Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC on ESPN 29, Bellator 265 and 2021 PFL Playoffs 2.
What mattered most in a loaded MMA weekend that included UFC on ESPN 29 in Las Vegas; Bellator 265 in Sioux Falls, S.D.; and 2021 PFL Playoffs 2 in Hollywood, Fla.? Here are a few post-fight musings …
What started as a slow heavyweight fight quickly spun off the rails and ended with Cheick Kongo getting the tap with one second left in Round 2.
[autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] has a knack for comebacks, and he showed that Friday.
In the Bellator 265 main event, Kongo submitted veteran Russian heavyweight [autotag]Sergei Kharitonov[/autotag] at 4:59 of what turned into a wild second round.
The event took place at Sanford Pentagon. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Entering Round 2, things didn’t look great for Kongo. Throughout the first round, he was stalked, jabbed, and even poked in the eye with an errant toe on a kick. However, midway through Round 2, Kongo (31-11-2 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) flipped the script and hurt Kharitonov (32-9 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) with a series of punches.
With his opponent against the cage and seemingly still stunned, Kongo elected to shoot for a takedown, which he successfully secured. The fighters crashed to the canvas with a heavy thud.
Once on the mat, Kongo worked to mount and Kharitonov rolled, which exposed his neck. As the clock winded down, Kongo snuck in a rear-naked choke attempt. The tap came with one second left in Round 2.
🔥 @Kongo4real beats the bell and makes Sergei Kharitonov tap before the end of the 2️⃣nd round!#Bellator265 pic.twitter.com/PnU04aeLUz
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 21, 2021
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Kongo, 46, returns to the win column after a split decision loss to Tim Johnson in October 2020. The victory is his first since February 2019, but his ninth in his most recent 11 attempts.
As for Kharitonov, the 41-year-old had a two-fight winning streak snapped. It’s only the second loss he’s suffered since November 2016 and the first by submission since September 2011.
Complete Bellator 265 results include:
MAIN CARD
PRELIMINARY CARD
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Jornel Lugo used a slick rear-naked choke to remain undefeated at Bellator 265.
It took [autotag]Jornel Lugo[/autotag] exactly five minutes to pick up his third Bellator win.
In the opening fight of the Bellator 265 main card Friday, Lugo (7-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) notched his second career submission when he put [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] to sleep with a rear-naked choke as the bell sounded to close Round 1.
After a showcase of jabs and technicality on the feet, Lugo took the fight to the ground where he worked to the back position. From there, he quickly worked arm position and locked in a rear-naked choke.
The submission didn’t take long to prove effective. As Lee tried to fight his way out, his arms went noticeably limp. Lugo swung off his opponent as time expired, and Lee flattened out on the canvas, unconscious before he popped to his feet. When he did, he lost his balance and stumbled over to his stool. At the referee’s discretion, Lee was deemed out at the buzzer, and the fight was called off.
Still undefeated, @AunoLugo puts @Keith_Lee135 to sleep with the RNC 👀#Bellator265 is LIVE on @SHOsports. pic.twitter.com/T77Wtd5kWb
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 21, 2021
After the fight, Lugo called for a slot on the promotion’s targeted Nov. 5 card expected to take place in Dublin and alluded at a potential matchup vs. Brian Moore.
Bellator 265 took place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
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Former University of Wyoming wrestler Archie Colgan poured on violence after slamming Ben Simons hard on his neck.
Former University of Wyoming wrestler [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] added a violent finish to his highlight reel in his Bellator debut.
One half of the third fight on Friday’s Bellator 265 prelims, Colgan (3-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) picked up a TKO victory over Ben Simons (3-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at 4:04 of Round 1 – and it started with a nasty slam.
After he landed on top following a takedown, Colgan found himself in the midst of a buggy choke attempt from Simons. As Simons worked for the choke, Colgan elevated his opponent and violently slammed him on his neck.
The impact loosened up Simons’ submission, which allowed Colgan to escape danger. Colgan began to rain hard ground-and-pound punches and elbows on Simons, who scrambled to escape.
However, Colgan’s shots were heavy and sliced Simons across the bridge of his nose. Referee Mike Beltran warned Simons multiple times, but the fighter could not escape and the fight was stopped.
.@King_Colgan improves to 3️⃣-0️⃣ with this 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒎 dunk of a finish!
Don’t miss the action NOW on the #Bellator265 prelims 👇
🔗 https://t.co/YtGfZvsWzy pic.twitter.com/1eF5lNBKD5
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 20, 2021
With the win, Colgan keeps his undefeated professional record and 100 percent finishing rate intact. Meanwhile, Simons falls to 1-3 in his most recent four outings.
Bellator 265 took place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
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Bellator 265 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT).
Bellator 265 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT).
The event takes place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, Cheick Kongo (30-11-2 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) takes on Sergei Kharitonov (23-8 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) at heavyweight. In the co-feature, South Dakota’s own Logan Storley (11-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) meets Dante Schiro (8-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight.
Official Bellator 265 results include:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6:30 p.m. ET)
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Check out a live video stream of the Bellator 265 ceremonial weigh-ins.
Bellator 265 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Thursday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT).
The weigh-ins take place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The same venue hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the early and official Bellator 265 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.
Check out the results from the official Bellator 265 fighter weigh-ins.
The weigh-ins are in the books for Bellator 265, where the heavyweight headliners are set – but there was one key major miss.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) was on the featherweight mark at 145.6 pounds. But his opponnent, [autotag]Jay Jay Wilson[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA), missed weight for the third time in four fights. And this time, it was his biggest miss yet. Wilson came in at 150.4 pounds, more than 4 pounds heavier than the featherweight non-title maximum of 146.
As a result, the Borics-Wilson fight has been scrapped, a Bellator official told MMA Junkie. Borics will be paid his show money, the official said. The welterweight fight between Dante Schiro and Logan Storley will be elevated to the co-main event and the main card will go on with four fights on the broadcast instead of five.
In the main event, Cheick Kongo (30-11-2 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) weighed in at 247 pounds. His opponent, Sergei Kharitonov (23-8 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), was 264.8 – just shy of the heavyweight max.
The weigh-ins took place at the Bellator host hotel in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Sanford Pentagon hosts Friday’s event. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
The full Bellator 265 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)
*Wilson missed the featherweight limit. His fight vs. Borics was canceled as a result.
In time period where TikTokers are jumping into combat sports stardom, Keith Lee is doing the opposite.
“Hey, my name is Keith.”
It’s a simple introduction, but one that’s proven effective for Bellator bantamweight fighter [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] as his career outside the cage has taken on an expected life of its own.
Lee, 24, whose claim to fame for so long was, “Kevin Lee’s brother,” has made a name for himself in the world of TikTok. In the midst of Bellator 265 fight week, Lee’s account currently sits at over 860,000 followers – and is increasing at a rapid rate.
When Lee created his TikTok account in November 2020 during recovery from an injury and staph infection, he wasn’t thinking anything would come from it. It was never his goal to become a social media influencer. So how did it happen, then? Well, it just came naturally. According to Lee, he didn’t change anything. He just acted like himself. The only thing different was that a camera was recording.
“It’s organic,” Lee told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “It’s natural. … It is who I am. I just turned on a camera. I didn’t have a script. I don’t have a team working with me. It’s me and my wife and my sister. We literally sat around and I was like, ‘I’m going to start recording me cooking.’ … And they always believe in me. I have a really strong support system.”
@keith_lee125 Karter walking Vlog , I’ll stitch this when she’s fully walking 🚶🏾♂️
From instructional cooking videos to wholesome life experiences with his family to mental health awareness, Lee’s content has all revolved around one thing: positivity. During a period of time where MMA insults continue to get more personal, Lee thinks there’s a lesson to be learned when it comes to his success online. Positivity is something people buy into, it just needs to be presented to them in the right way.
“I know I have media day today,” Lee said. “Every single media outlet other than you is going to ask me to try and bad mouth my opponent. It’s been happening all week. It’s going to happen until I stop fighting. I already know how it goes. They want me to be the brash, mean guy and the second I come out and say something positive, it kind of goes to like, ‘Oh, OK, next question. Like, here you go, trying to be nice.’
“Again, I’m not trying to be nice. It’s just naturally who I am as a person and I just allow myself to be natural. I think that perspective comes across unique to other people and eventually, the people who aren’t on board yet are going to start to realize.”
In a day and age of TikTok and YouTube stars aspiring to test the waters in combat sports, Lee is the opposite. But the mesh of the two audiences is a powerful recipe – and Lee sits in a position to be that crossroads fighter. In fact, he almost participated in a recent bare-knuckle boxing event involving social media personalities.
@keith_lee125 Don’t be fooled by the label “Healthy” Read the labels and enjoy Yoursef. God bless you ✨ #foodtiktok
Regardless of whatever happens in his fighting career, Lee now has something to hold onto outside the cage. His merch has sold successfully and allowed him to pocket a nice sum of cash during periods of inactivity.
“We started our own merch company, literally out of my own house,” Lee said. “We just woke up one day and was like, ‘Let’s just start selling hoodies. And the hoodies are out. We’re on our third season and we sell out of each season in like a week. It’s like, a batch of 200-300 hoodies a week.”
Lee isn’t sure what his ceiling is in the world of social media, but he knows it’s high if there is one. As the 1 million follower countdown winds down. Lee hopes he can pair with Bellator to do more work in the TikTok sphere – but things still have to occur organically.
“I believe my tongue is very powerful,” Lee said. “I believe I will be a superstar. I truly believe I will be a superstar. I’m going to reach pinnacles that I never imagined of reaching. I’m going to reach heights that I’ve never imagined of reaching. People that are joining now and are watching me now are just early to the joint, early to the party. I think we’re going to take this big.”
Bellator 265 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
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The MMA world gets a rare triple-dose of action this week with the three biggest U.S.-based promotions lined up to go back-to-back-to-back.
The MMA world gets a rare triple-dose of action this week with the three biggest U.S.-based promotions lined up to go back-to-back-to-back.
The PFL’s second playoff event of the 2021 season takes place Thursday in Florida. Bellator 265 takes place Friday in South Dakota. And UFC on ESPN 29 is set for Saturday in Las Vegas.
There are some heavy hitters atop each lineup, for sure. Kayla Harrison, arguably the PFL’s biggest star, will try to reach her second straight $1 million final when she meets Genah Fabian in the women’s lightweight semifinals. At Bellator 265, Cheick Kongo takes on Sergei Kharitonov in a key heavyweight bout. And for the UFC, Jared Cannonier meets Kelvin Gastelum in a big middleweight bout.
But with so much going on over three straight days, there have to be some fights that are falling under the radar. That’s what host John Morgan asked our panel on this week’s “Spinning Back Clique.” So what are we forgetting about, according to Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Matthew Wells?
You can watch their discussion in the video above, or check out the full episode below.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week, our panel discusses A.J. McKee’s title win at Bellator 263 and if that makes him the best featherweight in the world. Plus, they dive into MMA fighter pay in the aftermath of Cheyanne Buys’ UFC on ESPN 28 win and subsequent viral revelation; Sean Strickland’s post-fight speech; Bellator and UFC breakout performances; and upcoming heavyweight potential fights.
Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel this week of Matthew Wells, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia discusses these topics and more with host John Morgan.
