Tag: Bellator 265

Bellator 265: Make your predictions for Cheick Kongo vs. Sergei Kharitonov (Updated)

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 265 event in South Dakota.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 265 event in South Dakota.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 265 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 265 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

‘Baby Slice’ returns: Kevin Ferguson Jr. booked for Bellator 265 in South Dakota

The son of Kimbo Slice is set for his first fight of 2021.

[autotag]Kevin Ferguson Jr.[/autotag], known to fans as “Baby Slice,” has his first fight of 2021 on the books.

The son of “Kimbo Slice,” Ferguson (3-3 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) will look to bump his record above .500 when he takes on [autotag]Cody Lincoln[/autotag] on Friday at Bellator 265. The fight will take place at lightweight on the preliminary card.

Bellator 265 takes place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Bellator officials recently announced the booking. Fansided was first to report the matchup.

Ferguson, 29, has not competed since a unanimous decision loss to Kaheem Murray in November 2020. The defeat was his second in three outings, with the third being a win that was overturned to a no contest due to illegal strikes to the back of the head that were missed by the referee.

His opponent, North Dakota’s Lincoln (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), will look to win on home turf in his promotional debut. Although he hasn’t competed since November 2018, Lincoln has won two of his most recent three fights, including a victory a LFA: Sioux Falls Fight Night 1 over Derek Varin.

With the addition, the Bellator 265 lineup includes:

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

  • Sergei Kharitonov vs. Cheick Kongo
  • Adam Borics vs. Jay Jay Wilson
  • Keith Lee vs. Jornel Lugo
  • Marcelo Golm vs. Kelvin Tiller
  • Dante Schiro vs. Logan Storley

PRELIMS, MMA Junkie (6 p.m. ET)

  • Fabio Aguiar vs. Taylor Johnson
  • Mike Hamel vs. Bryce Logan
  • Kevin Ferguson Jr. vs. Cody Lincoln
  • Kevin Childs vs. Bailey Schoenfelder
  • Archie Colgan vs. CJ Randall
  • Kody Moegenberg vs. Jeff Nielsen
  • Deven Fisher vs. Duane Johnson

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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:

Bellator 265 heads to South Dakota, adds Alejandra Lara vs. DeAnna Bennett matchup

Bellator 265 set to go down in South Dakota, adds Alejandra Lara vs. DeAnna Bennett.

Bellator is headed to South Dakota and they’ve brought over an exciting women’s flyweight matchup for the event.

Bellator 265 is set to go down at Sanford Pentagon on Aug. 20 in Sioux Falls, S.D. [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] vs. [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag], which was originally scheduled for Bellator 263 in Lo Angeles on July 31, has been moved to the Aug. 20 event.

Multiple people with knowledge of the event and matchup informed the news to MMA Junkie on Monday.

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Lara (9-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) is looking to bounce back into the win column after a split decision loss to Japan’s Kana Watanabe at Bellator 255 in April. Prior to the defeat, Lara had back-to-back wins over Taylor Turner and Veta Arteaga. The 26-year-old fights out of Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Meanwhile, Bennett (10-7-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) is out to get her first Bellator win. The former Invicta FC title challenger lost her promotional debut against top contender Liz Carmouche in September. Bennett competed on season 26 of the UFC’s reality T.V. show “The Ultimate Fighter.”

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