Tag: Bellator 264

Sabah Homasi expects exciting fight against Andrey Koreshkov: ‘I get paid per fight, not per round’

Bellator 264’s Sabah Homasi expects another exciting fight in the co-main event against former champ Andrey Koreshkov.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] is looking to rebound from a loss to Paul Daley by facing former champ Andrey Koreshkov in the co-main event of Bellator 264 – and he expects it to be another exciting fight.

“That’s just my fighting style,” Homasi told MMA Junkie. “I go out there to finish fights. I always say I get paid per fight, not per round, so the faster I can get in there and get the job done, the better it is for me.”

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 Homasi in the video above.

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Awaiting more contenders, Gegard Mousasi open to fight against ‘monster’ Yoel Romero in Bellator

“Who wants to fight Yoel Romero?” Mousasi said. “He’s a monster.”

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] isn’t a matchmaker or a promotion president. He doesn’t call the shots at Bellator, he just fights.

Sitting atop the 185-pound thrown in the promotion, Mousasi (47-2-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) sees his next challenge, [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA), who he headlines Bellator 264 against Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Beyond that, however, things are a bit blurry – but one additional name sticks out.

“(John Salter) is the No. 1 contender,” Mousasi told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I don’t know who (Bellator) has in the middleweight division. He was the only guy I thought I was going to fight. There’re no big names yet in Bellator. Yoel Romero is a big name but he’s coming off (three) losses and usually, you fight once and then you fight for the belt. I don’t know.”

Yoel Romero’s recent skid only contains losses to the world’s finest. Consecutive losses to Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, and Israel Adesanya preceded his UFC exit. Despite the Cuban’s struggle to win, Mousasi still sees Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) as an intimidating force.

“Who wants to fight Yoel Romero?” Mousasi said. “He’s a monster. He’s in Bellator and if he makes middleweight, we’re going to fight. I’m a fighter. If you give me the contract, I’ll fight.”

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Another name who could potentially land the next title shot should Mousasi get through Salter is [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag], who will be in attendance Friday. Mousasi credits Vanderford (11-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) for his accomplishments thus far, but thinks the levels would be exposed if the two fought.

“I saw his last fight a little bit,” Mousasi said. “He’s good. He’s definitely a tough opponent. He’s undefeated, but he’s not been tested yet against well-known fighters. I don’t know. If he’s the next guy, I’ll fight him.”

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

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MMA Junkie Radio #3181: UFC 265 preview, guest Raufeon Stots, more

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and streams live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

On Episode 3,181, the fellas welcome Bellator bantamweight Raufeon Stots, who fights Magomed Magomedov next week at Bellator 264. The guys also will preview this Saturday’s UFC 265, as well as cover the latest headlines in the sport. 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.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 26-Aug. 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from July 26-Aug. 1:

Magomed Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots now set for Bellator 264 in August

A potential title contender could emerge between Magomed Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots, which now takes place at Bellator 264.

An exciting matchup in Bellator’s bantamweight division with potential title implications has been rebooked.

Bantamweights [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] are now set to meet Aug. 13, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The bout was originally scheduled for Bellator 263, but was removed without a reason given for the delay. Bellator officials informed MMA Junkie of the booking change.

Magomedov (18-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) is undefeated through two bouts under the Bellator banner. He defeated Matheus Mattos in December by unanimous decision and followed that up with a second-round submission of C.J. Hamilton in April at Bellator 255.

Stots (16-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) is also undefeated as a Bellator fighter, with four wins under the promotion. He most recently defeated Josh Hill by unanimous decision at Bellator 258 in May.

Sergio Pettis is the current titleholder in the division and the winner of this bout could find a way into a challenging role considering they are currently the only Bellator-ranked bantamweights scheduled to fight.

The current Bellator 264 lineup is as follows:

  • Gegard Mousasi vs. John Salter – for middleweight title
  • Everett Cummings vs. Davion Franklin
  • Sabah Homasi vs. Andrey Koreshkov
  • Marcelo Golm vs. Steve Mowry
  • Roberta Samad vs. Pam Sorenson
  • Justin Montalvo vs. Kendly St. Louis
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from July 19-25:

Former champ Andrey Koreshkov targeted to return vs. Sabah Homasi at Bellator 264

At Bellator 264, former welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov is expected to return against ex-UFC fighter Sabah Homasi.

Former Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag] is nearing his first fight under the promotion’s banner since October 2019.

The promotion is putting the finishing touches on Koreshkov’s next fight, expected to take place at Bellator 264 vs. [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag]. The event takes place Friday, Aug. 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Two people with knowledge of the targeted booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Koreshkov (23-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) was allowed a one-off outside the promotion due to travel restrictions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bout took place for AMC Fight Nights in Russia. Against Adriano Rodrigues, Koreshkov won by first-round armbar. The victory returned him to the win column after a split decision loss to Lorenz Larkin.

Homasi (15-9 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) has fought three times in Koreshkov’s promotional absence. After consecutive wins over Curtis Millender and Bobby Voelker, Homasi was finished with punches in a “Fight of the Year” candidate against Paul Daley.

With the addition, the Bellator 264 lineup includes:

  • Champion Gegard Mousasi vs. John Salter – for middleweight title
  • Everett Cummings vs. Davion Franklin
  • Sabah Homasi vs. Andrey Koreshkov

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