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Islam Makhachev finishing the most decorated grappler in UFC history secured him lightweight gold and MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Year for 2022.
With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best submissions from January to December 2022.
As voted on by our entire staff, here are the top 10 and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Year.
Johnny Eblen needs assurances he won’t be duped out of a title defense before he agrees to defend Bellator gold against Yoel Romero.
[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] needs assurances he won’t be duped out of a title defense before he agrees to put Bellator middleweight gold on the line against [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag].
Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) called for a shot at Eblen’s (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) title this past Saturday at Bellator 285 after he scored a third-round knockout of Melvin Manhoef in their co-main event clash in Dublin. “The Soldier of God” has fought his three Bellator appearances thus far at light heavyweight, but prior to that had spent seven year at a division below.
It was far from a flawless run at 185 pounds, though. Romero missed weight on multiple occasions, and now that he’s 45 years old and hasn’t fought in the weight class since March 2020, Eblen has valid concerns.
Eblen, who beat Gegard Mousasi by dominant unanimous decision to become champ at Bellator 282 in June, said he would prefer to see Romero make weight against another opponent before a title shot. If Bellator insists on putting him in right away, though, Eblen said he would need an alternate to be ready to make weight, and also have guarantees he wouldn’t be financially damaged if the fight didn’t happen.
“I feel like he needs another solid win, especially at 185, so we can make sure he can make weight because he’s always had weight trouble,” Eblen told MMA Junkie. “I don’t want to deal with someone who can’t make weight. I don’t know if that dude’s all natural. I really don’t care. I’ll beat his ass if he’s on steroids or not. I don’t care. Not to say that he’s on steroids, but I don’t know. Who knows. All these motherf*ckers are on steroids, (said) Nate Diaz.”
After knocking out Manhoef, a hyped up Romero said he’s the “best middleweight in the world” right now. However, he hasn’t won in the division while making weight since November 2016, so Eblen found that statement o be quite amusing.
“He’s not (the best middleweight),” Eblen said. “He’s good. He’s explosive, especially at 45 (years old). He’s still dangerous in some scenarios, but I think I would put on a pressure he couldn’t sustain and I think I would drown him out there. I think he’s a good name to beat. He would be a good name to add to the resume.”
Eblen, 30, said he ultimately doesn’t care who is the opponent for his first title defense. He said there are multiple possibilities in the mix, but if his plan to fight in January or February shakes out as he desires, he could see a 2023 campaign that includes up to three fights.
If it pans out that way, Eblen said he expects to see Romero. It’s just a matter of when.
“The most name that was talked about was (Anatoly) Tokov, and it makes sense and I’m down to get that fight but I guess he’s having trouble with a visa or something,” Eblen said. “We have (Fabian) Edwards there, but he’s about to fight over in Italy. … Then we had Yoel and we also had Austin (Vanderford), but Austin ended up losing his last fight and I think a Mousasi rematch is kind of out of the question.
“I was kind of joking when I said I would retire another person, because I didn’t retire Gegard. Some talks, but I think the most sensible title defense would be Tokov, but obviously Yoel can be in the picture too. We just got to make sure he can make weight. Dude hasn’t made 185 since 2020.”
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Check out the numbers behind Bellator 285, where Yoel Romero added to one of the most unique records in MMA.
Bellator returned from a six-week hiatus on Saturday with Bellator 285, which went down at 3Arena in Dublin and featured a 13-fight lineup on the card.
The main event featured a dominant performance from former UFC and WEC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA), who shut down Ireland’s [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) over the course of five rounds to win a unanimous decision and begin his late-career push toward the title.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the event, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 285.
Brian Moore wants to knock out Leando Higo.
[autotag]Brian Moore[/autotag] knows exactly what he wants next.
The Bellator bantamweight is looking to step up in competition and revisit a failed booking following his most recent win. Moore (15-9 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) returned to the cage this past Friday, defeating Arivaldo Silva in a clear unanimous decision at Bellator 285 in Dublin.
And now with some momentum back, Moore is hoping to clash against former Bellator title challenger Leandro Higo.
“Me and Leandro were meant to fight in Italy a while back,” Moore told reporters at the Bellator 285 post-fight press conference. “He had a visa issue, so it’s a fight that I really wanted. I really respect the ‘Pitbull’ brothers, not so much him. So I’ll take him.”
He later added,
“It’s unfinished business. I was meant to fight him in Italy, he couldn’t get his visa, but I still want to knock him out.”
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Moore snapped a two-fight losing streak with the win over Silva. He feels he’s primed to hang with the best despite past setbacks in the promotion.
“It was a domination from start to finish,” Moore said regarding his win. “I was going for the finish, you know how I am, but he was very tough, and he had a chin on him. He was unpredictable and had a good guard and really good takedowns.
“So I had to pick my shots, but it was a domination from start to finish. I’m happy for that. Every time that I have fought in Ireland, I’ve been given top fives and top 10’s only. This is the first time I fought someone outside the rankings and look what happened. I’m ready for that step back up in competition next.”
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The ‘Luca-nator’ is real.
[autotag]Luca Poclit[/autotag]’s puzzled the MMA world.
The Bellator welterweight debuted for the promotion with one of the most bizarre finishes seen in 2022. Poclit (8-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) put his opponent Dante Schiro (94 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) to sleep with an unorthodox choke in the opening bout of the Bellator 285 card at 3Arena in Dublin.
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Many were confused by what they saw in real-time and even question the intent behind the choke. Poclit assures it was no luck.
“Yeah, I know, I practice it every day in the gym, this submission,” Poclit told reporters at the Bellator 285 post-fight press conference. “I practice. My coach knows this submission, John Kavanaugh.”
Have you 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 seen anything like this?! 👀
Luca Poclit submits Schiro to open #Bellator285 with a bang 💥#Bellator285 is LIVE on YouTube & @BBCiPlayer now!@MonsterEnergy Prelims, fueled by Vallarta Supermarkets pic.twitter.com/lycZOrH0HG
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) September 23, 2022
John Kavanaugh, head coach at SBG Ireland, calls the submission win the “Luca-nator.”
You can watch Poclit’s full post-fight scrum in the video above.
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Benson Henderson wants to get his hands on Bellator gold.
[autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] is aiming for another shot at Bellator gold.
Following his dominant 25-minute display against Peter Queally in the main event of Bellator 285 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, Henderson made it clear who, what, and where he wants his next bout.
In the co-main event of Bellator 288, Patricky Freire puts his lightweight title on the line against the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov. If Henderson gets his wish, he wants to face the winner of the bout, no matter who emerges with the gold around his waist. Although, if ‘Pitbull’ retains, Henderson admits that fight would mean a little more.
“I want the title shot next,” Henderson told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “It’s the Russian vs. Brazilian. Mad respect for ‘Pitbull,’ I’m a huge Patricio, Patricky fan. Patricky has the belt, and he has a ‘W’ over me. So, I think it would be very apropos for him to win his fight and for me to square off against him, and take the belt from him since he has a ‘W’ over me.
“But if Usman happens to win, if it’s him instead, let’s go ahead and have Bellator set up a fight in Russia. Ohh, eww – Russia’s a no-no right now. So, maybe we go somewhere else in the Eastern Europe and go do a title shot over there somewhere.”
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Henderson has faced both Freire bothers with mixed results. He defeated Patricio by TKO stoppage due to injury at Bellator 160, but Patricky avenged his brother’s loss by split decision win at Bellator 183 in 2017.
If Henderson does get his way, it would be the third opportunity for Bellator gold during his run with the promotion. In his debut following his UFC exit, Henderson faced Andrey Koreshkov for the welterweight title at Bellator 153, but lost a unanimous decision. His second title opportunity came at lightweight against Michael Chandler at Bellator 165, but was on the wrong side of a split decision.
After back-to-back wins, Henderson thinks it’s time for another shot at the lightweight strap.
“Whoever wins, that is what I want next,” Henderson said. “That’s why I said yes to Peter, he just fought for the belt, just lost for the belt. (The plan was) To go out there and go dominate, get my hand raised against Peter, and get a title shot next. … But, it’s up to the powers that be.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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Yoel Romero wants his shot at Bellator gold after knocking out Melvin Manhoef.
[autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] knows what he wants.
The Cuban star is determined to drop back to middleweight and challenge champion Johnny Eblen for the Bellator title. Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA, who’s fresh off a dominant KO win over fellow veteran Melvin Manhoef in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 285 in Dublin, thinks it’s time he challenges for a title and hopes it goes down in Europe.
“For the people at 205, chill out, relax a little bit, now we’re going to 185,” Romero said at the Bellator 285 post-fight press conference. “Now what we’re looking at and what’s cooking, it’s challenging for the title at 185 pounds.
“If that option does present itself to challenge for the belt at 185, I’d like to do it here in Europe. The fan base here is fantastic. The warmth invites you to fight, and makes you want to put a show for the fans.”
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With this result, Romero is now on a two-fight winning streak since losing his Bellator debut.
The Cuban fighter debuted for the promotion in September of last year, losing to former Bellator champion Phil Davis in a split decision. He then followed up that performance with a brutal TKO of Alex Polizzi at Bellator 280 in May before Friday’s return.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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Check out these photos from Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally at Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland.
Check out these photos from Benson Henderson’s unanimous decision victory over Peter Queally in the main event of Bellator 285 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)
Check out these photos from Yoel Romero vs. Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland.
Check out these photos from Yoel Romero’s knockout victory over Melvin Manhoef in the co-main event of Bellator 285 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)
Even though he doesn’t fully agree, Scott Coker is willing to let Yoel Romero drop a weight class if he’d like.
After [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] barked into the camera like a dog center-cage, he loudly declared to a raucous Dublin crowd what he wants next – and that’s a crack at middleweight gold.
In the Bellator 285 co-main event Friday, Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) brutally knocked out a retiring Melvin Manhoef (32-16-1 MMA, 4-5 BMMA) with elbows in the third round. The victory was his second in a row for the promotion, but both victories were at light heavyweight.
Romero is adamant about a middleweight run. Even though Bellator president Scott Coker likes what he sees at light heavyweight, he revealed post-fight that he won’t stand in the way of a weight drop.
“Yoel wants to fight at 185 and he hasn’t fought with us at 185 yet,” Coker said at a post-fight news conference. “He looked good tonight, very calm and very composed. He did a lot of damage and he looked really good. That’s something that’s going to have to be a decision that he’s going to make. To me, I feel like 205 is a good weight class.
“If you look at him, he looks in shape. He looks calm. He’s a beast. I think he looks good at 205. If he really wants to cut and make the weight, that’s going to be up to him. We’ll figure out with his management who was here today and they’ve already started talking in my ear about making the 185 run. If he’s serious about it, then we’d definitely consider it.”
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Romero, 45, has won back-to-back fights in 2022 after a 2021 promotional debut loss against Phil Davis by unanimous decision.
As is the case with most of his post-fight news conferences, Coker was unwilling to commit to a declaration of Romero’s next matchup. It’s unclear if a title shot will be next or if he’ll face another contender first.
At middleweight, the current Bellator champion is undefeated American Top Team fighter [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA), who weighed in on Romero’s win in a brief tweet Friday.
“Just another legend I can retire,” Eblen wrote. “Nothing to see here.”
Just another legend I can retire, nothing to see here 🫡 #Bellator285
— 𝕋𝕙𝕖ℍ𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕟ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕥ℂ𝕠𝕕𝕖 (@JohnnyEblen) September 23, 2022
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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