Bellator 244 – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Ryan Bader on board if ex-UFC standout Corey Anderson gets title shot in Bellator debut

Ryan Bader is no hypocrite. He got a title shot in his Bellator debut, so he thinks it’s fair if Corey Anderson gets one, too.

[autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] is no hypocrite. He got a title shot in his Bellator debut, so it would be hard for him to say recent signee [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] shouldn’t get one, too.

Bader (27-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), who currently holds the Bellator heavyweight and light heavyweight titles, is set to defend his 205-pound belt against Vadim Nemkov (11-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the UFC 244 main event, which takes place Aug. 21 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. After that, there’s no clear contender in the division.

Although he can pinpoint a few potential options, no one out there has the current relevance of Anderson (13-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who recently signed with Bellator after a 14-fight UFC stint and is the No. 6-ranked fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA light heavyweight rankings. No. 3 Bader was thrilled to see “Overtime” join the Bellator team and bring some much-needed depth to the division.

“I was happy for Corey. I’ve trained with him before, and it’s a great pickup for Bellator,” Bader told MMA Junkie. “The 205-pound division needs some talent, and he’s a top five guy in the world. That’s a huge pickup, and there’s a couple guys that I was looking at in 205 – one being (Lyoto) Machida after this fight. Then Corey Anderson is right there, too. I assume he’ll fight and then potentially be next in line for a title. I’m looking forward to that.”

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Bellator has yet to announce its plans for Anderson’s debut. Bader said he assumes Anderson will get at least one fight before they are matched up, but also wouldn’t be opposed to putting that contest together right away.

When Bader joined the Bellator roster in June 2017, his debut came against then-champ Phil Davis. They had a history since Bader beat Davis when they were both under the UFC banner. However, he got next to no complaints about being positioned in that spot, and he managed to take the strap.

Bader doesn’t have that past experience in the cage with Anderson, but he still sees him as a worthy candidate. If the Bellator brass opts to give Anderson a title shot right away, Bader said he would offer no complaints.

“It doesn’t really matter,” Bader said. “I stepped in and had a title fight first fight because my opponent got hurt, so I got to step right in for the title. He’s deserving, so I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

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Mike Kimbel vs. Chaka Worthy added to Bellator 244 lineup in Connecticut

Once again, Mike Kimbel will fight in his home state.

Fighting in Connecticut is nothing new for Bellator up-and-comer [autotag]Mike Kimbel[/autotag] – and he’ll be doing it again.

Kimbel (3-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) will return to action for the first time since August 2019, when he takes on [autotag]Chaka Worthy[/autotag] in a 140-pound catchweight bout Aug. 21 at Bellator 244 from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville..

On Tuesday, a promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking.

Kimbel, 23, has alternated wins and losses since his 2-0 start in Bellator. In his most recent fight, which took place almost a year ago, Kimbel was finished via strikes in Round 1 by Chris Disonell at Bellator 225.

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Worthy (3-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), brother of UFC lightweight Khama Worthy, has alternated wins and losses since his professional debut. However, he was won two out of his last three fights, most recently defeating Walter Flores by knockout at Stout Fights.

With the addition, the Bellator 244 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

Champ Ryan Bader vs. Vadim Nemkov – for light heavyweight title
Julia Budd vs. Jessy Miele
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Roy Nelson

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

Andrew Kapel vs. John Salter
Sidney Outlaw vs. Adam Piccolotti
Josh Hill vs. Erik Perez
Lucas Brennan vs. Will Smith
Chris Gonzalez vs. Vladimir Tokov
Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Shane Kruchten
Weber Almeida vs. Salim Mukhidinov
Mike Kimbel vs. Chaka Worthy

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Budd vs. Miele, Moldavsky vs. Nelson, five prelims added to Bellator 244 lineup

The lineup for Bellator 244 got a big boost with the addition of a pair of fights to the main card and another handful for the prelims.

The lineup for Bellator 244 later this month got a big boost with the addition of a pair of fights to the main card and another handful for the prelims.

Of note, former women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) is set to take on [autotag]Jessy Miele[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Roy Nelson[/autotag] (23-18 MMA, 1-4 BMMA) will meet [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) at heavyweight.

Bellator 244 takes place Aug. 22 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZNN following prelims on MMA Junkie. Dual champion Ryan Bader defends his light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov in the main event.

Budd will try to get back on track after she lost her 145-pound title to Cris Cyborg in January at Bellator 238. That loss snapped an 11-fight winning streak, including her first seven for Bellator. She won four straight title fights and defended the belt three times before her loss to Cyborg, which was her first since she was submitted by Ronda Rousey in Strikeforce in 2011.

Miele made her promotional debut in October 2019 with a split decision over Talita Nogueira at Bellator 231. That was her fourth straight win and third straight after returning in January 2019 after a two-year layoff.

Nelson won his promotional debut against Javy Ayala at Bellator 183 in September 2017 after a lengthy run in the UFC. But since then, he has dropped four straight to Matt Mitrione, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Cro Cop and Frank Mir.

Moldavsky picked up his fourth straight win since signing with Bellator. He dropped the first fight of his career in Rizin in December 2016. But with Bellator, he has wins over Carl Seumanutafa, Ernest James, Linton Vassell and Ayala.

The Bellator 244 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

Champ Ryan Bader vs. Vadim Nemkov – for light heavyweight title
Julia Budd vs. Jessy Miele
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Roy Nelson

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

Andrew Kapel vs. John Salter
Sidney Outlaw vs. Adam Piccolotti
Josh Hill vs. Erik Perez
Lucas Brennan vs. Will Smith
Chris Gonzalez vs. Vladimir Tokov
Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Shane Kruchten

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Bellator 244 postponed as coronavirus pandemic grows

Bellator continues to err on the side of caution during the global coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the promotion announced that Bellator 244, scheduled for June 6 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, has been postponed.

“The organization will continue to monitor the situation closely and fully intends to reschedule (Bellator 244) as soon as possible,” Bellator said in a statement. “As always, the health and safety of our athletes, fans, partners and staff remains our top priority. We appreciate the understanding and patience of everyone involved during this incredibly difficult time.”

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The move falls in line with a previous decision by Bellator to postpone all three events in May. Bellator 244 marks the fifth event the promotion has lost because of the pandemic, including Bellator 241 in March.

Bellator 244 was set to be headlined by a lightweight rematch between former champion Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson. A featherweight grand prix semifinal between Darrion Caldwell and A.J. McKee also was on tap.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the total number of documented COVID-19 cases in the U.S. was nearing 806,000, resulting in more than 44,000 deaths.

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A.J. McKee doesn’t see Patricio Freire advancing to Bellator featherweight grand prix final

Make no mistake that A.J. McKee wants to fight “Pitbull,” he just doesn’t see it happening in Bellator’s current featherweight grand prix.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] doesn’t think Bellator dual champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] will see his way to the final of the promotion’s current featherweight grand prix.

The unbeaten featherweight contender sees upsets going down on the opposite side of the tournament bracket. “Pitbull,” who holds both the Bellator lightweight and featherweight titles, was supposed to fight Pedro Carvalho earlier this month at Bellator 241 in a quarterfinal bout, but the fight was postponed due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the U.S.

Also on that same card, Daniel Weichel and Emmanuel Sanchez composed the second quarterfinal bout left in the tournament. The winner of the bout would be matched up against the winner of Freire-Carvalho.

Although McKee (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) wants to get his hands on the current champ-champ, the 24-year-old doesn’t think that will happen in the tournament.

“I’ve wanted to fight ‘Pitbull’ since my first fight in Bellator; I’ve been calling his name, (but) I actually don’t think it’s going to be him,” McKee told MMA Junkie. “I really don’t. So I dreamt that I fought Georgi Karakhanyan, and I didn’t know how the fight (would go). Obviously, now seeing how things played out, I know how the fight went. I’ve also dreamt myself fighting Emmanuel Sanchez. (I dreamt) I took Emmanuel Sanchez out. That fight was supposed to happen, I think like (my) seventh or eighth fight, but he pulled out. His coach told him, ‘Don’t do it.’ I mean, hey, at this point I don’t really care. It’s two, two more fights for me. I’m going 4-0, all finishes.”

The way McKee sees things playing out, underdog Sanchez will make it to the final.

“Sanchez, yeah,” McKee said. “I watched (his first fight vs. ‘Pitbull’), and their first fight was pretty close. It was back and forth. Sanchez puts out a high pace, a lot of volume, so that’s something a power puncher doesn’t like, you know? Power punchers like to get in and get out.”

McKee is currently scheduled to fight June 6 at Bellator 244 against former champion Darrion Caldwell in a semifinal. It’s still uncertain if the fight will be postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Whenever it takes place, McKee sees himself getting past Caldwell and facing Sanchez in the final. And despite thinking Freire will get knocked out of the tournament, McKee believes the two will eventually meet.

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“I honestly would like to completely have ran through the entire division,” McKee said. “So I would like to fight Sanchez, get him out the way. Get ‘Pitbull’ out the way. He still has that 155-pound title, so he can heal up a little bit, and then I’ll come for that right after.”

That’s right – McKee could become a two-division champion, as well, and he is confident he’ll eventually make a move to the lightweight division.

“I actually had plans to move up before the tournament,” McKee said. “So after I fought Pat Curran, I was going to get a title shot. (Former teammate Aaron Pico) was going to be in the tournament, and I was going to go up to 155, but things changed. So, yeah, here I am in the tournament.”

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Benson Henderson looking to put Michael Chandler away: His chin is not the same

Benson Henderson doesn’t plan on leaving things in the hands of the judges this time around against Michael Chandler.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] doesn’t plan on leaving things in the hands of the judges this time around.

Henderson (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) rematches [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) at Bellator 244 on June 6 in Chicago in a title eliminator bout, looking to avenge his loss from over three years ago, when he was narrowly defeated by then-Bellator lightweight champion Chandler.

The two were originally scheduled to rematch in December, but an injury forced Henderson out, the first time in the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion’s 14-year career he withdrew from a fight.

Henderson revealed that he actually went into his first fight with Chandler carrying a series of injuries, so he vowed not to make the same mistake again, opting to pull out, and have the fight rescheduled for a later date.

“My last fight against Chandler, I fought with a torn ACL,” Henderson told MMA Junkie. “I had a torn ACL, torn MCL, two torn meniscus and I still decided to fight anyways. Probably not the best decision. So for this one, I was like ‘yeah, maybe I should be healthy.’ You’re never like one-hundred percent, you always have nicks and bruises but fighting with a torn ACL, fighting with a broken bone, probably wouldn’t have been a smart thing to do.”

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Their first fight was close, as Henderson suffered a split-decision loss. But this time, he thinks battle-tested Chandler won’t be as durable, and he’ll look to capitalize.

“Chandler, he can get it as many times as he wants to,” Henderson said. “If he wants to fight 10 times, that’s no problem but I’m going to win nine of those 10 times. He got the first one, they gave it to him as a split decision. The next nine, I’ll be putting him away. I’ll be finishing him, looking for submissions, looking for the knockout. His chin’s not the same as it was earlier in his career.

“Earlier in his career, he was known as throwing hard, and having a good chin and this and that. Now he doesn’t throw quite as hard. Now his chin is a little more suspect and he relies on his wrestling a lot more in his later fights and I don’t think he’ll be able to rely on that against me, outwrestling me in our next fight.”

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Darrion Caldwell warns A.J. McKee about levels before Bellator 244: ‘It’s a different story’ fighting me

“He’s going to go in there and beat up all the white boys, then when he fights somebody real, like he’s about to, it’s a different story.”

NEW YORK – [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] is primed and ready to face [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] at Bellator 244, but the former bantamweight champion says he’s not sure McKee is quite as keen as he is for the matchup.

McKee (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) underweight surgery in January to repair knee ligament damage sustained in his quarterfinal win over Derek Campos, but Caldwell (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) isn’t convinced the undefeated contender is as badly injured as he’d have him believe.

“Not at all,” Caldwell told MMA Junkie following the Bellator 2020 showcase press conference. “I feel like A.J.’s a slick dude, and he’s trying to sandbag it and take me off my game. But I will be ready June 6 to put hands on you, and elbows and knees. I don’t think that injury is any bit real at all. Fake news.”

Despite the fact there’s still three months to go until they throw down inside the Bellator cage, “The Wolf” already seemed to have his game face on as he discussed the potential dynamics of the matchup.

“In all honesty, what’s his gameplan?” Caldwell asked. “To knock me out, he said? I think that’s a tough task to accomplish as I don’t really get hit, you know? It’s not something (where) I go in there and just take punches and take damage. So I think he’s going to run into a situation where he’s looking for one thing, and he’s not going to get it.”

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Caldwell is back in a groove after losing back-to-back fights to Kyoji Horiguchi as he lost his bantamweight title, then fell short in his tilt at the Rizin equivalent in successive outings. The two losses prompted a change of plan as Caldwell returned to Pinnacle Mixed Martial Arts, where he believes he’s found his mojo again.

“I feel like I kinda just plateaued, you know?” Caldwell said. “Whenever you’re not getting any better, it’s important to make adjustments and improve where you need improvement, and that’s what I did. These last two fights I changed camps, I got back with Jake Behney up there at Pinnacle, and we just hit the ground running. Two fights jumping into this tournament, coming off two straight losses. A loss doesn’t define me, (and) a win doesn’t define me, either. But this million dollars is everything to me, so I’m coming in guns a-blazing. I’m ready to take what’s mine.”

During his time as bantamweight champ, Caldwell viewed himself as the man nobody wanted to fight, citing his bid to move up and challenge Patricio Freire for the featherweight title as an example of how top fighters preferred to avoid him. But now, as part of a tournament structure, the 32-year-old says he’s in the perfect situation to face the best. That, he said, makes him a happy man.

Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 238. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)

“I’m about to be a Bellator featherweight tournament winner,” Caldwell said. “I get to beat guys with no losses on their record, like I just did (against Adam Borics in the quarterfinals) – and like I’m about to do. Then I get to fight the guy who’s been talking for two years. Since I’ve been a champion at ’35, he’s been talking. But he didn’t want to sign the paper for me to come up and fight him.

“I think this is a stylistic thing. The tournament style fits wrestlers, (and) I’m a wrestler. I’ve done this a million times; there’s no difference. I see a bracket, and I see my name as a champion, and that’s how it’s going to be. Facts.”

As for the matchup with McKee, Caldwell said the undefeated prospect will come up against the most athletic opponent of his career, with the former 135-pound champion warning that facing him represents a test levels above those “The Mercenary” has faced before.

“He ain’t faced color. He ain’t faced me,” he said. “I’ve seen him when he fought somebody athletic. He’s just not the same. He’s going to go in there and beat up all the white boys, then when he fights somebody real, like he’s about to, it’s a different story. That’s ultimately what it boils down to. I’m a different beast, and that’s going to show on June 6.”

To hear more from Caldwell, watch the video above.

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Michael Chandler: Benson Henderson not most talented fighter, but he’s hard to beat

Michael Chandler doesn’t go the distance often, but he knows he’s in for another battle when he rematches Benson Henderson.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] doesn’t go the distance often, but he knows he’s in for another battle when he rematches [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag].

Former three-time Bellator lightweight champion Chandler (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) first faced Henderson (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) over three years ago, edging him out in a back-and-forth battle to retain his title.

The two will run it back in the main event of Bellator 244 on June 6 in Chicago in a title eliminator bout. They were originally scheduled to meet this past December, but an injury forced Henderson out, and Chandler faced Sidney Outlaw instead, knocking him out in the first round.

With another win under his belt, the stakes are higher for Chandler, who looks to get yet another opportunity at the title with a win – but it’s a position with which he’s certainly familiar.

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“This is a fight that needed to happen,” Chandler told MMA Junkie. “The lightweight division isn’t the deepest at Bellator, so two of the top guys going at it. They were talking about it being a title eliminator – whoever wins this is going to fight for the title – and that’s kind of where I’ve been at my whole career. As soon as I beat Eddie Alvarez, I was fighting for the title or to get to that title.”

Former UFC and WEC lightweight champ Henderson has proven to be a hard out for many opponents with his cardio and toughness, having gone the distance in over half of his fights.

And for Chandler, who boasts a 75 percent finishing rate, he thinks the fight being three rounds this time plays in his favor.

“This fight poses some great threats,” Chandler said. “Benson Henderson is a hard guy – he’s not the most talented fighter, but he’s a hard guy to beat. He’s not an easy guy to beat, you’ve got to put a pace on him, you’ve got to put a gameplan on him. This three-round fight lends it’s hand more than a five-round fight would and I’m excited to – this fight is easier for me because I can put my foot on the gas for 15 minutes and put it on him and give the fans what they want and hopefully fight for the title later on this year.”

Having already competed with Henderson for 25 minutes, Chandler said he will look to approach things slightly different this time around. Instead of chasing the finish, he insists he’ll let it come naturally.

“I also know, chances of me finishing him, in my mind the way I’m approaching it, are a lot less than I fought the first fight,” Chandler said. “The first fight, I thought I was going to go out there and finish him, so you saw how I fought the first round, second round, third, fourth, fifth round. This fight, I’m going to put on a good pace, a good methodical pace. Still violent, still deadly like I always am, bite down on my mouth piece and throw techniques with ill-intent but not looking for that knockout shot – looking to really just break him.”

Bellator 244 takes place at Wintrust Arena. The night’s main card streams on DAZN.

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Bellator showcase faceoffs: Champs, headliners, tournament fighters square up in New York

Check out the faceoffs from some of the biggest upcoming fights on the Bellator schedule, including Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima.

NEW YORK – Bellator hosted a news conference Monday to promote the biggest bouts on its upcoming schedule, and at the end of it the fighters got face to face.

Fourteen athletes from future championship, main event and featherweight grand prix tournament bouts were in attendance, including the headliners from Friday’s Bellator 241 event, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag].

In addition, a number of others got a chance to go toe-to-toe, including: [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (Bellator 241 on March 13), [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (Bellator 242 on May 9), [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (Bellator 242), [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] (Bellator Europe 8 on May 16), [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (Bellator 244 on June 6), [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (Bellator 244) and [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (Bellator Dublin on Oct. 3).

Watch the video above to see all the faceoffs from the media event, which took place at Viacom headquarters in Manhattan.

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Michael Chandler-Benson Henderson 2, A.J. McKee-Darrion Caldwell set for Bellator 244 in Chicago

Bellator will return to Chicago proper for the first time in nearly 10 years with a rematch and a key featherweight tournament fight.

Bellator in June will return to the city of Chicago proper for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Bellator 244 is set for June 6 at Wintrust Arena on the near South Side of the city, the promotion announced today. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, former lightweight champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) meets former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) in a rematch from a 2016 fight Chandler won by split decision. In the co-feature, [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) will take on [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) in the semifinals of the ongoing featherweight grand prix.

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Chandler got back in the win column this past December in Japan with a first-round knockout of Sidney Outlaw at Bellator 237. It was his rebound from a title fight loss to Patricio Freire at Bellator 221 in May 2019. Freire knocked chandler out in 61 seconds to claim the lightweight belt to go along with his featherweight title.

Before the loss to Freire, Chandler had three straight wins, including a decision over Brent Primus in December 2018 to reclaim the lightweight title.

Henderson has rebounded with four straight wins after starting his Bellator tenure on a 1-3 slide. He debuted with the promotion nearly four years ago and fought Andrey Koreshkov for the welterweight title, but lost a decision. He bounced back with a return to lightweight and a win over current dual champion Freire, who suffered a leg injury that led to a Henderson TKO.

After that first Bellator win, he fought Chandler for the lightweight title while Chandler still was champion, but dropped a split call. He had a second straight split decision setback nearly 10 months later with a loss to Patricky Freire at Bellator 183. But since then, he has a submission win over Roger Huerta and three straight decisions over Saad Awad, Adam Piccolotti and Myles Jury.

McKee will be looking to book a trip to the tournament final. This past September, he knocked out Georgi Karakhanyan in just eight seconds at Bellator 228 in the opening round. In his quarterfinal fight in Honolulu in December, he stopped Derek Campos with a third-round armbar to stay unbeaten.

Caldwell, a former Bellator bantamweight champion, has back-to-back wins after moving up to featherweight for the tournament. Prior to that, he had successive losses to Kyoji Horiguchi. The first came in a Rizin event for that promotion’s bantamweight title in Japan, but he lost by submission. The two rematched in June 2019 for Bellator’s bantamweight belt, but Horiguchi took a unanimous decision and Caldwell lost the title.

Caldwell moved to featherweight, a division in which he experimented in a one-off fight while bantamweight champ, and took a unanimous decision from Henry Corrales in the tournament’s opening round. In January, he handed Adam Borics the first loss of his career with a submission in the quarterfinals to advance to the meeting with McKee.

Wintrust Arena is less than three years old. The 10,000-seat venue is the home of the DePaul University men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. Bellator’s recent events in the Chicago area have taken place at Allstate Arena in northwest suburban Rosemont, Ill., about 20 miles from the city. Bellator held events there in 2017, 2018 and 2019. But the promotion’s most recent visit to Chicago proper was in August 2010 for Bellator 25 at the Chicago Theatre.

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