Tag: Bellator 264

Scott Coker confirms Bellator in talks with Gable Steveson: ‘I think we’d be a great home for him’

Olympian Gable Steveson won gold and seemingly has caught everyone in combat sports’ attention.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator 264 took place Friday and promotion president Scott Coker was happy with the action that transpired.

After the fight, Coker discussed a number of topics with reporters in attendance that included subjects beyond Bellator 264. Always a hot topic, the free agent pool was discussed and Coker peeled back the curtain as to whom the promotion is and isn’t interested in.

Among the bunch is Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Gable Steveson[/autotag], who has hinted at a potential move to professional wrestling or mixed martial arts in the future. Coker publicly displayed interest when he interrupted a Twitter conversation between Steveson and Bellator heavyweight Jake Hager on Thursday.

“I can tell you this, that we’ve already been in touch with his management,” Coker said. “I do know that he has a couple years left of school and wants to go back and wrestle. There’s dialogue going on, but he really wants to wrestle right now. If he wants to come to MMA, we’ve love to have him here. Nobody builds athletes from wrestling or ground up like we do. I think we’re the best at it. I think we’d be a great home for him.”

Steveson, 21, won the gold medal in the 125kg weight class of the men’s freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the days following his medal-clinching performance, Steveson tweeted hand-waiving emojis at both UFC president Scott Coker and WWE CEO Vince McMahon.

For Steveson, his ties extend beyond social media. He recently signed with renowned MMA agent Dave Martin and is an underling of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Bellator 264 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Bellator 264 results: Gegard Mousasi beats down tired John Salter, gets matched up with Austin Vanderford

Gegard Mousasi stopped John Salter and retained his middleweight strap Friday at Mohegan Sun.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] is still the Bellator middleweight champion.

In the Bellator 264 main event Friday, Mousasi (48-7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) defeated [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) by TKO (punches) at the 2:07 mark of Round 3.

The middleweight title bout took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The opening round saw Salter utilize his wrestling after Mousasi stalked him down on the feet. Salter dragged Mousasi to the ground, but the Netherlands-based fighter hopped back to his feet. Salter pushed Mousasi against the cage in a takedown attempt, but ate six knees to the body for his trouble.

At the start of Round 2, Salter looked noticeably tired. Mousasi continued to stalk and landed his biggest shots of the fight to the moment. Salter retreated, waited, and shot once again. It took a lot of effort, but Salter got the takedown. After some top control from Salter, Mousasi rose to his feet. Salter pulled guard and Mousasi rained down ground-and-pound. Salter survived the round.

In Round 3, Mousasi continued to press. Salter once again pulled guard. Mousasi stood up and pummeled away as Salter covered up. Referee Dan Miragliotta gave Salter a chance to defend himself, but the damage kept coming and the fight was waved off.

After the fight, Bellator announced Mousasi vs. Austin Vanderford (11-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will be next.

With the win, Mousasi successfully defended his Bellator middleweight title for the first time since he defeated Douglas Lima for the vacant strap in October. The win extended Mousasi’s winning streak to three and made him a victor of 11 of his most recent 12 outings.

For Salter, the loss snapped a three-fight winning streak. It was only his second career loss by TKO and his first since UFC Fight Night 20 in January 2010.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 264 results include:

  • Gegard Mousasi def. John Salter via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:07
  • Andrey Koreshkov def. Sabah Homasi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Raufeon Stots def. Magomed Magomedov via unanimous decision decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Davion Franklin def. Everett Cummings via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:21
  • Khadzhi Bestaev def. Ty Gwerder via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Pam Sorenson def. Roberta Samad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Jeffrey Glossner def. Sebastian Ruiz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Jon McNeil def. Orlando Mendoza via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:57

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Bellator 264 results: Relentless Andrey Koreshkov shuts down Sabah Homasi

Looking to bounce back from a knockout loss to Paul Daley, Sabah Homasi ran into a relentless opponent in former champion Andrey Koreshkov.

Looking to bounce back from a knockout loss to Paul Daley, [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] ran into a relentless opponent in former Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag].

Koreshkov (24-4 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) used a steady diet of knees and some well-timed takedowns to outwork Homasi (15-10 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) for a unanimous decision in the co-main event. Koreshkov won with a pair of 30-26 scores and a 30-27.

The welterweight bout was the Bellator 264 co-main event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Homasi threw leg kicks early to try to slow Koreshkov up. He ducked away from a big spinning kick from Koreshkov, then 100 seconds in found himself tied up with Koreshkov against the fence. Homasi slowed things down and landed knees to the thigh, but Koreshkov finally got separation and went back to the center of the cage. Another spinning effort from Koreshkov was countered by Homasi, who tied him up again. With a minute left, Koreshkov landed a flying knee that stunned Homasi. But Homasi threw a spinning elbow with 30 seconds left to get out of trouble. Another Koreshkov knee landed with 15 seconds left, and an elbow and uppercut came just before the bell.

Homasi again worked kicks to start the second, and Koreshkov kicked high and looked for knees. A minute in, Koreshkov landed a punch to the midsection that bent Homasi over. Koreshkov pushed him to the fence and kept after the body. Homasi mmountned a brief rally, but Koreshkov went right back to the knee and put Homasi on the canvas. Koreshkov went after the finish, but Homasi crawled his way to the fence to try to stay alive.

With two minutes left, though, Koreshkov scooped Homasi up, carried him a few feet, then slammed him and went into full mount. He went after an arm-triangle choke with Homasi bloodied up, then worked ground-and-pound. A rear-naked choke presented itself with a minute left, but Koreshkov postured up, drilled Homasi with two knees to the body, then put him back down.

Homasi threw a wild right hand right away in the third, and when Koreshkov avoided it, he took him back to the mat. Koreshkov delivered more knees to the body, then went to work on top in Homasi’s guard. Homasi hung tough, though, and reversed position in the latter half of the round. He finished the fight on top, but it was largely Koreshkov’s fight.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 264 results include:

  • Andrey Koreshkov def. Sabah Homasi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Raufeon Stots def. Magomed Magomedov via unanimous decision decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Davion Franklin def. Everett Cummings via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:21
  • Khadzhi Bestaev def. Ty Gwerder via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Pam Sorenson def. Roberta Samad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Jeffrey Glossner def. Sebastian Ruiz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Jon McNeil def. Orlando Mendoza via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:57

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Bellator 264 results: Raufeon Stots outworks Magomed Magomedov, wants bantamweight tournament or title shot

Raufeon Stots picked up the biggest win of his career and put himself into the bantamweight title picture.

[autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] picked up the biggest win of his career and put himself into the bantamweight title picture – a picture in which his teammate, Sergio Pettis, is in the center of the frame as champion.

Stots (17-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) outworked [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) – and nearly finished him – for a unanimous decision on the Bellator 264 main card on Showtime. Stots picked up a unanimous decision with a 30-27 score and a pair of 29-28s.

After the win, Stots said if he has to fight Pettis for the title, he will – but he offered up a different suggestion: a $1 million bantamweight tournament with him and the champ on opposite sides of the bracket.

“What I would love is, what do you all think about a bantamweight million-dollar tournament?” Stots said. “If I’ve got to fight Sergio – Sergio, you know I love you. But if not, let’s do a tournament.”

Stots put Magomedov on his back foot early with a high kick, then went back to the center of the cage. Magomedov tried to level change for a takedown, but Stots was on top of it and fired a right hand not long after. With 1:40 left in the round, Magomedov worked for a single-leg takedown and pushed Stots to the fence, but Stots defended it for a full minute before he broke away. And with 20 seconds left, Stots landed a takedown and took Magomedov’s back to close the frame.

Magomedov again looked for a takedown in the second and with Stots against the cage, he landed a spinning elbow. Stots fired a punch right back and stayed on his feet the first 90 seconds. But Magomedov finally got him to the canvas – only to have Stots reverse position on him. Back on the feet, Stots pressed Magomedov to the fence and they jockeyed for position until they broke back to the center of the cage midway through the round. Magomedov shot again with 80 seconds left in the round, but Stots stuffed it – and seconds later, he stuffed another takedown attempt. Stots blocked a spinning backfist attempt with 20 seconds left and shot for his own late takedown just before the horn.

In the third round, Stots took big-time advantage when the fight hit the canvas. He took Magomedov’s back and wrapped up a body triangle. He worked for a rear-naked choke, but Magomedov defended by holding Stots’ left arm to keep him from locking the choke on. With two minutes left, Magomedov worked out of the choke and got on top. He got to side control with 70 seconds left, and when Stots tried to work back to his feet, Magomedov worked for a guillotine choke. He took Stots’ back with 25 seconds left, but couldn’t find a finish.

The bantamweight bout was part of the Bellator 264 main card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 264 results include:

  • Raufeon Stots def. Magomed Magomedov via unanimous decision decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Davion Franklin def. Everett Cummings via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:21
  • Khadzhi Bestaev def. Ty Gwerder via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Pam Sorenson def. Roberta Samad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Jeffrey Glossner def. Sebastian Ruiz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Jon McNeil def. Orlando Mendoza via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:57

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Bellator 264 video: Jon Jones teammate Davion Franklin takes out Everett Cummings in 21 seconds

It took Davion Franklin just 21 seconds to stay unbeaten and take out an opponent in a very familiar way.

It took [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] just 21 seconds to stay unbeaten and take out an opponent in a very familiar way.

Franklin (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) drilled [autotag]Everett Cummings[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) with a front kick to the right oblique and buckled his leg. A moment later, Franklin threw a right kick to the head and further stunned Cummings, and when he hit the canvas, it took Franklin just a few punches to get the stoppage.

After Cummings got back to his feet, he was limping thanks to the front kick. Then he had to take a stool. The kick was the same kind former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, a Franklin training partner in New Mexico, has used throughout his career.

“I was just thinking about putting him out – taking him out in the first round,” Franklin said in his post-fight interview. “That was my goal this whole time.”

Then Franklin made a major callout: Cheick Kongo, who headlines Bellator 265 next week against Serghei Karitonov.

“Cheick Kongo, step up,” Franklin said in reference to a Kongo social media post predicting Cummings would submit Franklin. “You’ll get done the same way – if not, worse.”

Franklin’s heavyweight win over Cummings was part of the Bellator 264 main card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Bellator 264 live and official results

Bellator 264 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT).

Bellator 264 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 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, middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) puts his title on the line for the first time in his second reign when he takes on challenger [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA). In the co-feature, former welterweight champ [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) meets [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 4-3 BMMA).

Official Bellator 264 results include:

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

  • Gegard Mousasi def. John Salter via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:07 – to retain middleweight title
  • Andrey Koreshkov def. Sabah Homasi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Raufeon Stots def. Magomed Magomedov via unanimous decision decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Davion Franklin def. Everett Cummings via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:21
  • Khadzhi Bestaev def. Ty Gwerder via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7:30 p.m. ET)

  • Pam Sorenson def. Roberta Samad via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Jeffrey Glossner def. Sebastian Ruiz via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Jon McNeil def. Orlando Mendoza via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:57

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Bellator 264 discussion thread

Bellator 264 takes place Friday in Connecticut, and you can discuss the event here.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s Bellator 264 event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our Bellator 264 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.

Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 9 p.m. ET for the main card.

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Why Ty Gwerder sparred with Francis Ngannou to prepare for Bellator 264 fight

Ty Gwerder prepared for his matchup with Khadzhimurat Bestaev with the help of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Going up against the tallest opponent he’s ever faced, [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] prepared for his Bellator 264 matchup against [autotag]Khadzhimurat Bestaev[/autotag] with the help of UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

“I sparred with Francis Ngannou and all those guys that are like 6’4″ and maybe some change,” Gwerder told MMA Junkie. “But 6’6″ is a whole different story.”

He continued, “You can feel his (Ngannou) presence in there. Especially with his size, you almost feel like – it’s almost like you’re in a telephone booth really when you’ve got a whole mat space. It still feels that way, especially with his power. We all know what it looks like. Imagine what it feels like, so going into a sparring session with him is like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.'”

Bellator 264 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out the full interview with Gwerder in the video above.

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Pam Sorenson hopes long-desired Cris Cyborg fight comes to fruition in 2022

After signing with Bellator, Pam Sorenson looks forward to the opportunity of fighting one of the greatest women’s fighters of all time.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After signing with Bellator, [autotag]Pam Sorenson[/autotag] is looking forward to the opportunity to fight one of the most accomplished female fighters in the sport.

Sorenson (8-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets Roberta Samad (5-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) on Friday at Bellator 264, and the former Invicta FC featherweight champion is eager to kick off her title campaign and finally face reigning Bellator champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag].

“They have all the fighters that I want to fight here,” Sorenson told MMA Junkie. “The other promotions, their featherweight divisions, they don’t even compare. This is definitely the place to be as a featherweight.”

She continued, “She (Cyborg) has stated that she wants to fight me, and I have wanted to fight her for quite a while, but we’ve never been in the same promotion at the same time, and that’s why on Twitter when I got signed, I was finally like, ‘Cyborg, I’m home’, and we’ll see. Hopefully that matchup happens sometime next year.”

Bellator 264 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out the full interview with Sorenson in the video above.

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Davion Franklin aims to put heavyweight division on notice with finish at Bellator 264

Davion Franklin hopes that with a dominant win over Everett Cummings, people start really knowing his name.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] hopes that with a dominant win over Everett Cummings at Bellator 264, people start really knowing his name.

“I’m expecting me to go out there and be dominant,” Franklin told MMA Junkie. “Get this finish in dominant fashion like I’ve done. I’m expecting to really put myself on the map, to let these other heavyweights know that this guy is here. I’m the guy that y’all should be watching. I’m not calling anybody out, but I do expect sometime soon I will be the guy that people are gonna be calling out.

Bellator 264 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out the full interview with Franklin in the video above.

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