Tag: Bellator 276

Video: Adam Borics, Mads Burnell make weight for Bellator 276 headliner

The Bellator 276 main event is set with both featherweights on the mark for their No. 1 contender fight.

ST. LOUIS – The Bellator 276 main event is set with both featherweights on the mark for their No. 1 contender fight.

[autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) was first to the scale in the one-hour weigh-ins window and was on the mark at 145.8 pounds. [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) was the second to last fighter to come to the scale with about eight minutes left in the window. He weighed in at 145.6.

The winner will be in position to potentially challenge the winner of the upcoming featherweight title rematch between champion A.J. McKee and former champ Patricio Freire.

Check out Borics and Burnell’s trips to the scale at the Bellator host hotel in St. Louis 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.

Bellator 276 weigh-in results (10 a.m. ET)

Check out the results from the official Bellator 276 fighter weigh-ins.

ST. LOUIS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official Bellator 276 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at the Bellator host hotel in in St. Louis. The nearby Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Among those weighing in are Adam Borics (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and Mads Burnell (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who meet in a top featherweight contenders fight in the main event, and former light heavyweight champion Phil Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) and recent title challenger Julius Anglickas (10-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA), who fight in the co-feature.

The full Bellator 276 weigh-in results include:

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

  • Adam Borics () vs. Mads Burnell ()
  • Julius Anglickas () vs. Phil Davis ()
  • Johnny Eblen () vs. John Salter ()
  • Gadzhi Rabadanov () vs. Jay Jay Wilson ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Jose Augusto () vs. Alex Polizzi ()
  • Romero Cotton () vs. Freddy Sandoval ()
  • Diana Avsaragova () vs. Ashley Deen ()
  • James Adcock () vs. Cody Law ()
  • Roman Faraldo () vs. Kelvin Rayford ()
  • Jordan Howard () vs. Trevor Ward ()
  • Josh Augustine () vs. Dan Busch ()

Video: Watch Friday’s Bellator 276 ceremonial weigh-ins live on MMA Junkie at 2 p.m. ET

Check out a live video stream of the Bellator 276 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Bellator 276 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, 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 Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The same venue hosts Saturday’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 276 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.

Bellator 276: Exciting finisher Jay Jay Wilson explains why lightweight will likely be new home

Former featherweight Jay Jay Wilson thinks the move to lightweight for Bellator 276 might be a permanent one.

After a pair of previous fight bookings fell apart, New Zealand’s [autotag]Jay Jay Wilson[/autotag] is excited to fight again for a few reasons.

At Bellator 276, Wilson (8-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) will return to action to face Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in the first lightweight bout of his career. The move could very well be a permanent one for the undefeated fighter, who has enjoyed the camp leading into this fight without having to worry about the number on the scale.

“This week has definitely not been as rough,” Wilson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Thursday’s media day. “Usually by this time I’m pretty dead, but I still got energy, you know? I was hitting pads. I’ve only got about five more pounds to cut, so it’s going to be an easy, easy weight cut.”

In what would have been Wilson’s second fight of 2021, he was scheduled to face Adam Borics in the co-main event of Bellator 265. However, he missed weight and the fight was canceled after refusing the “ridiculous deal” Borics proposed that he says would have left him fighting for free.

This time around, everything appears in place, as Wilson enters his first fight of 2022. The exciting finisher has stopped six of his seven Bellator opponents, four of which were bouts that did not make it out of the first round.

Check out Wilson’s full media day interview in the video above.

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Alex Polizzi entering Bellator 276 with 0-0 mindset, ‘coming into it fresh’

Could Alex Polizzi be the dark horse of the light heavyweight division?

ST. LOUIS – Rising light heavyweight fighter [autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag] continues to climb up the divisional ladder, but his mindset remains the same.

At Bellator 276, Polizzi (9-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) partakes in the featured prelim against Brazilian standout Jose Augusto (7-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA). Whether his opponent was 0-100 or 100-0, Polizzi keeps the same mindset. The past is in the past. All he can control is the present.

“It’s kind of cliche at the point, (but) you’ve got to treat every fight coming up as 0-0, coming into it fresh,” Polizzi told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Thursday. “Really, the only thing I’m looking back for is lessons we can pull out of fights, whether that’s a win, whether that’s a loss, we’re always learning, we’re always trying to get better and bring our game into a more refined edge for that next fight.”

Augusto, 29, has proven a tough out during his short Bellator tenure to date. After a submission win over UFC alum Jonathan Wilson in his Bellator debut, Augusto nearly defeated former UFC title challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson before he was knocked out in a back-and-forth affair.

Polizzi knows the challenge in front of him is great, but isn’t focused on his opponent. The mindset he enters Bellator 276 with is that he can only control what he can control.

“I’m sure that he’s on the same trajectory, the same kind of ideas I am,” Polizzi said. “Nobody likes losing. But the fact of the matter is I’m not doing a whole lot of looking at him (or) opponents. I’ve said it before. I’m more focused on my game plan and what I’m going to bring to the table, so whatever he’s cooking up, whatever he’s got in store, hopefully he’s ready for me.”

Bellator 276 takes place Saturday at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out Polizzi’s full pre-fight news conference in the video above.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3239: Guest Adam Borics, UFC 272 preview, Cain Velasquez, more

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

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

On Episode 3,239, the fellas welcomed guest [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag], who headlines Bellator 276 next week against Mads Burnell in St. Louis. They also looked ahead to Saturday’s big UFC 272 card in Las Vegas, discussed the shocking Cain Velasquez developments, and talked about the rest of the biggest news 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.

Bellator 276 set for March 12 in St. Louis with Adam Borics vs. Mads Burnell

A key featherweight matchup is set for next month with Adam Borics taking on Mads Burnell in St. Louis.

A key featherweight matchup is set for next month with [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] taking on [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] in a matchup that will likely determine a future challenger Bellator’s 145-pound title.

Promotion officials today revealed that the contest headlines the newly announced Bellator 276 event, which takes place March 12 at Family Arena in St. Louis.

Borics (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) carries a three-fight winning streak into the contest, notching decision wins over Jeremy Kennedy, Erick Sanchez and Mike Hamel. Borics was scheduled to compete this past August, but his opponent, Jay Jay Wilson, missed weight, and the bout was canceled. Borics now returns from an 11-month layoff.

Meanwhile, Burnell (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) is riding the strength of a seven-fight winning streak, with the first four in that run taking place under the Cage Warriors banner before shifting over to Bellator, where he has since taken out Emmanuel Sanchez, Saul ROgers and Darko Banovic.

Additional matchups announced for the event include light heavyweights Julius Anglickas (10-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) vs. Phil Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA), lightweights Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Jay Jay Wilson (8-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and light heavyweights Jose Augusto (7-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) vs. Alex Polizzi (9-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA).

The lineup for Bellator 276 currently includes:

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

  • Adam Borics vs. Mads Burnell
  • Phil Davis vs. Julius Anglickas
  • Jay Jay Wilson vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET )

  • Jose Augusto vs. Alex Polizzi