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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for March.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”
Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,242, the fellas unpack a very busy week and weekend in MMA, reacting to what transpired at Invicta FC 46, Eagle FC 46, UFC Fight Night 203, Bellator 276, and more. 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.
Johnny Eblen stayed unbeaten this past Saturday in what was his toughest test yet – and now he thinks a title shot could be next.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] stayed unbeaten this past Saturday in what was his toughest test yet – and now he thinks a title shot could be next.
Eblen (11-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) dominated John Salter (18-6 MMA, 8-3 BMMA) in their middleweight fight at Bellator 276 at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. Salter was in the top spot in Bellator’s official rankings behind champ Gegard Mousasi, who beat him in a title fight in 2021. Eblen sat at No. 3, so logic says he’ll now move into the top contender spot.
Eblen called for a title fight against Mousasi in the wake of his win.
“I’m a man who likes to work, so whatever gets me the next fight, I’m down to do it,” Eblen told MMA Junkie. “Obviously, I would love to fight for the title. If that doesn’t happen, so be it. But I am the No. 1 contender now, and the guy hasn’t fought me yet. So let’s do it maybe.
“If I fight three more times and get a little bit more experience, I’ll probably be more prepared for that fight. But the thing is, I think I’m ready now. I think I match up well with Mousasi. I think I’m just a younger version of him, pretty much. I expect to do better than him, honestly, in my career. He said he only has two fights left in his career and then he’s dipping (out). I want to be one of those fights, and I want to be sure of it. I don’t want anything weird to happen.”
The 36-year-old Mousasi is coming off a quick TKO win over one of Eblen’s American Top Team teammates, Austin Vanderford, in the Bellator 275 main event in February.
Bellator president Scott Coker would not commit to a title shot for Eblen after Bellator 276, but acknowledged Mousasi might have more than the two fights left that he’s talked about.
“I think his stock went way up (Saturday),” Coker said of Eblen. “We do have a couple other guys we’ve been talking with Gegard, but I think Johnny’s name is right up in the mix today after his win over Salter.
“Gegard says that (he only wants two more fights), and then he tells me, ‘I want to fight three more times before the end of the year.’ He’s got a lot of watches to buy, so I think we’ll be fine.”
Check out the full post-fight interview with Eblen in the video above.
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The crowd was firmly behind Julius Anglickas, but they were unable to help him beat Phil Davis.
[autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] remains consistent as a tough out for any fighter on the Bellator roster who does not hold title gold.
At Bellator 276, that was no different as Davis (24-6 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) dominated home-crowd favorite Julius Anglickas (10-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). The bout served as the co-main event for the card, which took place Saturday at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
Davis utilized a wrestling-heavy attack, the bread-and-butter arsenal by use of which he rose to fame. Anglickas tried his best to keep the fight standing, but he failed time and time again. Perhaps it was the threat of a heavy Davis takedown, but Anglickas was largely unable to get find his rhythm before each time the fight hit the canvas.
In Round 3, Davis sought a submission by straight armbar, but Anglickas defended. He finished off the round with a massive takedown. Moments later, he was named the winner based on the scorecards.
Wonderful takedown, again from @PhilMrWonderful.
We are LIVE on @SHOsports with #Bellator276👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/eEMKeIEnOX
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 13, 2022
With the appearance, Davis has now competed 14 times under the Bellator banner – one more than his 13 UFC appearances. He turns a standalone decision victory over Yoel Romero into a winning streak. Over the past nine fights, Davis has only lost to one man: Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov.
As for Anglickas, the loss puts him on the first two fight skid of his career. In October, he served as a grand prix alternate and lost to Nemkov via submission in a title challenge. The two losses come after three straight wins that kicked off his Bellator tenure.
Wild that Phil Davis is about to have more Bellator fights (14) than he did UFC fights (13). #Bellator276 https://t.co/NG7PfgUArl
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) March 13, 2022
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 276 results include:
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Bellator MMA might have an early candidate for its “Fight of the Year.”
Fans of momentum shifts and drama probably will enjoy catching [autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Augusto[/autotag] on replay if they missed it live.
In improbable fashion, Polizzi (9-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) rallied from the brink of defeat at Bellator 276 to defeat his larger Brazilian foe Augusto (7-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) by rear-naked choke at the 0:44 mark of Round 3.
Bellator 276 took place at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. and aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
The madness really began in Round 2 after a closely-contested Round 1. As Polizzi ducked in for a takedown, Augusto drilled him square in the face with a powerful flying knee. Polizzi dropped to his knees before he staggered upward and ate a barrage of strikes from the rangy Augusto. Nearly out on his feet, Polizzi bounced off the cage and fell to the canvas. Augusto pounced, but Polizzi did just enough for referee Kerry Hatley to allow the contest to continue.
Augusto went for an armbar, covered in the blood that squirted from Polizzi’s face. But Polizzi refused to tap. He not only worked his way out of the bad position, but moved into a favorable one, too. Polizzi mounted Augusto and rained down ground-and-pound until the end of the round.
In Round 3, Polizzi capitalized on an early grappling mistake by Augusto. On the back, Polizzi quickly locked in a rear-naked choke where he secured the tap.
Check out the key highlights of the fight below, or check out the full replay here.
Big slam from @EazyPolizzi 👀
Tune in to the #Bellator276 @MonsterEnergy prelims 👇
▶️ https://t.co/BupaVqPPD5 pic.twitter.com/AvCTAuRYej
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 13, 2022
INSANE from @EazyPolizzi and @joseaugustomma!
Tune in to the #Bellator276 @MonsterEnergy prelims 👇
▶️ https://t.co/BupaVqPPD5 pic.twitter.com/f58WN1jVpG
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 13, 2022
After eating a HUGE knee strike, @EazyPolizzi submits Jose Augusto for a comeback victory on the #Bellator276 @MonsterEnergy prelims 👇
▶️ https://t.co/BupaVqPPD5 pic.twitter.com/XS31esc6xp
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 13, 2022
After the fight, Polizzi sported swelling under his right eye and told commentator “Big” John McCarthy he had no recollection of the knee the broadcast showed on replay.
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 276 results include:
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Bellator 276 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).
Bellator 276 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).
The event takes place at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, Adam Borics (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) takes on Mads Burnell (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a top featherweight contenders fight. In the light heavyweight co-feature, former champion Phil Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) takes on recent title challenger Julius Anglickas (10-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA).
Official Bellator 276 results include:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)
Bellator 276 takes place Friday in Missouri, and you can discuss the event here.
Bellator 276 takes place Friday in Missouri, and you can discuss the event here.
Bellator 276 takes place Saturday at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. It kicks off at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.
Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our Bellator 276 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.
Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 6 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 9 p.m. ET for the main card.
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Johnny Eblen is bringing an official new nickname to fight week: “The Human Cheat Code.”
ST. LOUIS – [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] is bringing an official new nickname to fight week: “The Human Cheat Code.”
Eblen got the nickname from American Top Team coach Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal, and it stuck during an in-cage interview after his most recent fight. Now Eblen (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) is making it official for his Bellator 276 fight against John Salter (18-5 MMA, 8-2 BMMA), which could put him in line for a middleweight title shot with a win.
Eblen spoke to MMA Junkie and other media members at Thursday’s Bellator 276 media day in St. Louis. Eblen talked about his new nickname, his fight against Salter and the stakes, fighting not far from where he wrestled collegiately at the University of Missouri and more.
Check out the portions of Eblen’s interview in the video above.
Bellator 276 takes place Saturday at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
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Check out the final faceoffs ahead of Bellator 276 headlined by Adam Borics vs. Mads Burnell.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Bellator 276 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins took place Friday, and the fighters came face to face one final time before Saturday’s event.
The weigh-ins took place at Family Arena. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. In the main event, [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] and [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] are set to meet in what should be a featherweight title eliminator.
In addition to the ceremonial video highlights above, you can catch the early and official Bellator 276 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.
Check out our gallery below.
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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the Bellator 276 main event between Adam Borics and Mads Burnell.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 276.
Bellator 276 takes place Saturday at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
