Tag: Bellator 238

After leaving UFC for Bellator, Sergio Pettis admits he was ‘stressed the hell out’ for debut

Everything turned out great, though.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] might be considered a veteran at this point, but he’s still experiencing new things in his MMA career.

The 26-year-old Milwaukee native, who’s been fighting professionally for close to a decade, made his Bellator debut on Saturday night after leaving the UFC late last year. Pettis (19-5 MMA, 1-0 Bellator) scored a technical submission win over Alfred Khashakyan on the main card of Bellator 238 at The Forum.

Despite having many fights under his belt, Pettis felt the pressure of expectations that come with switching organizations.

“Honestly, it was stressful,” Pettis told reporters in his post-fight scrum, which MMA Junkie attended. “I was trying to keep it cool the whole time, but I was stressed the hell out, (explicit) nervous, very nervous, whole new setting.

“Even the whole walkout was different. I’m used to having my corner in the back talking me up, and they left to the cage, and I was like, ‘Damn, I’m by myself right now.’ This is so different, but it was fun. It was a cool night, man. I’m very happy.”

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Pettis competed for the UFC from 2013 to 2019. He compiled a record of 9-5 competing at flyweight and bantamweight there. The change from UFC to Bellator marks Pettis’ first switch of major organizations.

Despite it being so stressful, Pettis still sees the experience as a positive.

“It was definitely a lot different than what I was used to,” Pettis said. “I was in the UFC for six years, so things were ran different. Things were a little different, but it was good. Everybody was cool here, everybody was very welcoming and very nice to me, so big shout out to Bellator. Thank you, guys.”

Apart from the obvious change of employers, Pettis; performance on Saturday was notable for other reasons. The Roufusport product got his first finish in seven years.

“I got a highlight, finally,” Pettis said. “It’s been a while. My first finish in, (explicit), 12 fights, so it’s definitely humbling.

“Those fights are fun. I prefer those fights. I think it brings out the better me, having someone trying to hurt me and knock me out makes me, I don’t know, something just came out of me tonight. It was different.”

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Darrion Caldwell focuses on A.J. McKee after quick Bellator 238 win over Adam Borics

Darrion Caldwell is going from one undefeated fighter to another in consecutive rounds of the Bellator featherweight grand prix.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It was as impressive a statement as [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] could have possibly made in the quarterfinal round of the Bellator featherweight grand prix: Not only did he take the zero away from Adam Borics in his loss column, but he ran over him, submitting him with a rear-naked choke in less than half of a round on Saturday night.

But Caldwell’s victory was barely in the books before he turned his attention to yet another undefeated fighter: A.J. McKee, whom Caldwell will face in the tournament’s semifinal round.

“He’s good, he’s (16-0) for a reason,” Caldwell said at the Bellator 238 post-fight news conference at The Forum. “But like I said, I’m the guy that beat him. I’m the guy to beat ‘Pitbull.’ I’m going to be a champ at featherweight in 2020.”

The manner in which Caldwell (14-3 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) earned his victory gave fans plenty of reason to anticipate his eventual showdown with McKee. The former Bellator bantamweight champion shot for the double, immediately improved his position when they hit the ground, and softened Borics up with strikes until the perfect moment arrived.

“My body was right where I wanted it to be,” Caldwell said. “I think I opened him up with the elbows, forced him to give me the neck. So it was prefect; I’m taking those 0’s.”

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While Caldwell is known to be a bit testy heading into his fight, he had kind words for a disconsolate Borics after the latter’s first career loss.

“Adam is a great competitor,” Caldwell said. “14-0 is a hard feat, I didn’t even get to 14-0, so to do that is very difficult. So I just told him what he should really understand and really know this isn’t the end of him, you know? It’s only up from here. He just lost to a champion.”

With that, Caldwell gets back to work. And while Caldwell went nose-to-nose with McKee in a post-fight staredown that saw neither fighter give an inch, Caldwell gives McKee his due.

“It’s the same preparation, you know?” Caldwell asked. “Going in, laying the groundwork down early, and then attack it. He’s human. Everybody is beatable, and I proved that tonight. So at the end of the day, I’m going out there do my business, do my job.

“Who knows? Every fight is different, yeah? You can’t really say his ground is flawed when he just got a slick-ass submission. So for me, it’s just about me. At the end of the day, it’s not about these guy it’s about me.”

For more from Caldwell, watch the video above.

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Aaron Pico stays ‘really, really humbled’ after emphatic Bellator 238 knockout win

With the disappointing 2019 he just endured, Aaron Pico isn’t about to get ahead of himself with callouts and big talk.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – 2019 wasn’t kind to Bellator featherweight [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]. However, 2020 is starting out as a different story.

Ghosts of his back-to-back knockout losses to Henry Corrales and Adam Borics were put to rest when he viciously knocked out Daniel Carey on Saturday at Bellator 238.

The finish at The Forum was one for the highlight reels, with Pico (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) slugging Carey (7-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) early in Round 2 to pick up his first victory since September 2018. Pico credits his gym, Jackson Wink MMA, for the victory.

“The moment feels really good,” Pico told MMA Junkie. “Honestly, I feel really humbled. It was a tough 2019 year, for sure. It was really hard. I said a lot of crazy things. My family heard me out. I was venting a lot. I have to give it up to the coaches as Jackson Wink. They brought me in and put a lot of damn time into me. They were there for me every single day of the week to really help me.

“I have nothing but great things to say about Greg (Jackson), ‘Six Gun’ (Brandon Gibson), coach (Mike) Winkeljohn, Roberto Tussa, and all my training partners. There are a lot of good guys over there at Jackson Wink that help me out. My family. I just feel really, really humbled. I’m very, very happy. I’m happy. That’s all I can say.”

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Despite the emphatic and brutal nature of his return to the win column, Pico wouldn’t call out anyone. According to the 23-year-old fighter, he’s in no position to be calling the shots – at least not at this point in time.

“That’s a good question for Ali Abdelaziz, my manager,” Pico said. “I’m not in the position, honestly. It was a great win for me. It was a great win for my team. But honestly, I’m in no position to be calling people out. I wish I could.

“There’s a lot of people I’d like to fight, but I’ll leave that up to the management and Bellator. Like I said, when I start getting my wins back, I’ll make it known who I want to fight and stuff. Right now, I’m just going to keep chipping away every single day.”

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Emotional Julia Budd: ‘No excuses on my part’ for title loss to Cris Cyborg at Bellator 238

Julia Budd says training, preparation, everything was great until she stepped in the cage with Cris Cyborg.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Prior to Saturday night, [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] was the only women’s featherweight champion Bellator has ever had.

When Budd (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) faced Cris Cyborg in the Bellator 238 headliner, however, that changed. Budd was defeated by strikes in the fourth round, making Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) the second fighter to hold the promotion’s 145-pound title.

Despite the loss, Budd received credit for her toughness and gameness inside the cage. She hung tough with Cyborg into the championship rounds. However, there are no moral victories for Budd.

“No, not really,” Budd told MMA Junkie at the post-event news conference. “It doesn’t feel like it tonight. It’s not how I expected it to go down. I made some mistakes, and I plan on coming back stronger.”

“… There were things in my gameplan that didn’t go accordingly. I wasn’t supposed to have my back on the cage. That was a key part of this training camp. My training camp was amazing, so there’s no excuses on my part.”

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Cyborg is one of the most notable and successful female fighters in MMA history. It’s likely more eyeballs were on this fight than any of Budd’s previous Bellator appearances. That said, Budd doesn’t think the magnitude of the moment led to her demise.

“I can’t blame it on that,” Budd said. “It was just not my night in there. She’s a warrior. She’s the champ for a reason. I’ll be back.”

Budd, 36, defended the belt three times after winning it in March 2017. Having had a string of consecutive title defenses, Budd isn’t ruling out the possibility of an immediate rematch against the Brazilian.

“It’s up to Bellator what they want to do, but yeah,” Budd said. “Pretty much. As soon as I got out of there, I was so upset. There are so many things I could have done better tonight.”

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Cris Cyborg reflects on historic fourth major championship won at Bellator 238: ‘I feel blessed’

After making MMA history, Cris Cyborg took a little time to reflect on what she’s achieved in the sport.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In case you haven’t noticed through the years, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] never has been one to brag or boast. Over the course of a 20-fight winning streak during which she won three major championships, she was quite content to let others sing her praises.

On Saturday night, Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) made history when she defeated Julia Budd by fourth-round TKO in the main event of Bellator 238 at The Forum to capture the company’s featherweight title.

The Bellator belt was added to a career trophy case that also includes belts in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and the UFC. And while Cyborg is still not one to boast, she was willing to allow that she has left an indelible impact on the sport.

“I was never thinking this is going to happen,” Cyborg told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the Bellator 238 post-fight news conference. “When I start, I have a dream. I have a dream I want to do my best. One thing I have in my heart, I want to prove that girls can fight like the guys. We can be violent, we can be technical, you can make the people like you and watch your fights. … I’m thankful. I feel blessed I have the opportunity to hold four titles.”

Cyborg, who said she broke her nose two weeks before the fight, went through why each championship had meaning.

The Strikeforce belt was won over Gina Carano in 2009 in the first major MMA event headlined by a women’s fight. The Invicta title came during a trying time in her career. The UFC belt, despite all her acrimony with the company, represented a victory because it established her weight class in the promotion.

“I think every belt is something special for me,” Cyborg said. “First one, Strikeforce, is the first featherweight division, (Bellator president) Scott Coker makes 145 pounds. Invicta, I came from a hard time in my career and everyone saying, ‘She needs to prove (herself), she needs to prove,’ and they come, and I fight for the Invicta belt.

“And UFC, we make the difference. We make history. I have my division there; they never wanted to have me there. My fans put me there. I cut weight two times for 140. I almost killed myself, but we make the history. Now they have that. And now Bellator.”

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Cyborg wasn’t ready to call her next shot after her victory, saying she was content to let Coker handle things from there. For now. she’s going to take a little time to appreciate the moment.

“Sometimes you do something nice for the people, and I’m going to change them forever,” Cyborg said. “That means the most to me. To hold the belt as a symbol is nice. People love it, and I love it a lot different, but for me is just a symbol.”

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Bellator 238 results: Cris Cyborg finishes Julia Budd, captures fourth promotional title

Cris Cyborg has now held titles in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC, and Bellator after defeating Julia Budd for the latter belt Saturday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. –[autotag] Cris Cyborg[/autotag] is now the first fighter, regardless of gender, to win major hampionships in in four different promotions in modern MMA history.

In her Bellator debut Saturday night, Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) added the company’s women’s featherweight crown to a career list of accomplishments which included Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and the UFC.

Cyborg gradually wore down a tough Julia Budd before finishing things with a tremendous finishing flurry in the fourth round during the main event of Bellator 238, capturing the title via TKO at 1:14 of the fourth round.

The tone was set in the opening round. Cyborg pushed the pace, throwing elbows, punches, and everything but the kitchen sink at her foe. The underrated Budd, for her part, was game for a battle. She did her best to neutralize Cyborg in the clinch and got her share of strikes in when they traded in the pocket.

Cyborg slipped throwing a head kick in the first round, and Budd did her best to capitalize, but she ended up throwing an illegal knee to the downed Cyborg, which drew a warning from referee Mike Beltran.

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Things continued apace in the second, as Cyborg mixed shots to the head and body, closed the distance when she landed, and did her best to finish the fight, but Budd was always able to either clinch, cover up, or scramble to safety.

In the third, though, it started to become obvious Budd was slowing, and Cyborg was still going strong. A wicked calf kick thrown by Cyborg accentuated the disparity, and a big ground-and-pound flurry at the horn didn’t portend well for Budd going forward.

Cyborg wasted little time in the fourth. She pushed forward with a vintage Cyborg flurry, and finally finished things with a hellacious body kick that dropped Budd to the mat.

The victory was Cyborg’s second in a row, and 17th career KO/TKO win. Budd, who was the inaugural women’s 145-pound champion and held the title for three years, had an 11-fight win streak snapped.

The women’s featherweight title fight was the Bellator 238 main event at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 238 results include:

  • Brandon Bender def. Joshua Jones via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
  • Aaron Pico def. Daniel Carey via KO (punch) — Round 2, 0:15
  • AJ Agazarm def. Adel Altamimi via submission (triangle choke) — Round 3, 1:22
  • Mario Navarro vs. Jay Jay Wilson def. Navarro via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 2:48
  • Curtis Millender def. Moses Murrietta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Chris Avila def. Anthony Taylor via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Miguel Jacob def. David Pacheco via unanimous decision (30-27. 30-26, 30-27)

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Twitter reacts to Cris Cyborg’s title-winning TKO of Julia Budd at Bellator 238

See the top Twitter reactions to Cris Cyborg’s title win over Julia Budd in the Bellator 238 main event.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] became just the second women’s featherweight champion in Bellator history on Saturday when she dethroned [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] of the title in the Bellator 238 headliner.

In her promotional debut, Cyborg (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) added Bellator’s belt to her collection alongside UFC, Invicta FC and Strikeforce titles. She did it with a fourth-round TKO victory over Budd (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) in the DAZN-streamed main event, which took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Cyborg’s victory over Budd at Bellator 238.

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Bellator 238 results: Darrion Caldwell submits Adam Borics, advances in grand prix

Darrion Caldwell will meet A.J. McKee in the semifinal of the Bellator featherweight grand prix after finishing Adam Borics.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A former Bellator bantamweight champion is halfway to featherweight glory.

[autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] booked his trip to the Bellator featherweight Grand Prix final four Saturday night with a swift and impressive victory over previously undefeated Adam Borics in the co-feature bout of Bellator 238.

A tapout by way of rear-naked choke ended the tournament quarterfinal bout at just 2:20 of the opening round.

Caldwell (14-3 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) shot for a double-leg takedown after an early exchange. Borics (14-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) tried to turn it into a guillotine choke. Caldwell shook it off when they hit the mat, then did an expert job improving his position. He landed strikes as Borics tried to get back to his feet, then seized the opening for the perfectly applied rear-naked choke for the finish.

“This was my night, this is my tournament,” Caldwell said after his eighth career victory via finish.

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Caldwell will face undefeated A.J. McKee in the semifinal round, date and location TBD. The duo had a nose-to-nose staredown in the cage after the bout.

The featherweight tournament quarterfinal bout was the Bellator 238 co-main event at The Forum. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 238 results include:

  • Brandon Bender def. Joshua Jones via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)
  • Aaron Pico def. Daniel Carey via KO (punch) — Round 2, 0:15
  • AJ Agazarm def. Adel Altamimi via submission (triangle choke) — Round 3, 1:22
  • Mario Navarro vs. Jay Jay Wilson def. Navarro via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 2:48
  • Curtis Millender def. Moses Murrietta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Chris Avila def. Anthony Taylor via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Miguel Jacob def. David Pacheco via unanimous decision (30-27. 30-26, 30-27)

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Twitter reacts to Darrion Caldwell’s submission of Adam Borics at Bellator 238

See the top Twitter reactions to Darrion Caldwell’s submission of Adam Borics in the Bellator 238 co-main event.

Darrion Caldwell advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator featherweight grand prix on Saturday when he defeated Adam Borics at Bellator 238.

Caldwell (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) needed just over two minutes to secure a fight-ending choke on Borics (14-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) in the DAZN-streamed bout, which took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. With the win, “The Wolf” moves to the final-four of the $1 million tournament where he will beat another unbeaten fighter in A.J. McKee.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Caldwell’s victory over Borics at Bellator 238.

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