Tag: Bellator 242

Jason Jackson says key to Jordan Mein victory at Bellator 242 was to ‘have fun, smile’

Jason Jackson didn’t take things too seriously going into Bellator 242, and it paid off in the cage.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] made a statement Friday night.

The Bellator welterweight fighter picked up a dominant decision win over former UFC fighter Jordan Mein in the co-main event of Bellator 242 in Uncasville, Conn. It was a big moment for Jackson (12-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in his MMA career, as it was the highest placement he’s ever had on a card throughout his Bellator run and arguably the biggest name he’s defeated.

Although there was a lot at stake for Jackson, the Jamaican fighter made sure to not take things too seriously entering the bout.

“The key was have fun, smile and don’t have bad energy,” Jackson told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the post-fight press conference. “It’s not really about the opponent, it’s about me putting on a performance and improve from my last (fight), so that’s what I did tonight.

“I still have some stuff to work on and that’s what I’m going to do – go back to the drawing board. Hopefully, in two weeks if somebody falls out the card August 7, I’m willing and able (to step in). I took no damage tonight, so Bellator pay close attention to that.”

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From a technical standpoint, there was plenty to highlight from Jackson’s performance. The 29-year-old had success using leg kicks, which came courtesy from a couple of UFC contenders.

“Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque,” Jackson said. “Those guys fight in the UFC, they’re top of the chain. Every single time I spar against them, they use that move and I’m like, ‘Why shouldn’t I use that in my arsenal? They take stuff from me, so I’m going to take stuff form them,’ and it paid a lot of dividends tonight. Thanks, Vicente. Thank you, Gilbert Burns.”

Jackson is now 5-1 in his past six and he’s currently on a two-fight winning streak. He hopes to continue adding to that run in hopes of getting a hold of a Bellator belt and a home for his family.

“My goal this year was to win that belt, ” Jackson explained. “I know nobody is going to believe me until I do it, but the pandemic kind of slowed everything down, so it kind of pushed the plan back to next year or if the opportunity comes up because I know the champ takes on any challenge any time, so I’m looking forward to that if the opportunity presents itself. And now I can buy my kids and myself a home, that’s my plan. So that’s my next step in becoming a man in this society: you have to have a home, you have to have a wife, and you have to be doing good with everybody.”

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Bellator 242: Jay Jay Wilson confident in split decision win, weight cuts going forward

Jay Jay Wilson thinks the judges got it right and that his mistake on the scales won’t happen again.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Jay Jay Wilson[/autotag] won in the cage at Bellator 242 despite missing weight the previous morning.

The New Zealand-born featherweight up-and-comer notched arguably the biggest victory of his career when he defeated Tywan Claxton on Friday’s main card at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Even though he notched the split-decision win, Wilson (6-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) didn’t praise his performance for long before he addressed his pre-fight issue on the scale.

“Originally, I missed weight,” Wilson told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference. “I tried my best to make the weight. I apologize for missing weight. It was very unprofessional. (During) the weigh-ins, he tried to get in my face and tried to get in my head about me missing weight. I just flipped it on him. We had some back-and-forth banter. Then when I got in the cage, after the fight, I just apologized to him for being unprofessional about it.”

Wilson, 22, has never missed weight before as a professional. He apologized numerous times for the blunder and attributed it to his time away from fighting. Additionally, he voiced no concerns about fighting at featherweight going forward.

“I 100 percent feel comfortable at this weight,” Wilson said. “The problem was that I was competing in jiu-jitsu. I didn’t know when fighting was coming back. I was competing at 185 in jiu-jitsu and weighing in at 165-168. I was just eating as much as I (could) because that was the only (thing) I could do – jiu-jitsu. That was the reason I came in a little heavy. Now that fights are back, I’m back in camp, and eating healthy, my weight will be down, ready for 145.”

The fight was closely contested for three straight rounds. While Claxton was in control for much of the fight, Wilson was offensive from a usually defensive position. The scorecards were all over the board, read 27-30, 29-28, 30-27 in favor of Wilson.

“At first, I wasn’t sure how the judges were looking at it,” Wilson said. “If they were looking at who was more active, I knew I was going to take it because I was looking (at it like), every single time he walked back, I swung. I wanted to fight. He’d just get me against the cage. I couldn’t manage to slip him off. I was looking for options the whole time. I was just thinking, ‘How did the judges look at the scoreboard.'”

Bellator 242 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. The main card simulcasted on Paramount Network and DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Aaron Pico maturing, but vows ‘I’m not going to lose my killer instinct’

Aaron Pico showed smarts and patience in his Bellator 242 win over Solo Hatley Jr. But he admits he still gets a rush out of knockouts.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — A patient [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] showed veteran poise Friday night, as he executed his game plan to perfection in a first-round victory over [autotag]Solo Hatley Jr.[/autotag]

Pico (6-3 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) scored a quick takedown, improved his position, and maneuvered his way into a submission finish at just 2:10 in their Bellator 242 main-card opener.

It was as if he was looking to answer critics who have seen him rush into mistakes during his losses.

But make no mistake: While Pico, who has been re-learning the game at Jackson Wink MMA, wants to continue working on all aspect of his game, he hasn’t lost his love for the knockout.

“I think it’s just staying patient, because the times that I’ve gotten in trouble are when I’ve been so fixated on the knockout rather than letting the fight come to me,” Pico told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the Bellator 242 post-fight press conference. “I’m not going to lose my killer instinct to knock people out. I’m not going to lose that. I’ll never lose that.”

Rather, it’s a matter of putting all the pieces together, as he so aptly demonstrated against Hatley (8-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA).

“It’s just a matter of timing,” Pico said. “I have to be patient, work on my wrestling, my takedowns, implement all my skills, and the knockout will come. Make no mistake, my killer instinct is always going to be there.”

The victory is Pico’s second in a row. But the 23-year old Los Angeles native has enough of a feel for this sport now to understand he can’t let it get to his head. After all, he once road a four-fight win streak, and just as it seemed he was on the verge of a major breakthrough, he suffered consecutive stoppage losses to Henry Corrales and Adam Borics.

“I’ve been on a four-fight win streak before and then I fought some very, very tough guys,” Pico said. “I just know that I, I love this sport, and I really had to pick myself out of a deep hole with all the expectations on me.

“To wake up the next morning after being knocked out for your second loss in front of millions of people, it’s very, very, Some days I didn’t want to get up, but you need to eat. There’s no sense of quitting now. There’s going to be bumps in the road. There’s going to be losses in life regardless.”

Bellator 242 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

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Sergio Pettis chirps James Gallagher after Bellator 242 win: ‘That’s how you do it’

Sergio Pettis believes he sent a message to James Gallagher with his performance in the Bellator 242 main event.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] believes he sent a message to [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] with his performance in the Bellator 242 main event.

Pettis (20-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) stayed unbeaten to start his Bellator career on Friday when he outpointed Ricky Bandejas (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) over three rounds to win a unanimous decision at Mohegan Sun Arena. The fight was touted as a title eliminator in the bantamweight division.

Bandejas is, of course, the only person to have beaten Gallagher (10-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) in MMA, handing he brash Irishman a highlight-reel knockout at Bellator 204 in August 2018. Pettis said he wasn’t going to fall victim to the same outcome, even if it wasn’t the most thrilling contest.

“I don’t know if it was a statement for a title shot,” Pettis told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at Bellator 242. “I think it was just another good win on my resume. I beat a tough Ricky Bandejas. I showed Gallagher that’s how you do it, though. That’s how you defend yourself. Those punches and those kicks, if you learn defense, you can block that (expletive).”

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Pettis said his verbal jab at Gallagher doesn’t mean he’s looking for that fight immediately. He believes the criticism toward Gallagher’s level of competition throughout his career is warranted, and pointed to the loss against Bandejas as evidence of what happens when he fights a legitimate talent.

It appears Pettis is trending toward a title shot against the winner of Juan Archuleta and Patrick Mix, who are expected to fight for the vacant 135-pound title this year. If Gallagher wins a few fights in the meantime, though, Pettis said he’d welcome it.

“He’s got to work his way up to get me,” Pettis said. “He’s got a couple more wins under his belt and beat some notable guys. If he can beat Ricky Bandejas then he deserves to fight me, no matter how many followers you got on Instagram.”

Pettis largely had his way with Bandejas over the course of their three-round fight. He used superior striking to win every round on all three scorecards, but it wasn’t entirely satisfying. Pettis has earned 10 of his past 11 wins by decision, and said it’s a goal to start putting opponents away more consistently.

“I’m critical of my own performance,” Pettis said. “Obviously I want to start finishing people more and more. Ricky was tough, man, so I had to play a smarter game plan and I went out there and did what I had to do, but there’s more to come.”

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Bellator 242 results: Sergio Pettis earns one-sided decision over Ricky Bandejas

Sergio Pettis put himself in position for a bantamweight title shot with a commanding performance at Bellator 242.

[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] has been in the public eye since he debuted in the UFC at age 20, billed as a real prospect as the little brother of Anthony Pettis.

Seven years later, Pettis (20-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has matured into a championship contender. A poised and comfortable Pettis cruised to victory in his first Bellator main event on Friday night, earning a unanimous decision over [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] in the featured bout of Bellator 242. The judges’ scores were 30-27 across the board.

With the victory, Pettis is expected to get the winner of an upcoming fight between Juan Archuleta and Patchy Mix to fill the company’s vacant bantamweight title, which will be held at a date and location to be determined.

Pettis implemented his game plan from the outset. He stalked down Bandejas (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA), cut off his angles, and peppered Bandejas was a solid mix of punches and kicks.

This routine repeated in the second round. Pettis’ punishing low kicks began to add up, as Bandejas’ lead leg noticeably swelled up and affected his timing. Bandejas was never able to sustain any offensive momentum, with Pettis using deft footwork to dodge the rare occasions Bandejas pushed forward.

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In the third, Bandejas seemed to sense he was down on the scorecards. He landed more often than in the first two rounds, but despite that, never came close to turning the tide, as Pettis otherwise stuck to the game plan and shut things down.

The victory, Pettis’ third in a row, was his 13th career decision win. Bandejas had a two-fight win streak snapped and has dropped three of his past five.

The bantamweight fight was the main event of Bellator 242, which took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

Complete Bellator 242 results:

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Bellator 242 results: Jason Jackson stifles debuting Jordan Mein to win decision

Jason Jackson gave Jordan Mein a rude welcome to his new promotion with a dominant win at Bellator 242.

[autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] put a notable win on his resume Friday at Bellator 242 when he routed UFC and Strikeforce veteran [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag] for three rounds.

Jackson (12-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) gave Mein (31-13 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) a rude welcome to Bellator with a dominant performance. His striking was more effective and he was a step ahead grappling both offensively and defensively throughout. At the end of 15 minutes, the result was a unanimous decision victory with 30-27 scores from all three judges.

The welterweight fight was the co-feature bout of Bellator 242, which took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

Mein came out fighting aggressively. He whipped multiple kicks in Jackson’s direction and attempt to pressure with volume striking. Jackson had the answer, though, and got his respect back by tagging Mein with strikes to the head. Jackson’s confidence built, and he captured momentum after five minutes.

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Jackson picked up where he left off in the second round. He threw more often than Mein, who was getting visibly frustrated with his inability to get off. Jackson kept the Canadian on his toes, too, landing low calf kicks and even mixing in a takedown and doing a little work from top control.

In desperate need to make something happen in the final frame, Mein came out throwing stepping elbows and other strikes. When that failed to land, he went for a takedown in hopes of establishing ground control. Jackson stopped that, as well, before landing a hard right hand that dropped Mein to the canvas. Mein survived, but the book was closed on the contes. Jackson rode out the final minutes on top after stopping a takedown, closing out a clean night’s work.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 242 results:

  • Jason Jackson def. Jordan Mein via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Jay Jay Wilson def. Tywan Claxton via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Aaron Pico def. Solo Hatley Jr. via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:10
  • Mark Lemminger def. Jake Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:46
  • Raufeon Stots def. Cass Bell via submission (rear-naked choke – Round 3, 1:24
  • Ras Hylton def. Rudy Schaffroth via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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