Tag: Bellator 269

Spinning Back Clique: On Fedor’s next fight, Paulo Costa and Nate Diaz’s UFC futures, and more

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, we look at [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag]’s stunning performance, the saga between [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] and [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag], the futures of [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag], and what to expect at UFC 267.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss these topics with host John Morgan.

  • This past weekend, 45-year-old Fedor Emelianenko was in vintage form, scoring an incredible walk-off knockout of Tim Johnson in Russia. It was a pretty special moment for the former PRIDE champ, and Fedor seems to want to fight out his current deal with Bellator before calling it a career. So what fight should be next?
  • It was an intriguing week in the UFC, as well, with Paulo Costa admitting a bicep injury was the culprit behind his inability to make middleweight against Marvin Vettori, leading to the fight ultimately taking place at light heavyweight. Afterward Vettori’s win, UFC president Dana White said he believes Costa will need to compete at 205 pounds moving forward, while the Brazilian suggested maybe it was going to take a little more money for him to make a move like that. Three questions: What makes sense for Costa now? Is the UFC setting a bad precedent for allowing this? And did Vettori get a raw deal after all was said and done?
  • After UFC Fight Night 196, White confirmed that Nate Diaz has one fight remaining with the promotion and that the company was currently working on booking that contest. What is the best fight to make for Diaz right now, and do you believe that will be the last time he fights for the UFC?
  • It’s championship week in the PFL, with the organization set to crown six new champs and hand out six more $1 million checks. It’s a big night, and there should be some great fights, but it’s hard not to focus on what happens afterward, when we know that undefeated star Kayla Harrison is set to become a free agent. Should she stay, or should she go? What’s the best next move for Harrison, and is it impacted by how things turn out in her fight with Taylor Guardado?
  • UFC 267 is this Saturday in Abu Dhabi with a special early start time for everyone, and it’s loaded with some very meaningful fights. Jan Blachowicz-Glover Teixeira, Cory Sandhagen-Petr Yan, Dan Hooker-Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev-Li Jingliang are among the fights generating the most buzz. Who’s going to steal the spotlight at Etihad Arena?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3203: Guest Kenny Florian, UFC/Bellator recaps, PFL preview, more

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

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

On Episode 3,203, the fellas welcome guest [autotag]Kenny Florian[/autotag] to help break down Wednesday’s PFL Championship fights. Plus, they look back at Bellator 269 and UFC Fight Night 196 and discuss the latest MMA news.

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.

Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov celebrate Fedor Emelianenko’s KO of Tim Johnson at Bellator 269

Fedor Emelianenko’s walk-off knockout of Tim Johnson had everyone on their feet – including Khabib Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag]’s walk-off knockout of Tim Johnson had everyone on their feet – including [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) returned from an almost two-year layoff to face Johnson in the main event of Bellator 269 on Saturday, and he put on a show in front of his home fans in Moscow.

It took “The Last Emperor” less than two minutes to put Johnson away and it appears the 45-year-old legend still has a lot of fight left in him. A cageside Nurmagomedov couldn’t contain his excitement as he applauded Emelianenko’s emphatic return to the cage.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CVYtDaIlTaM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Despite his standout performance, Emelianenko remains uncertain of his fighting future. With one fight remaining on his Bellator contract, Emelianenko didn’t rule out a return to competition, but said he needs some time to reflect with his family before making a decision.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Fedor Emelianenko’s fairy tale end is clear, but is it achievable? | Opinion

All signs point to Fedor Emelianenko wanting to close his career with the Bellator heavyweight title.

Legendary heavyweight [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] scored a beautiful knockout of Tim Johnson in his return to home soil at Bellator 269 in Moscow.

It ended up being a thrilling moment for Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), but it also had the potential to be very sad. The betting odds had Johnson (15-8 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) favored to travel into enemy territory to win. That wasn’t unjust, either, because it was hard to know what version of the former PRIDE FC champ we’d be getting after he spent nearly two years away from the sport.

During Emelianenko’s layoff he celebrated his 45th birthday, and also had a severe case of COVID-19 that briefly put him in the hospital. It seemed entirely possible he would show up as a deeply compromised version of himself and be in over his head against Johnson, who had a more than 30-pound weight advantage.

To the delight of pretty much everyone outside of Johnson, his team, his family and his friends, Emelianenko turned back the clock and delivered a vintage 108-second knockout. It was fast, it was painless (for Fedor at least), and it was devastating. A truly feel-good moment all the way around.

The question now, however, is what does Emelianenko do from here? He has so much to be proud in his career, and it’s hard to fathom him putting together a more perfect moment than what happened on Saturday in front of his own people in Russia. It was perfect in every sense, and if I was his personal advisor, I’d strongly encourage him to close the door on the competitive chapter of his life.

But as we’ve seen so many times before in combat sports, almost no one retires when it seems to make the most sense. Moreover, Emelianenko has one fight remaining on his Bellator contract, and his services don’t come cheap. Leaving that money on the table would be foolish to a degree, and it’d be hard to blame him for wanting to collect it.

Given that, there seems to be two plausible scenarios for Emelianenko. He can either play it safe and pursue a winnable matchup that boost his chances of ending his career on a win, or he can shoot for the stars and try to go out on the highest of highs.

The fact Emelianenko chose Johnson for this matchup at Bellator 269 hints he’s thinking about the latter. Johnson entered the fight No. 2 in the Bellator heavyweight rankings, and Emelianenko picked him because he wanted to show he belongs at the top of the division and is relevant to the title.

A rematch with Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader could offer Emelianenko his fairytale finish. We saw how that fight played out already, and it didn’t go well for Emelianenko. However, Bader (28-7 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) has since been knocked out twice and looked like a more aged version of himself in recent fights. Perhaps that means he’s vulnerable. Or not. But if Emelianenko wants to take the risk and go for glory, then this is the obvious option.

It would take some maneuvering, of course. After Bader got ousted from the light heavyweight grand prix against Corey Anderson, he’s targeted to return to heavyweight for a title unification bout with interim champ Valentin Moldavsky. Conveniently, Moldavsky is one of Emelianenko’s pupils and teammates, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he offered to step aside and let his mentor fight Bader instead.

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Usman Nurmagomedov calls for step up in competition after one-sided Bellator 269 showing

After another first-round finish, Usman Nurmagomedov demands a step up in competition.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] thinks he’s ready.

After a dominant first-round submission over Patrik Pietila on Saturday at Bellator 269, Nurmagomedov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) called for a step up in competition against a ranked fighter.

“I certainly want a top fighter next, top 10, maybe top 15,” Nurmagomedov said through an interpreter at a virtual post-fight news conference. “It doesn’t really matter to me, but it has to be a top fighter. I need to take a bit of a rest because I have camps there (and) camps here every two-and-half-months. I really need some rest, but that’ll be just a week. Just a week’s rest, and I’m back intact.”

Already seated in the promotion’s official lightweight rankings, Nurmagomedov is eying the title – even though the opportunity isn’t imminent. In fact, prior to being informed at the Bellator 269 post-fight news conference, he wasn’t even aware the 155-pound title had recently been vacated. Why? It doesn’t matter who has the title when he reaches the top.

“When it comes to talking to Scott (Coker) about the next title (shots), I have not yet talked to Scott about anything,” Nurmagomedov said. “… When the time comes to fight for the belt, I really won’t care who is there, who reached what. I know one thing: I’m going to take the belt and take it back home.

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Nurmagomedov, the younger cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib, has high aspirations in the sport. Unbeatable thus far in his professional career, Nurmagomedov hopes to leave a legacy similar to his legendary relative.

“When it comes to me and Khabib, Khabib taught me everything,” Nurmagomedov said. “I’m always training with Khabib. I’m always mirroring his technique, and everything I know is just through the way Khabib does it for quite obvious reasons. For me, he is an icon. Obviously, that’s where I’m trying to get myself to.”

Bellator 269 took place Saturday at VTB Arena in Moscow. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Bellator 269 winner ‘Baby Fedor’ relieved by impressive showing on Emelianenko’s card in Moscow

With the nickname “Baby Fedor,” you can imagine the significance of Kirill Sidelnikov earning a win while sharing a card with the legend himself.

With the nickname “Baby Fedor,” you can imagine the significance of [autotag]Kirill Sidelnikov[/autotag] earning a win while sharing a card with the legend himself, Fedor Emelianenko.

Sidelnikov (13-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) was impressive Saturday at Bellator 269 as he pummeled Rab Truesdale for a TKO win in the first round of their heavyweight bout at VTB Arena in Moscow.

The victory marked Sidelnikov’s first fight in two years and his first finish in almost six years. The fact that it happened on the same night Emelianenko headlined (and won impressively), and in front of his home country fans, made it that much sweeter.

“When you’re fighting on the same card with Fedor, it’s a different kind of responsibility,” Sidelnikov told reporters afterward through a translator. “You can’t just lose, because you’re fighting with your friend on Team Fedor, you need to defend the honor of Team Fedor, you need to defend the honor of your friend, so yeah, that was important.”

It didn’t hurt that Sidelnikov felt some fortune on his side, either.

“Although I know how to punch really well, and I know how to do that, today I feel like it was my lucky day,” Sidelnikov said. “I feel like some sort of luck was involved in this fight.”

Sidelnikov, now on a two-fight winning streak, isn’t sure what comes next for him, but the hope is that he isn’t on another long layoff.

“I do not have a name in mind, but I’m certainly ready for the future fights,” Sidelnikov said. “I’m certainly ready for anything else Bellator can throw at me. Hopefully the situation with (obtaining a visa) is going to be resolved soon. We’ll just see.”

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Twitter reacts to Fedor Emelianenko’s walk-off KO of Tim Johnson at Bellator 269

See the top Twitter reactions to Fedor Emelianenko’s knockout win over Tim Johnson at Bellator 269.

[autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag]’s return to Russia proved successful on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] in the Bellator 269 main event.

Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), the legendary former PRIDE FC champion, thrived in his homecoming fight in Moscow with a first-round knockout victory over Johnson (15-8 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) in the heavyweight fight at VTB Arena.

“The Last Emperor” said pre-fight that he wouldn’t retire after this win, and at 45 years old, it remains to be seen if he sticks to his guns.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Emelianenko’s victory over Johnson at Bellator 269

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Bellator 269 results: Usman Nurmagomedov strangles Patrik Pietila for third promotional win

With cousin Khabib in his corner, Usman Nurmagomedov kept his unbeaten streak alive at Bellator 269.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s reign of dominance continues on.

Saturday at Bellator 269, Nurmagomedov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) dragged down and submitted [autotag]Patrik Pietila[/autotag] with a rear-naked choke at the 4:06 mark of Round 1 at VTB Arena in Moscow.

It took less than a minute for Nurmagomedov to get the fight to the ground. Once there, he did not rush things. He was patient and slowly but surely advanced himself to a dominant position.

After a few minutes on the canvas, Nurmagomedov gained control of Pietila’s back. While the Finnish fighter fended off the first submission attempt, Nurmagomedov quickly switched his grips and cranked. It only took a few seconds for the tap and Nurmagomedov’s third promotional win to be sealed.

Pietila’s name is added to a list with Manny Muro and Mike Hamel, whom Nurmagomedov defeated in his first two Bellator bouts. Through three fights, Nurmagomedov has one submission, one TKO and one unanimous decision. The 23-year-old lightweight is the younger cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who cornered the fight Saturday.

As for Pietila, the defeat was his second straight and his third in five outings. Bellator 269 marked only the second time he has been submitted.

The latest Bellator 269 results include:

  • Usman Nurmagomedov def. Patrik Pietila via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:06
  • Anatoly Tokov def. Sharaf Davlatmurodov via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Kirill Sidelnikov def. Rab Truesdale via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:01
  • Katarzyna Sadura def. Darina Mazdyuk via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:17
  • Irina Alekseeva def. Stephanie Page via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Nikita Mikhailov def. Brian Moore via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Alexey Shurkevich def. Grachik Bozinyan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:25
  • Aiden Lee def. Alexander Osetrov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:41

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Bellator 269 video: ‘Baby Fedor’ pummels opponent into oblivion

Before his mentor took the cage, Kirill Sidelnikov impressed at Bellator 269.

Before [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] walked to the cage Saturday in Moscow, “Baby Fedor” had his turn and made the most of it.

[autotag]Kirill Sidelnikov[/autotag], an underling of “The Last Emperor,” quickly made his mark at Bellator 269 when he ran through heavyweight opponent [autotag]Rab Truesdale[/autotag] in 2:10 for his sixth pro stoppage due to strikes.

The bout served as the featured prelim for the event, which took place Saturday at VTB Arena in Moscow. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Sidelnikov (13-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) caught a Truesdale () kick approximately 90 seconds into the fight and landed a left jab that dropped the Scottish fighter to the mat. From there, Sidelnikov pounced. Punches and elbows to the head and body landed over and over again.

Bloodied and battered, Truesdale attempted to block the strikes with his hands but there was no escape. A series of violent ground-and-pound elbows were unanswered and referee Kevin MacDonald waved off the fight.

With the win, Sidelnikov turned a solo victory into a winning streak. Meanwhile, Truesdale loses his second straight outing in his promotional debut.

Check out the finish from “Baby Fedor” in the video below:

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 269 results include:

  • Kirill Sidelnikov def. Rab Truesdale via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:01
  • Katarzyna Sadura def. Darina Mazdyuk via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:17
  • Irina Alekseeva def. Stephanie Page via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Nikita Mikhailov def. Brian Moore via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Alexey Shurkevich def. Grachik Bozinyan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:25
  • Aiden Lee def. Alexander Osetrov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:41

Bellator 269 results: Katarzyna Sadura stymies Darina Mazdyuk hype with second-round TKO win

Not the first impression Darina Mazdyuk was hoping for after she went viral in 2020 for beating a 529-pound man.

[autotag]Darina Mazdyuk[/autotag] entered Bellator 269 with plenty of attention thanks to a viral video. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t make the first impression she hoped to.

[autotag]Katarzyna Sadura[/autotag] spoiled Mazdyuk’s promotional debut by earning a second-round TKO victory in their flyweight bout in what was also Sadura’s Bellator debut Saturday at VTB Arena in Moscow.

Mazdyuk came into the bout with hype around her name after winning an intergender fight against a 529-pound man in 2020. Bellator 269 represented the first bout on a multifight contract.

Mazdyuk (3-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) came out aggressive in Round 1, mixing leg and body kicks and punches, but she was throwing winging punches with her chin up, which opened her up to Sadura’s counters. Sadura (5-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) continued to tag Mazdyuk as she got the better of most of their striking exchanges. The damage was evident on the left side of Mazdyuk’s face, too. As the round wore on, Sadura found success with front leg kicks, too, which compromised Mazdyuk’s movement. It was clear from the first five minutes that Sadura was the more technically sound fighter.

Sadura’s length advantage and disciplined striking continued to shine against Mazdyuk’s winging punches in Round 2, which continued at a slower pace but with high volume. The accumulation of strikes absorbed by Mazdyuk finally was enough midway through the second round. Sadura landed a big overhand right that stunned Mazdyuk, who walked right into a short left that dropped her to the mat. From there, Sadura rained down with strikes to finish Mazdyuk at the 3:17 mark.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 269 results include:

  • Katarzyna Sadura def. Darina Mazdyuk via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:17
  • Irina Alekseeva def. Stephanie Page via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Nikita Mikhailov def. Brian Moore via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Alexey Shurkevich def. Grachik Bozinyan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:25
  • Aiden Lee def. Alexander Osetrov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:41

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