Tag: Bellator 260

Bellator 260 results: Aaron Pico taps Aiden Lee with anaconda for fourth straight win

Aaron Pico keeps building momentum in the Bellator featherweight division.

There’s no denying [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] is on a roll.

The Bellator featherweight picked up yet another dominant victory in his latest outing on Friday. Pico (8-3 MMA, 8-3 BMMA) completely outclassed [autotag]Aiden Lee[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) over the course of two rounds, then finally secured the anaconda choke at the 1:33 mark of Round 3.

Bellator 260 took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

It took Pico no time to get going in the fight. The 24-year-old took down Lee seconds into the fight and didn’t let his foot off the gas for the entirety of the fight. In every round, Pico would takedown Lee control him and take him right back down whenever Lee would get back up to his feet.

Pico stayed more than busy on the ground, constantly improving positions, landing ground-and-pound and looking for the submission. Pico had attempted the anaconda choke multiple in the first two rounds, but was unable to finish the job. In Round 3, Pico persisted with the anaconda attack until he got the tap.

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With this result, Pico is now 4-0 since suffering back-to-back KO losses in 2019. The JacksonWink MMA product has picked up finishes over Daniel Carey, Chris Hatley, John de Jesus, and now, Lee.

In his post-fight interview with Josh Thomson, Pico put the top-10 of the 145-pound division on notice.

“I’ll fight anybody in the top 10, honestly,” Pico said. “I’ll fight Adam Borics, I’ll fight anybody. I feel I’m ready mentally and physically.”

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Bellator 260 live and official results

Bellator 260 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

Bellator 260 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, welterweight champion Douglas Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) puts his title on the line against the unbeaten Yaroslav Amosov (25-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA). In the co-feature, Paul Daley (43-17-2 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) takes on Jason Jackson (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) in a 175-pound contract weight fight.

Official Bellator 260 results include:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Douglas Lima vs. Yaroslav Amosov – for welterweight title
  • Paul Daley vs. Jason Jackson – 175-pound contract weight
  • Aiden Lee vs. Aaron Pico
  • Demarques Jackson vs. Mark Lemminger

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Levan Chokheli vs. Kyle Crutchmer
  • Tywan Claxton vs. Justin Gonzales
  • Bobby King vs. Nick Newell
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Matthew Skibicki – 150-pound contract weight
  • Amanda Bell vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
  • Alex Polizzi vs. Gustavo Trujillo

Bellator 260 faceoff video highlights: Douglas Lima, Yaroslav Amosov buddy up

Check out the ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs ahead of Bellator 260 at Mohegan Sun.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday, and the welterweight championship is on the line.

Bellator 260 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. Atop the bill is [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA), who defends his title against [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (25-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) in the main event.

The co-main event also features a 175-pound catchweight fight. U.K. MMA legend [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (43-17-2 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) faces [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA).

Following Thursday’s official Bellator 260 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.

Check out the faceoffs below, including Lima vs. Amosov, Daley vs. Jackson, [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aiden Lee[/autotag], and more.

Vanessa Porto deemed unfit to compete, fight vs. Ilara Joanne off Bellator 260

After the Bellator 260 official weigh-ins, Vanessa Porto vs. Ilara Joanne was canceled when the Mohegan commission stepped in.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator 260 has lost a main-card fight.

The women’s flyweight bout between Brazilians [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] and [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] was called off Friday. Shortly after the conclusion of the event’s official weigh-ins, promotion officials revealed Porto did not receive proper medical clearance to compete from the commission and the fight was scrapped.

MMA Junkie subsequently was told by promotion officials that the event will continue with a four-fight main card.

Porto, 37, was the final fighter to weigh in at Thursday’s official weigh-ins and needed the towel in order to hit her mark. The fight was scheduled for a 128-pound contract weight, which was booked on short notice for both fighters.

Bellator 260 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card streams on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the change, the Bellator 260 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Douglas Lima vs. Yaroslav Amosov – for welterweight title
  • Paul Daley vs. Jason Jackson – 175-pound contract weight
  • Aiden Lee vs. Aaron Pico
  • Demarques Jackson vs. Mark Lemminger

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Levan Chokheli vs. Kyle Crutchmer
  • Tywan Claxton vs. Justin Gonzales
  • Bobby King vs. Nick Newell
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Matthew Skibicki – 150-pound contract weight
  • Amanda Bell vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
  • Alex Polizzi vs. Gustavo Trujillo

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MMA Junkie Radio #3165: Guest Demetrious Johnson, plus PFL, Bellator, UFC previews

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous George” and “Goze.”

Thursday’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 3,165, the boys bring on ONE Championship’s [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag]. Plus, they’ll preview the next three straight days of fight cards with 2021 PFL 4, Bellator 260 and UFC 263. Tune in!

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.

Bellator 260 weigh-in results

Check out the results from the official Bellator 260 fighter weigh-ins.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Thursday’s official Bellator 260 fighter weigh-ins.

The weigh-ins take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The same venue hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Among those weighing in are welterweight champion Douglas Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) and challenger Yaroslav Amosov (25-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), who meet in the main event.

The full Bellator 260 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Douglas Lima () vs. Yaroslav Amosov () – for welterweight title
  • Paul Daley () vs. Jason Jackson () – 175-pound contract weight
  • Aiden Lee () vs. Aaron Pico ()
  • Ilara Joanne () vs. Vanessa Porto () – 128-pound contract weight
  • Demarques Jackson () vs. Mark Lemminger ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Levan Chokheli () vs. Kyle Crutchmer ()
  • Tywan Claxton () vs. Justin Gonzales ()
  • Bobby King () vs. Nick Newell ()
  • Lucas Brennan () vs. Matthew Skibicki () – 150-pound contract weight
  • Amanda Bell () vs. Marina Mokhnatkina ()
  • Alex Polizzi () vs. Gustavo Trujillo ()

Aaron Pico won’t look too far ahead or underestimate ‘tricky’ Aiden Lee at Bellator 260

Learning to “stay in the process” of preparing for each fight is what helped Aaron Pico have a big 2020 and what he continues to focus on.

Just a few months shy of his 25th birthday, [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]’s professional MMA career already has been a rollercoaster.

One of the most highly touted prospects in the sport’s history, Pico has shown moments of brilliance, but he’s also had devastating setbacks that saw him get knocked out in back-to-back fights, bringing his overall record to 4-3 at one point.

But now, after going 3-0 in 2020 with three finishes, Pico (7-3 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) has learned to pump the brakes and enjoy the process. He takes on [autotag]Aiden Lee[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) next week at Bellator 260 and while he’s confident he can take out any featherweight on the roster, he’s solely focused on the task at hand.

“One thing that Greg Jackson always tells me is you gotta stay in the process and control what you can control,” Pico told MMA Junkie Radio. “For me, I gotta just stay focused on June 11. This guy is a very tough opponent. I try not to look too far into the future and say I have to do this or I want to be here, because then I’m pulling out of the process, and I guess we have to cross that bridge when it comes, but I hope I’m in a very good position God willing, and I believe I will. I believe we’re gonna get to the top.”

He continued, “He’s a tricky fighter. Yeah, he’s not ranked, but these fights, people don’t realize that they’re scary because they have nothing to lose. There’s a lot riding on it for me, but I feel like that with every fight. I don’t take any opponent lightly to be honest. Every fight I look at it, and I feel it’s a world championship fight.”

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Pico may have been just as surprised as everyone else when he suffered those losses, but he admits it was a blessing in disguise. It allowed him to reevaluate and make the necessary changes to fully live up to his potential.

“I’m only 24 and the fights that I lost, now I can beat those guys,” Pico said. “I really can. If you go back, it wasn’t like I got my ass kicked for three rounds. I just got caught, and it was just a lack of inexperience. Everything worked out for the good. I met the coaches that I have now in my corner, and yeah, a lot of people were calling me greatest prospect of all time, and I had a lot of good skill sets. I had great boxing, I had good wrestling, but I had a rude awakening early on, and I just knew that after looking at that, I was very, very green. And so being with the coaches here, I really progressed rapidly.

“I think for me, I’m surprising myself every day and how fast I’m developing and it was a blessing. I don’t really pay attention to those losses. I think those guys know that if we fought now, it’d be a different story, but hey, what could you do? Sh*t happens, and I’m not worried about that anymore. That’s the past. I’m looking onto the future, and I would take on these guys any day of the week, and I’d beat them all three in one night to be honest with you. I really would.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTSDp2muYss

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Christian Edwards receives medical clearance for heart, canceled fight rebooked for Bellator 261

Days after his fight was canceled, Christian Edwards is back on the Bellator schedule.

With a clean bill of health, [autotag]Christian Edwards[/autotag] is ready to give his return to the cage another go.

Six days after his fight against [autotag]Ben Parrish[/autotag] was canceled after the Bellator 259 official weigh-ins, the bout is back on the books. The light heavyweight duo has been rebooked for Bellator 261, promotion officials told MMA Junkie on Wednesday.

Bellator 261 takes place June 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Edwards’ (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) removal after this past Friday’s weigh-ins came as a surprise to many, including Edwards himself. After he stepped on the scale and came in light at 202 pounds, Edwards was denied medical clearance from The Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation due to heartbeat irregularities.

In a series of Instagram posts and stories following his removal, Edwards said the issue was a first – and likely an error. Sure enough, less than a week later, Edwards has been cleared and rebooked to fight Parrish (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

“Like (I’ve not) done this more than once lol these doctors are funny man,” Edwards wrote on Instagram on Saturday, in response to a tweet by reporter Mike Pendleton. “Just some funny motherf*ckers bro lol.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPLBnABJAr5/

Edwards, 22, is a training partner of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and one of two Mata Leon JacksonWink scholarship recipients in Bellator. He’s finished three of his four pro fights inside the distance.

With the addition, the Bellator 261 lineup includes:

  • Timothy Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky – for the interim heavyweight title
  • Kyra Batara vs. Lena Ovchynnikova
  • Isaiah Hokit vs. Aaron Hughes
  • Myles Jury vs. Sidney Outlaw
  • Keoni Diggs vs. Daniel Weichel
  • Christian Edwards vs. Ben Parrish

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Bellator welcomes fans back for Bellator 260 and Bellator 261 events

Bellator is set to welcome fans back with limited tickets for Bellator 260 and Bellator 261 going on sale Friday.

Bellator is set to welcome back live audiences starting June 11.

Announced in a press release Wednesday morning, Bellator officials revealed that for Bellator 260 and Bellator 261, the promotion will provide a limited number of tickets as they ease their way back to a full-capacity crowd.

Bellator 260, headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Douglas Lima and undefeated challenger Yaroslav Amosov on June 11, and Bellator 261, headlined by an interim heavyweight title fight between Timothy Johnson and Valentin Moldavsky on June 25, will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main cards will air on Showtime.

Tickets starting at $60 will be on sale Friday, May 21 for both Bellator 260 and Bellator 261 and will be available for purchase at Ticketmaster and Bellator.com.

Bellator has partnered with Elevate Sports Ventures, an “innovative and resourceful sports and entertainment marketing firm,” to aid in their return of having fans back. Bellator 260 will mark the first time the promotion welcomes fans back since the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

“We are very excited to be getting into business with Elevate,” Scott Coker said in the press release. “They bring a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to the table with a proven track record of providing consistent results for top professional sports franchises, leagues and events. It feels like our family just got bigger, and I am confident that this new relationship will lead to the continued growth of the Bellator brand.”

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Paul Daley vs. Jason Jackson co-headlines Bellator 260 on June 11

Paul Daley’s wish to continue fighting at 175 pounds has been granted by Bellator.

[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] will get his wish to compete in another 175-pound catchweight bout.

Daley (43–17–2 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) is set to fight [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 260 co-main event on June 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Bellator officials announced the matchup Wednesday.

Daley’s past two knockout wins over Saad Awad and Sabah Homasi have come at a contracted weight of 175-pounds. The 38-year-old previously expressed his desire to continue competing in catchweight bouts, despite Bellator president Scott Coker’s desire to have him fight at welterweight.

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Currently No. 3 in Bellator’s welterweight rankings, Jackson will look to add another big name to his resume. Since rejoining the Bellator roster in October 2019, Jackson has gone 4-1 and is coming off back-to-back wins over former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and Neiman Gracie.

With the addition, the current Bellator 260 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Douglas Lima vs. Yaroslav Amosov – for welterweight title
  • Paul Daley vs. Jason Jackson

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Tywan Claxton vs. Justin Gonzales
  • Bobby King vs. Nick Newell
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Matt Skibicki
  • Amanda Bell vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
  • Demarques Jackson vs. Mark Lemminger

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