looking for the one punch knockout, even though he knocked him out in the end.

“I’m proud of him, really. This is the thing, and as a promoter I always tell my athletes, ‘You have to continue to get better in something that you’re weak in. If you’re a grappler, don’t just grapple, go out there and work on your stand up, take some chances, because this is MMA. One day you’ll meet another grappler like you, and the standup is what’s going to make the difference.’ It’s their job to continue to grow, and I saw Aaron grow and lift today.”

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Facing some of the best and most experienced fighters in Bellator, Pico had a rough start to his MMA career. It was maybe one many didn’t see coming, keeping in mind his prestigious accolades as a national Junior Golden Gloves champion and U.S national wrestling champion.

Although Coker remains high on Pico’s potential, he wants to be cautions with matchmaking the 23-year-old fighter moving forward.

“I think that we should probably let him rest, but my goal is to have him back soon and maybe have him get another two or three fights before the end of the year,” Coker said. “Maybe we can turn him loose at that point and have him fight some of the bigger guys.

“He has to prove that he can continue improving and rebuilding because, you know, if you’re the same fighter you were a year ago, you’re going to have a hard time. You have to grow, and I saw some growth today, but let’s see how he looks at the end of the year.”

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Bellator 238 winner Jay Jay Wilson aims for busy 2020 after claiming fifth straight finish

Kiwi featherweight Jay Jay Wilson plans on being a busy man in the Bellator cage in 2020.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – If he has his way, we might be seeing a fair bit more from “The Maori Kid” [autotag]Jay Jay Wilson[/autotag] in 2020.

Wilson (5-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) extended his perfect professional record – and his 100 percent finish rate – with a second-round armbar finish of Mario Navarro (4-5 MMA, 1-3 BMMA) at Bellator 238, then said he hopes to be very active for the promotion throughout the year.

All four of Wilson’s previous victories came via first-round finish, but Navarro’s toughness ensured he took the Kiwi into the second round for the first time in his professional career. Speaking to reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage after the fight, Wilson said he was both impressed by his opponent’s toughness and grateful for the opportunity to push himself beyond the first round.

“It was super fun in the first round,” Wilson recalled. “I thought I was going to get the finish. I was swinging, and the referee was telling him to fight back, so I just went harder, kept going, kept going, kept going, and he was a tough guy. He managed to tough it out through the strikes, so I was actually really impressed. It was good for me to go another round, get some more time in the cage.”

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Sometimes for a young fighter whose early wins have come early, going deeper into a fight can expose cardio weaknesses or issues with pacing. But there were no such problems for Wilson, who kept his foot on the gas through the first half of the second round to claim the submission win against the toughest opponent of his career.

“The thing is, at the gym we train (for) hours on end, and in there it’s only 15 minutes,” Wilson said. “So I can go all out from the beginning to the end.

“He was tough. I hit him with some hard shots, some big elbows, and he toughed it out. I made him scream a few times with the strikes, so I thought he was going to give up. But he had heart, he kept going. So I give a lot of props to him.”

Wilson fought three times in 2019 in a busy year for the 22-year-old, but he said he would love to improve on that number this year and be even more active as he looks to build his fighting resume in Bellator’s stacked featherweight division.

“I want to take as many fights as they can give me,” Wilson said. “When I say I want to take a vacation, I’ll still be training. I’ll be going to live at my home for one month, (and) I’ll still be training a lot there, so I’ll be ready to fight again as soon as possible. I would love to fight four more times, five more times this year if possible.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3021: Kobe Bryant’s death, Bellator 238, UFC Raleigh, Joe Rogan vs. Stephen A. Smith

“Gorgeous” George and “Goze” discuss the latest news, including the shocking death of Kobe Bryant, Bellator 238, UFC Raleigh and more.

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Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode No. 3,021 of the podcast, the guys react to the tragic death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, recap Bellator 238 and UFC on ESPN+ 24, discuss the Joe Rogan-Stephen A. Smith feud and more.

THE RUNDOWN

NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, one of the best basketball players in history, died in a tragic helicopter crash Sunday morning. One of his daughters was among eight others in the crash. We react to the news.
Bellator 238 went down Saturday night in California, and Cris Cyborg dethroned Julia Budd to win the women’s featherweight title.
At UFC on ESPN+ 24 in Raleigh, N.C., Curtis Blaydes smashed former heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos, and Michael Chiesa outworked former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos to stay perfect at welterweight.
What should be next for Blaydes? Should he wait to see how the title picture unfolds in case he’s next? And what about Dos Santos, who now has back-to-back knockout losses?
Chiesa called out Colby Covington in a big way and wants to fight him in July. Can he really land that matchup?
Does Cyborg’s win make her the greatest of all time? She now has held titles in the UFC, Strikeforce, Invicta and Bellator.
Longtime UFC analyst Joe Rogan took issue with comments ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith made about Donald Cerrone after his loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 246, and the whole verbal feud has blown up in a big way. What do we make of it all?

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

AJ Agazarm breaks down ‘patented’ submission finish at Bellator 238

The “Agazarm,” as he naturally calls it, isn’t like your typical triangle-choke.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] got what he wanted.

Agazarm, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, picked up a submission win in his fourth professional fight on Saturday at Bellator 238. Agazarm (3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) submitted Adel Altamimi with a triangle-choke after a back-and-forth battle that dragged into the third round at The Forum.

Although Agazarm got the tap, he didn’t do it with the textbook triangle MMA fans are used to seeing inside the cage.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” Agazarm said in his post-fight scrum. “That’s called the ‘Agazarm,’ and that’s my patented move.

“I learned it from my jiu-jitsu professor a long time ago and just kind of made it my own. You’ve seen that submission finish in Polaris like three or four times. Actually, funny enough, I just shared it on my Facebook like three days ago, so it was cool to finally get that.

“It’s a bait move, so you go for the arm bar, and you trick him into falling for the triangle, and he fell right for it. It’s not really your traditional triangle. It’s a bit of a variation, so I was stoked on that one.”

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It appeared Altamimi did a light tap before the referee called off the fight. Yet, Altamimi kept on engaging in the grappling exchange a second after the contest was waived off. Some people on social media said Agazarm’s opponent didn’t really tap.

The Nick Diaz Army fighter assures he got the clean submission win and says he “could’ve kept it longer” if needed.

“It was as tight as tight can get without his head popping off,” Agazarm said.

Regardless of what people think of the finish, Agazarm is now on a three-fight winning streak after losing his professional MMA debut in early 2019. Agazarm is happy with his performance but thinks there’s a lot to work on, calling himself a “white belt with three stripes” in MMA.

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4 biggest takeaways from Bellator 238: Darrion Caldwell impresses to set up A.J. McKee showdown

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of Bellator 238, where Cris Cyborg and Darrion Caldwell shined bright.

What mattered most at Bellator 238 in Inglewood? Here are a few post-fight musings …

* * * * *

1. Cris Cyborg’s big moment and what’s next

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] picked up her fourth major promotional championship with a fourth-round TKO of Julia Budd to claim the women’s featherweight title. This seems like the pinnacle for her at this point, and anything else she achieves going forward is gravy.

We all wanted to see that rematch with Amanda Nunes in the UFC, but it not coming to fruition might have been for the best. Cyborg seems to be infinitely happier fighting in Bellator, and it sounds like she’s getting a healthy payday to be there.

Although the narrative is that Bellator has a deeper women’s 145-pound division than the UFC, having Cyborg at the top can make things look thin in a hurry. The fight with Budd was compelling for its layer of perceived competitiveness, and more matchups like that will be needed to hold interest in her title run.

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Scott Coker on Cris Cyborg’s title win and what’s next, Sergio Pettis’ debut, more after Bellator 238

Bellator president Scott Coker offers his thoughts on the winners and losers from Bellator 238.

Bellator 238 took place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., where [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] made history.

In defeating Julia Budd by fourth-round TKO in the night’s main event, Cyborg became the first fighter to win major championships in four separate promotions – Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC, and now Bellator.

The event also included [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] moving on to the featherweight grand prix quarterfinals with a submission win over previously undefeated Adam Borics.

As is customary, Bellator president Scott Coker spoke with reporters afterward and offered his reaction to those outcomes and more. You can read below or watch the video above.

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On Cris Cyborg’s championship win over Julia Budd

“It was electric in there, and I think that Cyborg came in, and she looked super explosive, like really good. Julia looked great, too, but as the rounds went on, Cyborg started dominating the fight and instilled her will on Julia. That’s the way I saw it, but in that first round anything could’ve happened, someone could’ve gotten caught, and you know, get a finish.

“It was a great fight. It was really intense in there, and I’m proud of both ladies. Julia Budd is a great fighter. She’s someone who’s had the belt for a long time, and I think everybody can now see why. She’s gotten so much respect among her peers and fans.”

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On a potential rematch between Cris Cyborg and Julia Budd

Cris Cyborg and Julia Budd at Bellator 238. (Dave Mandel, MMA Junkie)

“That really depends on what happens in the next year. I think Julia, I haven’t talked to Julia, but I’m just assuming from knowing her that she’s going to want to come back and get busy. So if she gets on a tear and Cyborg keeps winning then maybe we’ll get it on again, but in this sport you never know.”

On Cris Cyborg wanting a women’s featherweight grand prix

“I think we have eight girls that are solid, but I’ll tell you what: After that performance, she’s going to be a tough fight for anybody in the weight class, so they better bring it, because she’s a beast, explosive, and she looked like she didn’t miss a beat in my opinion. That’s why I call her the greatest fighter of all time today in the female division, and I think you saw it with your own eyes today.”

On Sergio Pettis’ successful Bellator debut

Sergio Pettis submits Alfred Khashakyan at Bellator 238. (Dave Mandel, MMA Junkie)

“I think he looked great. I think he’s right in that mix, because with (Kyoji) Horiguchi being out and DC (Darrion Caldwell) being in the (featherweight) tournament, we’re going to host a 135-pound championship (fight) at some point. But we’re going to wait and see how these guys perform over the course of two, three, four months, because we will be doing 30 (events) this year in 2020.

“So well have a lot of opportunity for these guys to get some more fights under their belt, and we’ll probably host a 135-pound championship fight in some time.”

On Darrion Caldwell’s quick submission win over Adam Borics

“Caldwell surprised me. Let’s be honest: We thought that may work out the other way, but in a fight anything can happen.

“I think that was one of the fights that could’ve maybe had a different outcome, but he went and did his thing. He wants to fight for that million dollars at the end of the year. The only thing I didn’t like was the backflip at the end off the cage. I think I’ve seen enough of that. I tell my guys, ‘Please, let’s just stop that.'”

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On boxing champion Ava Knight suffering her first MMA loss

“Ava Knight had something to prove tonight. She fought a girl that had some great ground skills and beat her, so back to the drawing board. I know she’ll bounce back, train hard, and this is not an easy sport, as you all may know.

“This is a difficult sport, so we wish her luck in training and maybe in three or four months we can have her back.”

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Bellator 238 post-event facts: Cris Cyborg achieves MMA’s first quadruple crown

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 238, which took place Saturday and saw Cris Cyborg beat Julia Budd in the main event.

The first Bellator event of the year unfolded Saturday with Bellator 238, which went down at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with a main card that streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) enhanced her legacy with another championship belt when she scored a fourth-round TKO of [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) to claim the women’s featherweight belt.

The card also featured a quarterfinal bout in the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix, as well as some other notable results. For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 30 post-event facts about Bellator 238.

General

Betting favorites went 4-2 on the main card (5-2 overall in fights where odds were available).

Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 41:59.

Main card

Cyborg became the first in history to win titles in Bellator, UFC, Invicta FC and Strikeforce.

Cyborg became the second in history to win titles in Bellator and UFC. Eddie Alvarez also accomplished the feat.

Cyborg has earned 18 of her 22 career victories by knockout.

Budd had her 11-fight winning streak snapped for her first defeat since November 2011.

Budd has suffered all three of her career losses by stoppage.

Budd suffered her first knockout loss since Jan. 7, 2011 – a span of 3,306 days (more than nine years) and 14 fights.

[autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) improved to 6-0 in Bellator featherweight competition. He’s 8-0 in the weight class during his career.

Caldwell’s six-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind A.J. McKee (16).

Caldwell’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied for second most in company history behind Goiti Yamauchi (seven).

[autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) had his 14-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

[autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (24-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) has earned four of his six Bellator victories by decision.

[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) earned his first submission victory since Sept. 28, 2013 – a span of 2,311 days (more than six years) and 15 fights.

[autotag]Alfred Khashakyan[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) earned the first submission victory of his career.

[autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] (2-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) improved to 2-0 since he returned to MMA competition from a nearly 11-year layoff in May.

Daniels has earned both of his career victories by knockout.

[autotag]Jason King[/autotag] (8-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage. He’s suffered all those defeats by knockout.

[autotag]Emilee King[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is on a four-fight winning streak after starting her career 0-4.

[autotag]Ava Knight[/autotag] (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) suffered the first loss of her career.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) improved to 5-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in September 2017.

Pico has earned all of his career victories by knockout.

Pico’s five knockout victories in Bellator featherweight competition are third most in divisional history behind A.J. McKee (six) and Patricio Freire (six).

[autotag]Adel Altamimi[/autotag] (8-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) has suffered six of his seven career losses by stoppage.

Altamimi suffered the first submission loss of his career.

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