Tag: Bellator 255

MMA Junkie Radio #3146: Guest Randy Costa, Bellator 255 recap, UFC/ONE previews, more (noon ET)

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live on SportsCastr at noon ET.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live on SportsCastr at noon ET.

On episode 3,146, the boys will talk to guest Randy Costa, look back at this past Friday’s Bellator 255, and look ahead to a big week of fights – including ONE on TNT 1 (Wednesday), Bellator 256 (Friday) and UFC on ABC 2 (Saturday). They’ll also discuss all the biggest recent news.

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

Scott Coker elaborates on Mike Goldberg’s Bellator departure: ‘It was a production decision’

Bellator’s Showtime era launched Friday without Mike Goldberg, who had been with the promotion since 2017.

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Mike Goldberg won’t be a part of Bellator broadcasts now that the promotion has kick-started its tenure on Showtime.

Bellator president Scott Coker said there are no hard feelings. Following the conclusion of Bellator 255 this past Friday, the promotion’s first event since Goldberg’s departure, Coker revealed the move was strictly a business decision. He also praised Mauro Ranallo, who will carry the load in Goldberg’s absence.

“Listen, Mike is – one, he’s a friend,” Coker said. “He’s been a voice of MMA for such a long time, along with Mauro. I mean, Mauro, he’s been around (since during) PRIDE with Bas Rutten. This is way back (in) ’97, ’98, ’99.

“At one time, we had the two best on the planet. It was a production decision and they decided to move forward. That’s where we stand. But you know what? This is the kind of business that, you never know. If there’s boxing on one side and Mauro is doing it, who knows what will happen in the future? But that’s the way it rolled out.”

Goldberg called his first event for the promotion at Bellator 180 in Madison Square Garden on June 24, 2017. He’d served as the main play-by-play commentator for Bellator, often joined by color commentators “Big” John McCarthy and Josh Thomson.

Prior to his stint with Bellator, Goldberg worked as one of the voices of the UFC from December 1997 to December 2016, often alongside broadcast partner Joe Rogan.

Bellator 255 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Showtime. The entire event streamed on MMA Junkie.

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Chris Gonzalez hopes name like Huerta on his resume propels him in Bellator rankings

Chris Gonzalez got a step up in competition this past Friday at Bellator 255, and he’s hoping his win works to his advantage.

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] got a step up in competition this past Friday at Bellator 255, and he’s hoping his win works to his advantage.

Gonzalez (6-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) pounded out Roger Huerta (24-13-1 MMA, 1-6 BMMA) in the third round at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Gonzalez stayed unbeaten with the win – and it was his first stoppage for Bellator, and first since his pro debut in 2018.

His first five opponents all had similar levels of experience. But Huerta came into the bout with Gonzalez approaching 40 career fights. He’s also the biggest name Gonzalez has fought so far – a longtime fighter with many promotions on his resume, including the UFC, and a Sports Illustrated cover in 2007, to boot.

Now Gonzalez hopes a stoppage win over a name like Huerta means he’ll make his way into Bellator’s new rankings.

Check out Gonzalez’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.

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Mandel Nallo made ‘bad technique’ look like a cool Superman punch in Bellator 255 knockout

Mandel Nallo’s first-round knockout at Bellator 255 this past Friday may be worthy of a highlight reel – but he said it was “bad technique.”

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win at Bellator 255 this past Friday may be worthy of a highlight reel.

But the 31-year-old Canadian, who trains at Tristar Gym in Montreal under the tutelage of longtime Georges St-Pierre coach Firas Zahabi, said his Superman punch, in reality, wasn’t anything of the sort.

Nallo (8-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) shut down Ricardo Seixas Filho (9-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) with what everyone presumed was a Superman punch at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. But the fighter affectionately known as “Rat Garbage” said the punch was really just bad technique on his part – and it happened to look good.

Check out Nallo’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.

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Bellator 255 video highlights: Patricio Freire cruises into showdown with A.J. McKee

Bellator got back to work Friday with its first event in 2021 and a new broadcast home on Showtime, and we’ve got the main card highlights.

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Bellator got back to work Friday with its first event in 2021 and a new broadcast home on Showtime.

In the main event, lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) defended his 145-pound title with relative ease with a first-round technical submission of [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) in a rematch. The win pushed “Pitbull” into the final of Bellator’s featherweight tournament, where he’ll take on the unbeaten A.J. McKee later this year.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) worked through an odd eye injury to get past [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA); [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) let the bad blood come out and took care of [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] (11-8 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in their rematch from a no contest; [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) looked good in his promotional debut against a gritty [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (7-5 MMA, 0-2 BMMA); and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (10-0-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) stayed unbeaten in a close fight against former title challenger [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA).

You can check out the highlights from the main card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in the video above. And don’t miss our photo gallery from the event below.

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Patricio Freire vows to end ‘scared’ A.J. McKee’s perfect record in Bellator grand prix final

Patricio Freire is fired up for the “perfect” Bellator grand prix final with A.J. McKee, and vows to give the youngster his first loss.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] is fired up for Bellator featherweight grand prix final with [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], and vows to give the youngster his first loss.

Freire (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) punched his ticket to the final round of the 16-man tournament on Friday when he submitted Emmanuel Sanchez in the first round of the Bellator 255 headliner, successfully defending his 145-pound belt to set up a showdown with McKee (17-0 MMA, 17-0 BMMA).

From the outset of the grand prix, a “Pitbull” vs. McKee final seemed like the ideal scenario for Bellator. It’s a fight that’s been brewing for years, and now that the stars have aligned, Freire said he has a big fight feel.

“It’s the perfect final for the movie,” Freire told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the He’s undefeated, I am the champion. Let’s see what’s going to happen, and I know what’s going to happen. … I know he’s good. He’s young. But I told him, ‘To be a complete fighter is to be defeated.’ And he will be defeated by me.”

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McKee has never fought in a title fight through his career. He was scheduled for five rounds throughout the tournament, where he’s beaten Georgi Karakhanyan, Derek Campos and Darrion Caldwell to reach the final. He didn’t need the judges for any of those bouts, but Freire said he intends to expose McKee for not belonging in the championship scene.

“It’s a fight of five rounds,” Freire said. “He’s going to come a place where it’s a competition fight for the belt. It’s different. The fight preparation – everything. Everything is going to happen. He knows my power. He knows I’m dangerous. I know he’s scared.”

Freire said he’ll be ready to fight McKee as soon as possible. Not only will the featherweight belt and grand prix title be on the line in the matchup, but the winner will receive a $1 million prize.

As the most decorated fighter in Bellator history, Freire said he’s not overthinking the next bout. He knows it’s a critical one with a lot on the line, but said he won’t be flustered as he pursues another crowning achievement.

“I know I am the No. 1 in the world, so it’s enough for me,” Freire said. “I know my records, I know my numbers, I know my titles. I know the meaning of them. … He’s been built up by Bellator for his whole career here at Bellator. He’s undefeated. He’s in the finals against me, so it’s going to be one of the greatest fights of all time.”

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Twitter reacts to Patricio Freire’s title defense against Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 255

See the top Twitter reactions to Patricio Freire’s quick title defense over Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 255.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] continued to show why he’s Bellator’s greatest champion on Friday when he again defended the featherweight title against [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] in the Bellator 255 main event.

Freire (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) secured his 10th Bellator title fight victory and advanced the featherweight grand prix finals when he beat Sanchez (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) by first-round submission in their rematch, which took place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. “Pitbull” will now face A.J. McKee in the final round.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Freire’s quick victory over Sanchez at Bellator 255.

Bellator 255: Patricio Freire chokes out Emmanuel Sanchez to set up showdown with A.J. McKee

Two-division Bellator champion Patricio Freire defended his featherweight title with a submission of Emmanuel Sanchez.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Another title defense is in the books, and [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] will be moving to the Bellator featherweight grand prix final against rival A.J. McKee.

On Friday, Freire (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) defeated [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) by technical submission with a guillotine choke at the 3:35 mark of the first round.

The featherweight fight headlined Bellator 255 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Showtime. The entire event also streamed on MMA Junkie.

The bout was a rematch of a November 2018 meeting at Bellator 209, where Freire won a unanimous decision over Sanchez. Bellator president Scott Coker has since called the bout one of his all-time favorites.

The first round started out slow, but quickly escalated into a “Pitbull” victory. When Sanchez threw a kick, Friere knocked him off balance with a counterpunch. Sanchez hit the canvas and attempted to scramble to his feet. Freire grabbed hold of Sanchez’s neck and pulled for a guillotine. They  crashed to the ground.

With Sanchez in a sitting position, Freire continued to squeeze. Moments later, Freire signaled to the referee Sanchez was unconscious. The referee checked Sanchez’s arm, which flopped to the canvas, and the fight was stopped.

With the victory, Freire extended his winning streak to seven. Freire has now defended his title six times during his second promotional stint as champion. Freire, the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in Bellator’s new official rankings, defeated Juan Archuleta and Pedro Carvalho to gain entry into the tournament semifinal.

As for Sanchez, the defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak. Prior to Bellator 255, he hadn’t lost since the first defeat to “Pitbull.” Friday’s fight was the first time Sanchez has been finished in his Bellator career. In order to advance to the tournament semifinal, Sanchez defeated Tywan Claxton and Daniel Weichel.

Official Bellator 255 results include:

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Bellator 255 results: Jason Jackson outpoints Neiman Gracie in close decision

Welterweight Jason Jackson got his fourth consecutive win when he outpointedd Neiman Gracie in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 255.

[autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] continues to rise up the Bellator welterweight ranks.

The Jamaican fighter picked up his fourth consecutive win, outpointing [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] in a unanimous decision in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 255 in Uncasville, Conn. Jackson won 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards.

In the first round, Jackson (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) and Gracie (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) traded some good shots right off the bat. Shortly after, Gracie went in for a takedown, but failed. Gracie ended up on bottom but immediately was able to reverse the position with a sweep from half guard. From there, Gracie got the mount and controlled Jackson while landing shots from top for a minute.

During the reversal, Jackson’s face scraped on the fence. He later told the referee he couldn’t see. The fight was stopped and the doctor came in to check on him. The fight was resumed from mount, and Jackson was able to reverse the position and ended up in guard to finish the round.

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The second also seemed to favor Gracie. Jackson connected with several hard leg kicks that seemed to stun Gracie, but the Brazilian controlled much of the action on the ground. Gracie was constantly looking for a takedown and after a few failed attempts was able to get Jackson on the canvas about half way through the round. Gracie controlled Jackson for the entirety of the round, but was unable top threaten with submissions or land much ground-and-pound.

The final round had Jackson take the lead with better striking exchanges. Gracie still pressed forward looking for the takedown. Due to an accidental eye poke from Gracie the fight was stopped once again, but resumed with doctor’s clearance. With three minutes left on the clock, Gracie went for a takedown, but failed and ended up on bottom guard. From there, Jackson remained on top defending Gracie’s attempts for a sweep all the way to the final bell.

Jackson has built quite a list in his recent run, defeating notable names such as Kiichi Kunimoto, Jordan Mein, Benson Henderson and now Gracie. The 30-year-old’s lone recent loss was a split decision to Ed Ruth in 2019. Jackson is 7-1 in his past eight bouts. In his post-fight interview, the Sanford MMA product asked to be the next challenger for the Bellator welterweight title, which is held by Douglas Lima.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 255 results include:

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Bellator 255 results: Heated Tyrell Fortune overwhelms Jack May for TKO in rematch

It was one-way traffic for Tyrell Fortune in his rematch with Jack May at Bellator 255.

It was one-way traffic for [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] in his rematch with [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] at Bellator 255 on Friday.

After their first fight ended in a no contest due to an accidental low blow, there was a lot of bad blood going into the rematch. Fortune (10-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) backed it all up, dominating and bloodying May (11-8 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) from on top for the TKO at the 3:16 mark of Round 1.

The heavyweight bout was part of the Bellator 255 main card, which aired on Showtime and streamed on MMA Junkie at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

It wasn’t long after the opening bell rang that Fortune rushed May and secured a takedown. He got on top and started opening up with huge shots, hurting May badly and forcing him to shell up. Referee Dan Miragliotta gave May a ton of leash to escape, but he couldn’t and kept taking punishment until the fight was stopped.

Fortune stood over May after the finish and told him to “talk that sh*t now,” and he said it was a relief to get it done.

After the win, Fortune said he wants a piece of Valentin Moldavsky (10-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA).

“He’s ahead of me,” Fortune said in his post-fight interview with John McCarthy. “I’m too much.”

The latest Bellator 255 results include:

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