Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from October 2020.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from October 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for October.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Bellator made history on Saturday with the first major MMA event in France.
Bellator president Scott Coker is proud to have made history on Saturday.
Coker is grateful after hosting the first major mixed martial arts event in France with Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10, which went down at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris.
The long quest to open the doors to the sport in France finally culminated in legalization in January, enabling organizations to take their operations into an untapped market.
“It was quite long, but I think the people around the world got to see some great fights in France,” Coker told reporters following Bellator Paris. “We’re the first ever major organization to come here. It was the ‘final frontier’ I call it, and it was a huge success tonight.
“Obviously to be the first major organization in France to promote here and bring MMA to this country really it was quite an honor. There was other organizations that wanted to be here and for the (country) to work with us first that says a big statement in its self.”
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Coker deemed the evening a success and sees it as a big victory for the company.
“This was a very special occasion,” Coker said. “It was a difficult process, but I’m glad we did it. It’s such a victory that in the history books of MMA we will be down as the first major MMA show in the country of France.”
Coker said the two events were the promotion’s last European cards for the year. He expects to be back in France sometime next year, depending on how the ongoing global pandemic plays out in the long term.
“This was our last fight in Europe this year and we’ll be back next year at some point,” Coker explained. “We already have a date for AccorHotels Arena but we’re going to see how the COVID situation goes. We have a tremendous amount of foreign and European athletes that we need to keep busy so whether they fight here (in Europe) or they fight in the states we’re going to keep these guys busy.”
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Michael Page, frustrated by a slippery canvas at Bellator 248, said it kept him from implementing his game plan.
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] is not happy with how his fight Saturday night went down.
The Bellator welterweight contender feels frustrated about his performance in his decision victory over former Cage Warriors champion Ross Houston (8-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 248 in Paris. Page (18-1 MMA, 14-1 BMMA) feels he was unable to secure one of his signature knockout finishes because the canvas was slippery.
“I don’t like to make any type of excuses whatsoever, and I’ve been in that situation before, bu this is the worst I’ve ever had it,” Page told reporters after the fight. “The canvas was so slippery, I literally I couldn’t execute any of my game plans because my whole game derives on me moving my feet and being able to be agile, in and out, land shots and get out.
“Again, I don’t know if people will be able to see it in the fight, but I had to change my fighting style. I threw a punch and spun myself around and he threw a kick and literally threw himself off. I could see he was being tentative on his kicks and not throwing them with any kind of maliciousness and it was basically because the canvas was so slippery.
“I had to go traditional boxing and not throw many kicks, not bounce, so I made myself an average fighter, which is a lot harder to cover the ground that I need to land the shots. I had to play the grappling game, which again, I’m happy to do, but I don’t care for. I want to have a spectacular finish, but it is what it is.”
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Page made no secret that he wants to fight for the welterweight title and avenge his loss to champion Douglas Lima in the near future. The Englishman understands that Lima is tied up with Gegard Mousasi, as they’re scheduled to fight for the vacant middleweight title Oct. 29.
But despite that fight being in close proximity, Page doesn’t want to wait for the champion to drop back to welterweight to defend his title.
“As soon as possible to be fair,” Page said regarding a return to the Bellator cage. “If I was to take one more fight before Douglas Lima, but as you said, he’s got another fight and he’ll probably have a little time off, then I’ll keep busy and get another fight between that. But yeah, to be fair, I’m annoyed at that performance, so I just kind of want to get back out there and just remind people who MVP is.”
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Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 take place Saturday. Join us for a live video stream and official results.
Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).
The event takes place at Accor Arena in Paris. Bellator 248 airs on CBS Sports Network and DAZN, while Bellator Europe 10 streams live on MMA Junkie.
In the Bellator 248 main event, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight. In the Bellator Europe 10 headliner, [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) meets [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) at heavyweight.
Official Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 results include:
BELLATOR EUROPE 9 MAIN CARD (MMA Junkie, 5 p.m. ET)
BELLATOR EUROPE 9 PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1:45 p.m. ET)
BELLATOR 248 (CBS Sports Network, DAZN, 11:30 a.m. ET)
Note: Bellator officials confirmed the William Gomis vs. Dylan Logan and Ilias Bulaid vs. Ivan Naccari bouts originally scheduled for the Bellator Europe 10 prelims have been removed from the card due to a fighter from each matchup not being licensed to compete by the overseeing athletic commission.
Check out the results from the official Bellator 248 / Europe 10 fighter weigh-ins in Paris, France.
MMA Junkie is reporting live on Friday’s official Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 5 a.m. ET (2 a.m. PT).
Bellator 248 takes place Saturday night at Accor Arena in Paris, France. The four-fight card streams on CBS Sports Network and DAZN.
Bellator Europe 10 takes place the same night, from the same venue. The main card streams live on MMA Junkie channel following the preliminary card, which streams on MMA Junkie and DAZN.
Among those weighing in are [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who face off in the main event of Bellator 248, and [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who meet in the heavyweight main event of Bellator Europe 10.
The full Bellator 248 / Bellator Europe 10 weigh-in results include:
BELLATOR EUROPE 10 MAIN CARD (5:00 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel)
BELLATOR EUROPE 10 PRELIMINARY CARD (1:45 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel/DAZN)
BELLATOR 248 FIGHT CARD (11:30 a.m. ET, CBS Sports Network/DAZN)
The full 12-bout lineup for the dual-card Bellator 248/Bellator Europe 10 event in Paris, France has been confirmed.
The bout lineup and broadcast details for Bellator’s historic dual-card event in Paris, France has been confirmed, with the event split into two cards, Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10, to accommodate the promotion’s various broadcast partners.
The event at the Accor Arena will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and DAZN with Bellator 248, which features a four-fight card, headlined by the 175-pound contract weight bout between England’s [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) and Scotland’s debuting former Cage Warriors welterweight champion [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).
The action then moves on to the Bellator Europe 10 portion of the event, with the six-bout preliminary card set to be aired on MMA Junkie via the Bellator YouTube channel and DAZN from 1:45 p.m. ET.
The two-fight Bellator Europe 10 main card, featuring [autotag]Arbi Mezhidov[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA), then the heavyweight headliner between France’s [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and American [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), will go live from 5 p.m. ET, on MMA Junkie via the Bellator YouTube channel.
The event also marks a notable moment for the promotion in the U.K., with Bellator officials confirming that the Bellator 248 card and the Bellator Europe 10 prelims will be shown live on BBC iPlayer, marking the first time a major MMA organization has been broadcast live by the British public service broadcaster.
Full Bellator 248/Bellator Europe 10 fight card includes:
BELLATOR EUROPE 10 MAIN CARD (5:00 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel)
BELLATOR EUROPE 10 PRELIMINARY CARD (1:45 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel/DAZN)
BELLATOR 248 FIGHT CARD (11:30 a.m. ET, CBS Sports Network/DAZN)
IMMAF president Kerrith Brown has issued a statement of support to Bellator ahead of their historic dual-card event in Paris, France.
Bellator’s historic dual-card event in Paris on Saturday night marks not only a landmark moment for the sport in France, it also opens the doors for MMA to prosper and grow in a country that has already produced a host of notable fighters, despite the sport’s previous ban.
Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris Saturday night and, ahead of the event, IMMAF president Kerrith Brown issued a statement to MMA Junkie wishing the promotion all the best for their upcoming show.
“IMMAF wishes the best of luck to Bellator for their historic event in Paris this weekend, as we celebrate the opening of doors to MMA in France,” he began. “Together with its French national federation, headed by IMMAF Board Director Bertrand Amoussou, and other stakeholders in the sport, IMMAF has campaigned long and hard for the legalization and governance of MMA in France.”
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Brown also said that, while the presence of one of the sport’s major global promotions in France is a big development, it also opens the door for the sport to be more professionally managed and regulated from the grassroots up as MMA receives official recognition in France.
“Professional events reflect just the tip of the iceberg, as we continue to work with the newly formed French MMA Federation, under French boxing, to develop structures for the sport such as training pathways, coaches and officials licensing, and so on,” he explained. “We look forward to seeing MMA flourish in France now, as a well-regulated sport that puts its participants first.”
Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10: Make your predictions for Michael Page vs. Ross Houston https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/bellator-248-europe-10-michael-page-ross-houston-reader-predictions-picks/embed
Michael Page will co-headline Bellator’s first trip to France when he faces former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Ross Houston.
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] will co-headline Bellator’s first trip to France.
Page (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) will face [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0) at Bellator 248, which takes place at Accor Arena in Paris on Oct. 10. The promotion has not yet announced broadcast information for the event.
The promotion announced the news Friday, alongside a rematch between French heavyweight Cheick Kongo and American Timothy Johnson, which is expected to headline the event.
After suffering his first career blemish to Douglas Lima in the Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinals in May 2019, Page notched three big knockouts in the span of four months. He will look to continue his momentum when he takes on the newly signed Houston.
Houston, a former Cage Warriors 170-pound champion, is unbeaten in his pro MMA career. He is coming off a no contest against current UFC welterweight Nicolas Dalby in June 2019 in which the canvas was deemed unsafe due to the excessive amount of blood on it.
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Bellator 248 will take place in Paris, and France’s Cheick Kongo will be headlining in a rematch against Timothy Johnson.
[autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] has been a professional mixed martial artist for more than 19 years.
But when he steps into the cage Oct. 10, he’ll do something he’s never done before. He’ll fight in his home country, France, when he takes on [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] at Bellator 248 in a rematch of their September 2018 fight.
The event will take place at Accor Arena in Paris. The promotion announced the news Friday, alongside a pairing between welterweights Michael Page and Ross Houston.
Although the promo poster released by the promotion does not indicate Kongo vs. Johnson will serve as the main event, it is likely to be announced as the headliner during an announcement scheduled by Bellator president Scott Coker later Friday.
In January 2020, France legalized mixed martial arts for the first time, making it a target for Bellator. As soon as France passed legislation to allow for MMA, Coker issued a statement expressing his enthusiasm.
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Kongo (30-12-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and Johnson (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) have their rematch 26 months after their first fight. In their initial meeting, Kongo knocked out Johnson in 68 seconds.
Since then, Kongo has fought twice, picking up a win against Vitaly Minakov before a no contest due to an eye poke against Ryan Bader. He has not competed since September 2019.
Ten months after the Kongo fight, Johnson was knocked out by Vitaly Minakov. However, he turned his losing skid around in his next fight, flattening then-undefeated prospect Tyrell Fortune in one of the promotion’s biggest betting upsets. In his most recent fight in August, Johnson defeated Matt Mitrione by first-round TKO.
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