Tag: Bellator 280

Logan Storley not worried about Michael Page’s pre-fight antics: ‘I came here on a business trip’

Logan Storley won’t be bothered by Michael Page ahead of their interim welterweight title fight at Bellator 280.

[autotag]Logan Storley[/autotag] has one thing on his mind – the Bellator welterweight interim championship.

Storley is on a mission to earn his first title under a major promotion at Friday’s Bellator 280 in London. But to achieve that, he will have to get past long-time contender Michael Page, as well as Page’s pre-fight antics that come with every fight he’s in.

Page (20-1 MMA, 16-1 BMMA) is notorious for trash talking and being a showman throughout his career. Storley (13-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) is not too familiar dealing with these types of opponents, but regardless, the 29-year-old won’t let the out-of-cage factors distract him from the task at hand.

“I guess Justin Buckley talked a quite a little trash to me, but besides that, that’s about it really,” Storley told MMA Junkie Radio. “I guess I don’t really care. I don’t get too wrapped up in it. At the end of the day, I came here on a business trip. It’s not personal to me. None of this is.

“I don’t disrespect or hate anyone that I’m going to fight. At the end of the day, we’re both prize fighters fighting for money, and I’m going to do my job on Friday, and I’m going to go back to the United Sates and be champ and enjoy my life. I get it. You have to sell the fight a little bit, but it doesn’t do much for me personally.”

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Storley is filling in for champion Yaroslav Amosov, who withdrew from the title fight against Page. Amosov, a native of Ukraine, has opted to stay in his home country and be part of the resistance against Russia’s war.

Storley is fresh off a big win over Neiman Gracie at Bellator 274, which served as the promotion’s first five-round, non-title headliner. The standout wrestler’s lone loss came at the hands of Amosov.

Meanwhile, Page has won six fights in a row since suffering his first-career loss to Lima in the Bellator grand prix semifinals in May 2019. He was able to avenge his knockout loss to Lima in his most recent outing last October when he edged him out at Bellator 267 in London.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, May 10: Carla Esparza, Charles Oliveira, Ryan Bader move up P4P list

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 274, Bellator 280 and 2022 PFL 3.

The USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie men’s and women’s pound-for-pound rankings saw major movement coming out of a weekend of UFC, Bellator and PFL action.

At UFC 274, [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] – after losing his championship belt over a half-pound miss at weigh-ins – solidified his status as the best lightweight on the planet with a first-round submission of Justin Gaethje in the night’s main event. In the co-headliner, [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] became a two-time UFC strawweight champion after earning a split decision from Rose Namajunas in a lackluster fight – but it was a win no less for “Cookie Monster.”

One day earlier at Bellator 280, heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] grinded out a clean-sweep unanimous decision win over Cheick Kongo. And at 2022 PFL 3, [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] made her season debut with a ho-hum performance (“utter dog crap” in her own words) that led to a unanimous decision over Marina Mokhnatkina.

What do those results mean for this week’s pound-for-pound rankings?

On the men’s side, Oliveira jumped up two spots from No. 7 to 5, while Bader advanced one spot from 11 to 10. As for the women, Esparza, who is now on a six-fight winning streak, catapults herself from honorable mention to No. 5, dropping Namajunas a spot to No. 6, as well as Harrison from No. 9 to No. 10.

The pound-for-pound categories weren’t the only ones to be shaken up. Take a look at the full rankings in the dropdowns coming out of UFC 274, Bellator 280, and 2022 PFL 3.

What Yoel Romero really wants is a middleweight title shot: ‘I’m gonna take the belt in Bellator at 185’

Yoel Romero is intent on making up for his UFC title-fight shortcomings after putting on a masterclass at Bellator 280.

[autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] will gladly take the next fight Bellator has lined up for him, even if it’s not what he truly wants.

Romero (14-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) snapped a four-fight losing streak and returned to the win column for the first time in four years Friday at Bellator 280, putting on a masterclass at the expense of Alex Polizzi. For 14 minutes and 59 seconds, Romero was methodical in how he brutalized Polizzi, dropping him four times before winning by TKO at the 4:59 mark of the third round.

Afterward, Bellator announced a re-booked fight between Romero and his original Bellator 280 opponent, Melvin Manhoef, will take place at Bellator Dublin on Sept. 23, and the two men squared off inside the cage at Accor Arena in Paris.

Romero, 45, is fine with fighting Manhoef next. But as he stated prior to Bellator 280, his sights are set on winning the middleweight title.

“Any victory to me is important. They’re all equally important,” Romero told reporters in Spanish through an interpreter. “I’m going to rest about a week. I have no injuries. As you saw, they brought Melvin Manhoef in the cage, but I see further than that. I feel as if I’m gonna do another fight at 185 and continue on the route and to get in line for that belt.”

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If all goes according to plan, Romero would get by Manhoef in September an then fight the winner of the upcoming Bellator 282 headliner between middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi and Johnny Eblen. Ideally, a title shot would happen before the end of the year.

“Yes, of course. I live a very healthy life,” Romero said. “If everything goes well against Manhoef, then I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to contend for the title belt at 185 next fight.”

Romero’s win over Polizzi was at light heavyweight. The Manhoef fight also will take place at 205 pounds. But Romero is intent on capturing gold at 185 pounds after he couldn’t achieve that in the UFC.

Romero first lost an interim title fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 213. In his second interim title fight booking, Romero knocked out Luke Rockhold – but he missed weight, which made him ineligible to win the title. Romero missed weight again ahead of an undisputed title shot rematch with Whittaker, which he also lost. Romero’s final UFC bout was a five-round dud against current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

Given those shortcomings, it’s easy to see why Romero is fixated on winning middleweight gold in Bellator.

“I have spent almost my entire career at 185,” Romero said. “I didn’t get the belt in the UFC, but I am the best in the world. I’m here now in Bellator, and I’m gonna take the belt in Bellator at 185.”

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Ryan Bader def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 280: Best photos

Check out these photos of Ryan Bader’s unanimous decision win over Cheick Kongo to retain his heavyweight title at Bellator 280.

Check out these photos of Ryan Bader’s unanimous decision win over Cheick Kongo to retain his heavyweight title at Bellator 280 from Accor Arena in Paris. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Yoel Romero def. Alex Polizzi at Bellator 280: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Yoel Romero’s TKO win over Alex Polizzi at Bellator 280.

Check out these photos highlighting Yoel Romero’s TKO win over Alex Polizzi at Bellator 280 from Accor Arena in Paris. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Bellator 280 results: Ryan Bader grinds out Cheick Kongo with wrestling to retain heavyweight title

It was “uneventful,” but Ryan Bader got the job done in his rematch with Cheick Kongo.

Here’s the good news: There was no controversy this time between [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag]. The bad news? Their Bellator 280 headliner was anything but spectacular.

Not that it should matter to Bader, though, as the heavyweight champion repeatedly took down Kongo to grind out a unanimous decision win Friday at Accor Arena in Paris. Bader retained his title with a clean sweep of 50-45 scores from the judges.

The formula was simple for Bader: wrestling, wrestling, wrestling, and more wrestling.

Each round mirrored the previous one, with Bader shooting in for an early take down, getting it, and laying on Kongo against the cage.

“I didn’t want the fight to go like that. I wanted the finish,” said Bader, who added that he was ailed by a stomach bug. “… Kind of an uneventful fight. I didn’t want it to go that way, but I got the win.”

The fight was disappointing for the Parisian fans who came out hoping to see the Frenchman Kongo make history as the oldest first-time champion in MMA history. But it wasn’t to be, as he had no answer for Bader’s grappling.

The rematch between Bader (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA)  and Kongo (31-12-2 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) was almost three years in the making after their first fight at Bellator 226 ended in a no contest following an accidental eye poke by Bader.

After beating Kongo, Bader suggested a title fight against Linton Vassell, who’s experienced a resurgence at heavyweight, with a 4-1 record that includes a four-fight winning streak. Bader defeated Vasell by second-round TKO to retain the light heavyweight title in November 2017 at Bellator 186.

Complete Bellator 280 results:

  • Champ Ryan Bader def. Cheick Kongo via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – to retain heavyweight title
  • Yoel Romero def. Alex Polizzi via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:59
  • Davy Gallon def. Benjamin Brander via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:18
  • Lorenz Larkin def. Kyle Stewart via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:44
  • Gregory Babene def. Mike Shipman via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:11
  • Piotr Niedzielski def. Pedro Carvalho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Thibault Gouti def. Lewis Long via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Jordan Barton def. Fabacary Diatta via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Soren Bak def. Charlie Leary via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Yves Landu def. Gavin Hughes via TKO (body kick) – Round 1, 3:01
  • Lucie Bertaud def. Katarzyna Sadura via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Youcef Ouabbas def. Matthieu Letho via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:17
  • Bourama Camara def. Victor Verchere via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:06

Bellator 280 results: Yoel Romero toys with Alex Polizzi until buzzer-beating TKO win

Yoel Romero had his way with Alex Polizzi in the Bellator 280 co-headliner.

Right after the bell rang to close the second round of their light heavyweight bout, [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] tapped [autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag] softly on the back of the head, as if to send the message that he’s doing fine – but also let him down gently.

Nothing from that point on was gentle, though.

Romero continued to stalk Polizzi and outclass him for almost 15 minutes before blasting him a few more times, en route to a TKO win at the 4:59 mark of the third round of the Bellator 280 co-main event.

Romero (14-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) had more than one moment when it seemed he could finish the fight if he wanted, as he dropped Polizzi (10-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) with hard left hands a total of four times. But on each occasion, he stopped and gestured to the crowd at Accor Arena in Paris instead of rushing. It wasn’t until the closing seconds of the final frame that Romero pounced on a bloodied Polizzi after dropping him.

Why?

“I wanted to deliver a message. And I think I did,” Romero said afterward.

With the win, Romero snapped a four-fight losing streak and won for the first time since Feb. 11, 2018 when he knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.

After the win, Bellator announced a re-booking between Romero and Melvin Manhoef, whom he was supposed to face Friday, at Bellator Dublin on Sept. 23.

Updated Bellator 280 results include:

  • Yoel Romero def. Alex Polizzi via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:59
  • Davy Gallon def. Benjamin Brander via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:18
  • Lorenz Larkin def. Kyle Stewart via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:44
  • Gregory Babene def. Mike Shipman via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:11
  • Piotr Niedzielski def. Pedro Carvalho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Thibault Gouti def. Lewis Long via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Jordan Barton def. Fabacary Diatta via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Soren Bak def. Charlie Leary via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Yves Landu def. Gavin Hughes via TKO (body kick) – Round 1, 3:01
  • Lucie Bertaud def. Katarzyna Sadura via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Youcef Ouabbas def. Matthieu Letho via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:17
  • Bourama Camara def. Victor Verchere via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:06

Bellator 280 live and official results (12:30 p.m. ET)

Bellator 280 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT).

Bellator 280 takes place Friday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT).

The event takes place at Accor Arena in Paris. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (29-7 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) takes on challenger and France native [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (31-11-2 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) in a rematch.

Official Bellator 280 results include:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo – for heavyweight title
  • Alex Polizzi vs. Yoel Romero
  • Benjamin Brander vs. Davy Gallon
  • Lorenz Larkin vs. Kyle Stewart
  • Gregory Babene vs. Mike Shipman

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12:30 p.m. ET)

  • Pedro Carvalho vs. Piotr Niedzielski
  • Thibault Gouti vs. Lewis Long
  • Jordan Barton vs. Fabacary Diatta
  • Soren Bak vs. Charlie Leary
  • Gavin Hughes vs. Yves Landu
  • Levy Carriel vs. Nicolo Solli
  • Lucie Bertaud vs. Katarzyna Sadura
  • Matthieu Letho vs. Youcef Ouabbas
  • Bourama Camara vs. Victor Verchere

Photos: Bellator 280 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and their faceoffs before Bellator 280 in Paris.

Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and their faceoffs before Bellator 280 in Paris. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

 

Video: Watch Bellator 280 ceremonial weigh-ins live stream

Check out a live video stream of the Bellator 280 ceremonial weigh-ins from Paris.

Bellator 280 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Thursday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 7 a.m. ET (4 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at the Bellator host hotel in Paris. The nearby Accor Arena hosts Friday’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 280 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.