Tag: Bellator 278

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, April 26: New champ Liz Carmouche climbs

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following Bellator 278, 279 and UFC Fight Night 205.

A number of divisional rankings were shaken up following UFC Fight Night 205 and dual events in Honolulu with Bellator 278 and Bellator 279.

In the first of back-to-back events for the promotion, a new women’s flyweight champ was crowned as [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] defeated Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 278. Although the fourth-round TKO stoppage was considered early by some, including Velasquez, Carmouche walked out of Neil S. Blaisdell Center with some new hardware and a new spot in this week’s rankings, climbing from No. 4 to No. 2. Not only does the new champ take Velasquez’s title, she takes her previous slot in the rankings.

At UFC Fight Night 205, former strawweight champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] returned to the division she once ruled to take on Amanda Lemos in the main event. Not only did Andrade record a win, but she also did so in historic fashion, by recording the first standing arm triangle submission in UFC history. The former champ has seen success throughout her career at bantamweight, flyweight, and strawweight. Now that she has returned to 115 pounds, she also re-enters the rankings in the division, claiming the No. 7 spot.

Take a look at the full rankings below ahead of UFC on ESPN 35.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3254: Unpacking UFC Fight Night 205, Bellator278/279, and more

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 3,254, the guys recap a busy weekend of Bellator and UFC cards, including the controversial stoppage in a title fight, the statements made by multiple fighters, and more.

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.

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Danny Sabatello issues warning to Leandro Higo ahead of Bellator grand prix: ‘You suck and I’m good’

Danny Sabatello gave an expletive-filled explanation as to why he’ll win the bantamweight grand prix after his Bellator 278 win.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] punched his ticket into the eight-man Bellator bantamweight grand prix on Friday, and he’s extremely confident he’ll go through the field to win it at all.

Sabatello (12-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) punched his ticket into the tournament with a one-way beatdown of Jornel Lugo at Bellator 278, using a relentless grappling approach to win a unanimous decision in a wild card matchup that placed him into the semifinal round, where he’ll take on [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag].

After producing a stellar performance against Lugo, there’s no doubt in Sabatello’s mind he’s going to keep the momentum going against Higo (21-5 MMA, 3-4 BMMA), who he views as a very favorable matchup.

“There’s no way there’s a guy out there that can beat me right now,” Sabatello told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at Bellator 278. “If I can do that to a guy that’s a stud like Jornel Lugo, 8-0, undefeated, really f*cking talented and skillful fighter, than I can beat anybody. And now Leandro Higo is f*cking next. If you think I dominated Lugo, just wait and see what I do to Higo.

“Leandro, you’re a f*cking great matchup for me because you suck and I’m good. This is going to be a poetic performance for me.”

Sabatello, who trains out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., said his grand prix quarterfinal with Higo is scheduled for June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. He plans to take or two days to celebrate his win over Lugo before jumping back into training camp, where he intends to build on his skillset even further.

At just 29, Sabatello is confident he’s merely scratching the surface of his capabilities, and he expects only better from himself as he attempts to come out of the grand prix with the interim 135-pound title and a $1 million prize.

“You can’t really mimic (my style),” Sabatello said. “Nobody out there has my type of pressure. I guess you could put a 7,000-ton bolder on you and say, ‘This is Sabatello,’ but I don’t even think that would do justice. There’s no one out there that mimics my style and has my skills and my capabilities. I’m only getting f*cking better from here.”

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Liz Carmouche sides with Mike Beltran on Bellator 278 stoppage, not interested in immediate rematch

The Bellator 278 main event stoppage was controversial to some, but Liz Carmouche didn’t have a problem with it.

HONOLULU – Though she benefited from the ultimate outcome, new Bellator women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] agrees with Mike Beltran’s stoppage that earned her a title.

Carmouche (17-7 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) won via TKO in the fourth round of a Bellator 278 title challenge vs. [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag], a decision her opposition did not agree with. Immediately after the stoppage, Velasquez (12-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and her coaches voiced their displeasure to referee Mike Beltran.

The stoppage received criticism beyond the cage, too, as many viewers called it early. For Carmouche, one of the three people involved in the sequence, she hypothesized Velasquez wouldn’t have been able to get out regardless.

“I think he stepped in at the right time,” Carmouche told MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference. “I think if he let it continue, it could’ve been a broken orbital. It could’ve been her going unconscious. I think when he stepped in, it was the right thing to do to protect the fighter. She wasn’t doing anything to correctly advance her position safely and she wasn’t doing anything to defend it. So if she just kept taking it, ending a fight that way, I’d much rather see a fighter step up and us shake hands rather than have her go to the hospital and not remember what happened. So I think he did the right thing.”

Will a rematch be next? Maybe. Bellator president Scott Coker has yet to issue his thoughts on the Bellator 278 headliner, something reporters will likely get after Bellator 279 tomorrow. Carmouche, however, hopes for a new challenge next.

“I hope not,” Carmouche said. “I get kind of bored with rematches. I like to see something different and kind of change it up. I love an opportunity to let someone else in the division work their way up and see what else I can show off in the cage.”

The victory, controversial or not, is Carmouche’s first major promotional title win. She tried once in Strikeforce, and twice in the UFC, but to no avail. Ultimately, she will go down in the record books as a champion, something she said was meant to be in Bellator.

“I feel like all those opportunities were just lessons. They were mistakes and things I had to take away from it so I’d be prepared for today in Bellator, not any of the other organizations.”

The event was solely attended by military members, veterans, and first responders. A former marine, Carmouche won gold in front of her peers – something that holds more weight than anything else.

“That means more to me, honestly,” Carmouche said. “It could be a group of 10 people. It could be people from a squadron. When it’s military, when it’s first responders, the sacrifices they make in their lives for the sake of other people, it’s unselfish. It’s always putting aside their free time, their lives to give to other people. That means more to me than doing it in front of a large crowd that paid for it. It’s being able to give back and give a free show for them to enjoy something like this.”

Bellator 278 took place Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center as the first of two events in a two-night doubleheader.

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Twitter reacts to Liz Carmouche’s controversial title win over Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 278

The MMA community was largely outraged by the stoppage in Liz Carmouche’s Bellator 278 title win.

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[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] finally got her hands on a major MMA title on Friday at Bellator 278, but it didn’t come without controversy.

Carmouche (17-7 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) claimed the women’s flyweight title from [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) with a fourth-round TKO in the headlining bout in Honolulu, but the finish came on the heels of what was widely believed to be an early stoppage by referee Mike Beltran.

There was an outpour of outrage from the MMA community after the finish, and for more, check below for the top Twitter reactions to Carmouche’s Bellator 278 title iwn.

Bellator 278 results: Liz Carmouche rallies for TKO to become champion; Juliana Velasquez disagrees with stoppage

Bellator has a new flyweight champion – and the former titleholder disagrees with it.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] finally can call herself the champion of a major MMA promotion.

At Bellator 278, Carmouche (16-7 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) defeated then-sitting champion [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) with a TKO stoppage at 4:47 of Round 4. The bout served as the main event for the card which took place Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center as the first of a two-night doubleheader at the venue.

The first four rounds were somewhat closely contested. Carmouche found success with her leg kicks early, but Velasquez made her pay in the boxing department. Two times Velasquez knocked Carmouche down with a punch.

As the bout entered the championship rounds, however, the momentum swung slightly toward Carmouche, who took the fight to the canvas. From there, Carmouche moved to the crucifix position and landed short punches to the head of Velasquez, who found herself stuck.

Referee Mike Beltran saw enough and jumped in, a decision Velasquez and her team made visibly and audibly noted they disagreed with. Immediately after the stoppage, the crowd of first responders, veterans, and military personnel went into a frenzy for one of their own. Meanwhile, Velasquez and her corners pled their case to Beltran, who wasn’t wanting to hear it.

With the victory, Carmouche remains undefeated in Bellator and extends her winning streak to four. As for Velasquez, she loses for the first time in her professional career and it comes by stoppage.

The Bellator 278 results include:

  • Liz Carmouche def. Juliana Velasquez via TKO (elbows) – Round 4, 4:47 – for women’s flyweight title
  • Enrique Barzola def. Nikita Mikhailov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  •  Danny Sabatello def. Jornel Lugo via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  • Grant Neal def. Christian Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Manny Muro def. Nate Andrews via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Weber Almeida def. Fabricio Franco via TKO (referee stoppage) – Round 1, 3:01
  • Dante Schiro def. Scotty Hao via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:03
  • Blake Perry def. Makoa Cooper via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 2, 4:14

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Bellator 278 results: Enrique Barzola, Danny Sabatello enter Bellator grand prix after wild card wins

Dominant performances earned two fighters entry into the Bellator grand prix quarterfinal.

HONOLULU – For the first time in Bellator history, wild card bouts were in play for a grand prix, and they both took place Friday.

At Bellator 278, [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] and [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] advanced into the quarterfinal round of the tournament with dominant victories at Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

Sabatello (12-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) competed first with a wrestling-based, ground-and-pound-heavy, lopsided decision win over Jornel Lugo (8-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA). There was no love lost coming into the matchup, as is usually the case with fights Sabatello partakes in.

Relentless pacing and takedowns opened up the door for ground strikes from Sabatello as Lugo struggled to escape. Lugo did just enough to avoid a finish, but not enough to avoid 10-8 scorecards from the judges. Sabatello swept the scorecards with unanimous 30-26s across the board.

The co-main event came next, as Barzola (18-5-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) defeated Nikita Mikhailov (9-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

A more competitive fight than the first wild card bout of the evening, the contest was still largely dominant, this time in favor of Barzola. Another wrestling-heavy attack, Barzola mixed together all aspects of his ground game to threaten submissions and maintain control.

At multiple points in the fight, Barzola appeared to have a deep submission locked, but Fedor Emelianenko protege Mikhailov wiggled and bucked his way out of danger. While Mikhailov hung tough defensively, the lack of offense was obvious and led to him losing all three rounds from all three judges.

With the wins, both fighters have their next matchups already booked for June 24 at Bellator 282. The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena. Sabatello will face Pitbull Brothers’ underling Leandro Higo (21-5 MMA, 4-3 BMMA). On the same card, Barzola will battle Zabit Magomedsharipov teammate Magomed Magomedov (18-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA).

Bellator 278 took place Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center as the first of a two-night doubleheader at the venue.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 278 results include:

  • Champ Juliana Velasquez vs. Liz Carmouche – for women’s flyweight title
  • Enrique Barzola def. Nikita Mikhailov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  •  Danny Sabatello def. Jornel Lugo via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  • Grant Neal def. Christian Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Manny Muro def. Nate Andrews via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Weber Almeida def. Fabricio Franco via TKO (referee stoppage) – Round 1, 3:01
  • Dante Schiro def. Scotty Hao via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:03
  • Blake Perry def. Makoa Cooper via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 2, 4:14

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Not a foul: Bellator 278 prelim ends in TKO after fighter signals low bow, but replay shows apparent legal kick

Fabricio Franco writhed in pain at what was initially deemed a fight-ending low blow, but replay showed a leg kick instead so the decision was reversed.

HONOLULU – The final Bellator 278 prelim ended in bizarre fashion Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center when Lyoto Machida protege [autotag]Weber Almeida[/autotag] kicked opponent [autotag]Fabricio Franco[/autotag].

At first glance, Franco’s reaction signaled a low blow. The referee called timeout immediately and Franco dropped to the canvas. As he writhed in pain, however, the replay rolled in the arena. The shot in question appeared to hit the upper inside thigh – not the groin.

Franco continued to scooch around on the ground, as the referee frequently checked in on him. Although he rose to his feet on multiple occasions, the referee eventually deemed him unable to continue and the contest was waved off.

The Hawaii State Boxing Commission allows for the use of instant replay, and put it into play. Upon replay, officials deemed the strike legal – and since Franco couldn’t continue, Almeida (5-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) was named the winner by TKO.

Through the final decision reading, Franco (8-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) continued to display signs of pain. He spiked his mouthpiece into the canvas and was assisted out of the cage by members of his team.

With the win, Almeida reenters the win column after a May 2021 loss to Johnny Soto. Meanwhile, Franco finds himself on a two-fight skid.

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Bellator 278 live and official results (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator 278 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

Bellator 278 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. It is the first of back-to-back nights of Bellator events in Hawaii’s capital city. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, women’s flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez (12-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) takes on challenger Liz Carmouche (16-7 MMA, 3-0 BMMA). In addition, Enrique Barzola (17-5-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets Nikita Mikhailov (9-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and Jornel Lugo (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) fights Danny Sabatello (11-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a pair of bantamweight grand prix wild card bouts.

Official Bellator 278 results include:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Juliana Velasquez vs. Liz Carmouche – for women’s flyweight title
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Nikita Mikhailov – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  • Jornel Lugo vs. Danny Sabatello – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  • Christian Edwards vs. Grant Neal
  • Nate Andrews vs. Manny Muro

PRELMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Weber Almeida vs. Fabricio Franco
  • Scotty Hao vs. Dante Schiro
  • Makoa Cooper vs. Blake Perry

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Bellator 278 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs video: Some intense moments in Honolulu

The pre-fight necessities are in the books for the first of two Bellator events this week, and all that’s left to do is fight.

HONOLULU – The pre-fight necessities are in the books for the first of two Bellator events this week, and all that’s left to do is fight.

The Bellator 278 fighters got face to face for the first and only time, officially at least, at Thursday’s ceremonial weigh-ins. Included in that mix were headliners Juliana Velasquez (12-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and Liz Carmouche (16-7 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who fight for Velasquez’s women’s flyweight title.

The two shared a perhaps surprisingly tense faceoff that left the challenger grinning at the champ, who refused to give anything but a scowl.

The most intense faceoff was between Christian Edwards (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) and Grant Neal (6-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA), who meet in a light heavyweight bout on the main card. Stage manager Burt Watson could be seen telling Neal to keep his cool before he got to the faceoff, then was heard telling the two to save it for when they get paid.

Another no-backing-down moment came in the form of one of two bantamweight grand prix wild card bouts. Jornel Lugo (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) and Danny Sabatello (11-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) were not shy at Wednesday’s media day talking about how much they disliked each other, and that showed in their faceoff.

Friday’s card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu is exclusively for military members and first responders. It is the first of back-to-back Bellator events in Hawaii’s capital city. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out all the faceoffs for Bellator 278 in the video above.