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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from November 2022.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from November 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for November.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Javier Mendez promises Usman Nurmagomedov is a future star after claiming Bellator gold.
Javier Mendez is happy with what he got from his young pupil [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] at Bellator 288.
The American Kickboxing Academy coach thought Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) perfectly executed his game plan in claiming the Bellator lightweight championship from Patricky Freire this month in Chicago. Nurmagomedov won a dominant decision win, taking the belt from “Pitbull” and keeping his unbeaten status.
Mendez says the challenge was difficult, despite it not seeming that way on fight night.
“He won easily, and it wasn’t an easy fight, but he made it look easy,” Mendez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “There were a few times when the fight wasn’t too exciting, but that’s because Patricky didn’t do anything. He didn’t do anything.
“He had his guard up, but he didn’t exchange. So there were boos from the fans, they always want fighters to collide, but they didn’t. Usman did, he was kicking and throwing strikes, but Patricky didn’t do anything because he couldn’t enter. Usman didn’t let him enter.”
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Mendez said the fight played out exactly how they predicted. And despite being champion of a major promotion, Mendez is sure the world has yet to see the best from Nurmagomedov.
Not only does he expect much improvement from the 24-year-old, but Mendez also sees him as a future star of the sport.
“We knew that it was going to play out like that,” Mendez said. “The thing that you have in against Patricky is the long attacks, the legs, the jabs. He’s taller. So we kept the distance and kicked and kicked to push him back, and whenever he closed the distance, he needed to go to the wrestling. So whenever he wanted to come in with strikes, he needed to wrestle, and that’s what he did.
“He did everything perfectly. This kid is only 24-years-old and has a lot to grow. In two or three years when he does his growing, man, watch out. He’s going to be one of the biggest stars in MMA. That’s what I believe.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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Jordan Newman is so comfortable with his wrestling ability that he put that skill on the backburner while prepping for his most recent fight.
CHICAGO – [autotag]Jordan Newman[/autotag] is so comfortable with his wrestling ability that he put that skill on the backburner while prepping for his most recent fight.
This past Friday on the Bellator 288 preliminary card at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Newman (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) stayed perfect with a second-round rear-naked choke submission of Jayden Taulker (2-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in their middleweight fight.
Newman, who wrestled collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, said he did very little wrestling in his training camp at Roufusport in Milwaukee – knowing if he needed that skill, it already was something he excels at.
Check out Newman’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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Archie Colgan came to his post-fight news conference, but had to rewatch his fight before he stepped to the podium.
CHICAGO – [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] came to his post-fight news conference, but had to rewatch his fight before he stepped to the podium.
It happened fast enough that he hardly remembered what happened. Colgan (5-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) stopped Jesse Hannam (2-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) with a first-round knockout in just 50 seconds. It was his first fight at lightweight after fighting at welterweight to open his MMA career.
He said he isn’t ready to turn around that quickly, given the harder weight cut now, but said he’s comfortable moving ahead at lightweight after his big performance on the Bellator 288 preliminary card at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Check out Colgan’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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Five fights into his career, Sullivan Cauley is in the Bellator record books.
CHICAGO – Five fights into his career, [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] is in the Bellator record books.
Cauley (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) stayed perfect with a first-round TKO of Jay Radick (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) this past Friday on the Bellator 288 preliminary card at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
It was another quick finish for Cauley and gave the prospect five first-round knockouts in his first five fights, all under the Bellator banner. He’s now tied with Muhammad Lawal and Liam McGeary for most knockouts in Bellator light heavyweight history. To say he thinks he can move into first place alone with that record is a no-brainer.
Check out Cauley’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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After the most important win of his career, Timur Khizriev is ready to turn the page and climb the ladder.
CHICAGO – After the most important win of his career, [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] is ready to turn the page and climb the ladder.
Khizriev (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) outworked longtime Bellator fighter Daniel Weichel (42-14 MMA, 11-6 BMMA) for a unanimous decision win this past Friday on the Bellator 288 main card at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The victory came in his promotional debut and kept him unbeaten.
After the win, Khizriev acknowledged that he had a tough opponent for his first fight in the promotion and just needed to leave with a victory. But looking forward, he thinks he can make his Bellator presence known in a hurry in the featherweight division.
Check out Khizriev’s post-fight news conference in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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With rumblings of an upcoming Bellator lightweight grand prix, Tofiq Musayev hopes he gets new champion Usman Nurmagomedov first.
CHICAGO – With rumblings of a lightweight grand prix, [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] hopes he draws the champion first.
Musayev (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who neededd just 27 seconds to knock out Sidney Outlaw in his Bellator debut in July, expects a spot in the tournament.
If he does get the call, he’s eyeing newly crowned champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) right off the bat.
“I think I will be participating in the grand prix, and the first fight I want to fight Usman,” Musayev told MMA Junkie this past Friday at Bellator 288 in Chicago. “Whoever they give me, I’m going to fight no matter what. But my preference is to fight Usman for the belt because I’m the No. 1 contender right now.”
Nurmagomedov scored a lopsided decision win over Patricky Freire to capture the lightweight title at Bellator 288. Musayev also holds a win over Freire. He outpointed him in the Rizin FF lightweight grand prix final on New Year’s Eve in 2019.
“I watched the (Nurmagomedov-Freire) fight, and to be honest it was kind of a cold fight,” Musayev said. “(Freire) didn’t fight with him the same way that he fought with me.
“It’s very interesting for me because I already have some history with Patricky. Now I’m very interested in fighting Usman.”
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“When a guy weighs 280 pounds and cuts to 261, he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with,” Scott Coker said of Daniel James.
CHICAGO – What a journey for [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag].
James made his professional MMA debut with Bellator back in March 2014, beating Erick Correa by second-round TKO. So imagine his elation after winning his second promotional fight Friday night at Bellator 288, where he finished top-five heavyweight Tyrell Fortune with vicious ground-and-pound in front of hometown fans at Wintrust Arena after years of toiling on the regional scene and overseas.
“It was crazy. Tonight was so epic,” James said. “Everything went according to plan. …
“I don’t think it was an upset. I think it was just him having a real heavyweight, him having a beast in front of him. I used to think back in the day, ‘Was I ever tested?’ And I realized like, well, I watched (Fortune’s) fights, and I said, ‘I don’t think this guy’s been touched enough or been tested by a real animal.’ It was not arrogance, it was not cockiness, it was just confidence.”
It was also a surprise. Maybe not to James (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and his supporters, but to everyone else – in particular Bellator president Scott Coker.
But in a good way.
“I was really surprised that the outcome was what it was,” Coker said. “I mean, Fortune is a guy that we spent a lot of time developing and building. But James, that’s a big man. When he starts punching, I would not want to be on the end of those big punches. When a guy weighs 280 pounds and cuts to 261, he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with. So I’m excited to see what happens with him. …
“We’ll definitely have him back and keep him going and see how he develops. Is he ready to fight the top, top guys yet? I’m not sure. But we’ll definitely get him in the mix to keep getting experience to get to that point where he could fight Moldavsky or Bader or somebody like that.”
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James, who’s on a four-fight streak of wins by stoppage, said “Bellator’s always been the place” he wanted to wind up. At 40, it sounds like he’ll be given the opportunity to flourish this late in his career.
James turns 41 on Dec. 31, but he made it clear that he wants to fight “the youngest and toughest” heavyweights Bellator has to offer, because age doesn’t mean anything to him.
“I really don’t think that sh*t matters,” James said. “I train hard, I play hard, and I just go after it. You know what I’m saying? I motivate, I inspire, and I lead. Like, age ain’t nothing but a number. Age is what you make it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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Given the first fight’s outcome, Bellator president Scott Coker is open to a third encounter between Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson.
CHICAGO – Bellator president Scott Coker feels for [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag].
“If I’m Corey, I’m really, really upset now,” Coker told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Friday after Bellator 288. “To me, that first fight, he turned the tide in that fight, and I thought he was on his way to win that fight. And then the cut happened, which he identified and brought to (referee) Frank Trigg’s attention, and the fight stopped. As you guys all know, that’s what happened, and we went by the rules.
“If he would’ve just kept punching for 5 seconds, he would’ve been the champ, won the million dollars, and won the tournament belt.”
That was in April at Bellator 287, the first light heavyweight grand prix final between Anderson and [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag], which ended in a no contest. If not for Anderson’s honesty about the accidental headbutt while dominating the final moments of Round 3, the fight would’ve gone to the scorecards – and a decision awarded to Anderson.
Instead Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) and Anderson (16-6 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) ran it back in the Bellator 288 headliner at Wintrust Arena, where Nemkov successfully defended his title with a sound unanimous decision win. The result was largely on account of two major factors: Nemkov outstruck Anderson and also stuffed each one of his takedowns over the course of 25 minutes.
“(Anderson) had a decent outing but not enough to beat Nemkov,” Coker said. “It was Nemkov’s night. I thought it was a very technical fight, went back and forth. There were some good exchanges, but I think Nemkov clearly won.”
Anderson, who had a three-fight unbeaten streak snapped, made it clear before Bellator 288 that winning the right way mattered – which is why he spoke up about the accidental clash of heads in the moment. But Anderson certainly didn’t have to do that. If he didn’t, he’d be $1 million richer.
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Coker said it’s likely Bellator would’ve booked a rematch in that scenario, as well. And even though Nemkov has a scheduled Feb. 4 title defense against Yoel Romero at Bellator 290, Coker already can see a Nemkov-Anderson trilog happening in the future.
“Absolutely. I mean, maybe it would’ve been a rematch (at Bellator 288), and the tournament would’ve been over, but I think this is a fight that maybe we might run it back another time down the line,” Coker said. “Let’s see how those guys do. Nemkov has a big fight against Yoel Romero on Feb. 4 in Los Angeles on CBS, which we’re really excited about. I think he’s gonna be busy. But let’s see how these guys run the division and when they can end up meeting again.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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Usman Nurmagomedov made it look easy against Patricky Freire for 25 minutes to become the new Bellator lightweight champion.
CHICAGO – You wouldn’t know by watching, but the Bellator 288 co-main event was a challenge for [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag].
It certainly didn’t look that way as Nurmagomedov dominated Patricky Freire and cruised to a 50-45, 50-44, 50-44 unanimous decision win to claim the lightweight championship Friday at Wintrust Arena. For Nurmagomedov, the fight was one-way traffic for 25 minutes.
And therein lied the real (and perhaps only) challenge: It was the first time that the undefeated Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) went 25 minutes in the cage.
“Of course it was a big challenge for me, because it was my first five rounds,” Nurmagomedov told reporters, including MMA Junkie, afterward. “And I had some pressure before the fight, but all good. Alhamdulillah.”
He continued, “It wasn’t like pressure. It was more like I was nervous, because I expected a difficult fight.”
That’s not what Nurmagomedov got, though, as he controlled every facet of the fight both in the standup and on the mat. Nurmagomedv, 24, made it look easy – which has been the point and will continue to be every fight.
“We were working hard preparing for this fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “You guys will always say that no one is good for me, because we are working hard to prove that no other fighter will test me. Our work is to prove that we are good.”
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Nurmagomedov will have his work cut out for him to stay champion. Next year, Bellator is expected to host a lightweight grand prix, meaning Nurmagomedov could be looking at having to defend his belt up to three times in a short period.
Nurmagomedov made it clear Friday that worrying about that is for a later date.
“I don’t know, we’ll see,” he said. “I don’t know when the tournament will start, but for now I think me and my team deserve a little rest.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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