Tag: Bellator 288

Vadim Nemkov promises ‘a different performance’ in second fight against Corey Anderson at Bellator 288

Vadim Nemkov believes Corey Anderson is in for a different fight at Bellator 288.

CHICAGO – Bellator light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] walked away from his last bout with the title, but not in a manner anyone anticipated.

In April at Bellator 277, Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) faced Corey Anderson in the final of the light heavyweight grand prix. After an accidental clash of heads in the third round that caused a nasty cut on Nemkov’s forehead, the bout was stopped and declared a no contest.

Although Nemkov won the first round on all scorecards, Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) began pulling ahead in the fight after taking control with his wrestling game. The champ believes he knows why that happened, and why it won’t happen again when they meet in the main event of Bellator 288 at Wintrust Arena.

“I didn’t really learn anything new in the time that we fought, because everything that I already knew about him he displayed,” Nemkov told reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “We know that he has really good wrestling, good ground control. He’s got good endurance and is very durable. So, I prepared for that for the first fight, and I’m preparing the same way for the second fight.

“There were some factors in the first fight that attributed to my decline. Because I started out pretty well in the first round, actually on the scorecards, I think it was even going into the third round. Then the decline happened and it’s largely because my camp was very long. The date (of the fight) kept changing, and I just kept staying in this peak shape. I feel like I peaked before the fight date, so on the fight date, I was kind of already exhausted.”

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This time, Nemkov believes there will be no fatigue in the wrestling game, something that Anderson said he was surprised by in their first meeting in April.

During his media day interview, Anderson said Nemkov was strong defensively when he shot for his first takedown, but when he got to his second and third attempts, the defense and power were almost gone.

“That’s not a factor now,” Nemkov said about being exhausted. “I had the right camp, the right time to prepare, it’s happening on a date I was training for. So, I think you will see a different performance from me.”

Nemkov became the Bellator light heavyweight champion by knocking out Ryan Bader at Bellator 244 in August 2020. He has since defeated Phil Davis by unanimous decision and Julius Anglickas by submission before the no contest result against Anderson.

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Patricky Freire shrugs off odds entering Bellator 288 vs. Usman Nurmagomedov: ‘I want to prove these people wrong’

Bellator 288 will no different, according to Patricky Freire. He’s been counted out his whole career, as is the case here.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] is the Bellator lightweight champion entering Friday’s Bellator 288, but he’s also an underdog.

Regardless of the odds, Freire (24-10 MMA, 15-8 BMMA) is confident entering his bout vs. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In Freire’s eyes, he’s been an underdog his whole career, so this is just a continuation of an already ongoing drumbeat.

“I like to prove everybody wrong,” Freire told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “When I came to Bellator, it was the same for a long time, long years, a lot of years. I was the underdog. I don’t care about this. It is motivating. I want to prove these people wrong. It motivates me a lot. ”

“… (I’ve had) tough opponents from the first fight until now. … My first fight was Rob ‘Razor’ McCullough. He’s a former champ for WEC. Nobody gave me a present like (Nurmagomedov received).”

Nurmagomedov has hype. Many fans and media members see the influx of Eastern European lightweight contenders in Bellator a championship death sentence for him due to the relentless pressure and well-roundedness of Nurmagomedov, Tofiq Musayev, and Alexander Shabliy.

With Nurmagomedov, fans might be underestimating his wrestling and overlooking his striking, said Freire.

“I’m not sure, but his striking is different than other Russians,” Freire said. “His striking, it looks like he loves to be a striker. Sometimes, he tries to do wrestling, but I don’t know. I don’t believe he loves too much the wrestling. I believe he loves to be a striker because he’s a tall guy. He makes good distance. He kicks very well. He punches very well. So I believe if he is going to be the same size as the other guys, I believe he’s (going) to do wrestling.”

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To counteract any potential wrestling threats, Freire worked closely with coach Eric Albarracin to figure out some tricks that’ll likely come in handy. Friday, the world will see whether or not they’ll pay off.

“I have one crazy coach from wrestling,” Freire said. “He has a lot of ideas. He’s helped me a lot for a long time. He tried to help me every fight. Every time he comes here with different ideas, different guys to help me and my brother.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.

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Corey Anderson plans to ‘completely dominate’ Vadim Nemkov in Bellator 288 rematch

After their no contest in April, Corey Anderson is confident he will get the job done against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 288 in Chicago.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] is ready to get right back to where he was the first time he fought Vadim Nemkov in April.

In their first meeting at Bellator 277, Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) was seemingly on the verge of winning the light heavyweight grand prix and becoming the new champion of the division. Unfortunately, an accidental clash of heads in the final seconds of the third round halted the bout, leading to a no contest result.

After taking a week or two to get over the frustration of the outcome, Anderson is ready to step in against the champion Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) once more in the main event of Friday’s Bellator 288 at Wintrust Arena.

“Just pick up where we left off, you know what I mean?” Anderson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day.

According to the official scorecards, the fight was tied going into the third round, but the momentum was clearly in Anderson’s favor as he was successfully implementing his wrestling game and pulling away in the fight.

“I pretty much called exactly how the fight was gonna go,” Anderson said. “When I was a college wrestling coach prior to doing it again now, my main thing was breaking down film. I could just tell you what somebody was going to do before they knew it, and that was the same thing.

“… Going into the fight, I knew exactly what he was going to do. The thing that surprised me, he wasn’t – he was strong, on the initial contact. On the first shot, he was strong, and I thought that was going to last a lot longer. The second time I shot, that was gone. I was like, I blew his load. Third time it was non-existent. What surprised me is that his strength didn’t last as long as I figured it would.”

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Even though Anderson had Nemkov scouted well and everything was going to plan, he still left the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. without a title and without the $1 million prize that came along with the grand prix victory. This time, Anderson expects to complete the mission.

While he fully expects Nemkov to have improved upon his mistakes in their first meeting, Anderson says there is no added pressure and is confident he will still “completely dominate.”

“You gotta learn how to balance the pressure and excitement,” Anderson said. “Excitement is one thing – I’m always excited. I wake up, I’m excited. Another day to get better. Pressure, you learn how to manage that after 10 years in this game, ’cause pressure either breaks pipes or pressure makes diamonds.”

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Corey Anderson plans to ‘completely dominate’ Vadim Nemkov in Bellator 288 rematch

After their no contest in April, Corey Anderson is confident he will get the job done against Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 288 in Chicago.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] is ready to get right back to where he was the first time he fought Vadim Nemkov in April.

In their first meeting at Bellator 277, Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) was seemingly on the verge of winning the light heavyweight grand prix and becoming the new champion of the division. Unfortunately, an accidental clash of heads in the final seconds of the third round halted the bout, leading to a no contest result.

After taking a week or two to get over the frustration of the outcome, Anderson is ready to step in against the champion Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) once more in the main event of Friday’s Bellator 288 at Wintrust Arena.

“Just pick up where we left off, you know what I mean?” Anderson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day.

According to the official scorecards, the fight was tied going into the third round, but the momentum was clearly in Anderson’s favor as he was successfully implementing his wrestling game and pulling away in the fight.

“I pretty much called exactly how the fight was gonna go,” Anderson said. “When I was a college wrestling coach prior to doing it again now, my main thing was breaking down film. I could just tell you what somebody was going to do before they knew it, and that was the same thing.

“… Going into the fight, I knew exactly what he was going to do. The thing that surprised me, he wasn’t – he was strong, on the initial contact. On the first shot, he was strong, and I thought that was going to last a lot longer. The second time I shot, that was gone. I was like, I blew his load. Third time it was non-existent. What surprised me is that his strength didn’t last as long as I figured it would.”

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Even though Anderson had Nemkov scouted well and everything was going to plan, he still left the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. without a title and without the $1 million prize that came along with the grand prix victory. This time, Anderson expects to complete the mission.

While he fully expects Nemkov to have improved upon his mistakes in their first meeting, Anderson says there is no added pressure and is confident he will still “completely dominate.”

“You gotta learn how to balance the pressure and excitement,” Anderson said. “Excitement is one thing – I’m always excited. I wake up, I’m excited. Another day to get better. Pressure, you learn how to manage that after 10 years in this game, ’cause pressure either breaks pipes or pressure makes diamonds.”

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Bellator 288: Make your predictions for Nemkov vs. Anderson, Freire vs. Nurmagomedov title fights

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 288 event in Chicago, which features light heavyweight and lightweight title fights.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 288 event in Chicago.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 288 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 288 takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.

Undefeated Timur Khizriev, Sullivan Cauley, Jairo Pacheco among new additions to Bellator 288 in Chicago

Four undefeated fighters have been added to Bellator 288, an event scheduled for Nov. 18 in Chicago headlined by two title fights.

Less than three weeks away, Bellator 288 has some new additions.

Undefeated Russian prospect [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has officially signed with Bellator and will fight [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (42-13 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) on the Nov. 18 main card, filling in for [autotag]Akhmed Magomedov[/autotag], who withdrew for undisclosed reasons.

In addition, rising light heavyweight [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) returns to fight [autotag]Jay Radick[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Also on the prelims, Glover Teixeira underling [autotag]Killys Mota[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) fights [autotag]Jairo Pacheco[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a lightweight bout and featherweights [autotag]Laird Anderson[/autotag] (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Rob Fenicle[/autotag] (2-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) collide.

A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the additions Tuesday.

Bellator 288 takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago with the main card airing on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The card is headlined by two title fights including the light heavyweight grand prix final rematch between champion Vadim Nemkov (14-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and challenger Corey Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA).

In the co-main event, lightweight champion Patricky Freire (24-10 MMA, 15-8 BMMA) will attempt to defend the title for the first time against undefeated challenger Usman Nurmagomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA).

With the addition, the Bellator 288 lineup includes:

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

  • Champion Vadnim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson – grand prix final for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Patricky Freire vs. Usman Nurmagomedov – for lightweight title
  • Timur Khizriev vs. Daniel Weichel
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Daniel James
  • Levan Chokheli vs. Roman Faraldo

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

  • Khasan Askhabov vs. Otto Rodrigues
  • Imamshafi Aliev vs. Sean Fallon
  • Killys Mota vs. Jairo Pacheco
  • Jaylon Bates vs. Jornel Lugo
  • Archie Colgan vs. Jesse Hannam
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Nick Talavera
  • Sullivan Cauley vs. Jay Radick
  • Jordan Newman vs. Jayden Taulker
  • Laird Anderson vs. Rob Fenicle
  • Isaiah Hokit vs. Matias Nader
  • Wladimir Gouvea vs. Kory Moegenburg

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Bellator 288 fight card announced: 13 bouts official for Chicago

Thirteen bouts including two title fights are set for Bellator’s return to Chicago.

Bellator’s long-awaited return to Chicago this fall now has 13 official fights on the docket.

Bellator 288 is set for Nov. 18 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago with the main card airing on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The card is headlined by two title fights including the light heavyweight grand prix final rematch between champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA).

Their first meeting at Bellator 277 in April ended in a “no contest” after an unintentional clash of heads on the ground caused a fight-ending laceration on Nemkov’s face.

In the co-main event, lightweight champion [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 BMMA) will attempt to defend the title for the first time against undefeated challenger [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA).

Rounding out the main card is [autotag]Akhmed Magomedov[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (42-13 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) at featherweight, [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (13-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at heavyweight and [autotag]Levan Chokheli[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Roman Faraldo[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA).

With the addition, the Bellator 288 lineup includes:

  • Champion Vadnim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson – grand prix final for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Patricky Freire vs. Usman Nurmagomedov – for lightweight title
  • Akhmed Magomedov vs. Daniel Weichel
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Daniel James
  • Levan Chokheli vs. Roman Faraldo
  • Khasan Askhabov vs. Otto Rodrigues
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Nick Talavera
  • Imamshafi Aliev vs. Sean Fallon
  • Archie Colgan vs. Jesse Hannam
  • Jaylon Bates vs. Jornel Lugo
  • Jordan Newman vs. Jayden Taulker
  • Isaiah Hokit vs. Matias Nader
  • Vlad Gouvea vs. Kory Moegenburg

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Patricky Freire says Usman Nurmagomedov doesn’t deserve Bellator title fight: ‘He fought against nobody’

Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Freire thinks Usman Nurmagomedov’s last name has everything to do with him getting a title shot.

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s last name has everything to do with him getting a title shot.

Lightweight champion Freire (23-10 MMA, 14-8 BMMA) will make his first title defense against Nurmagomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, in the Bellator 288 main event Nov. 18.

The unbeaten Nurmagomedov has finished his past three opponents in the first round, but Freire thinks the level of competition he’s fought doesn’t warrant a title shot.

“I’m very happy to fight against him, but I’m ready for everything,” Freire told MMA Junkie at Thursday’s Bellator 286 media day. “I think he doesn’t deserve this title fight. He’s fighting for the title because he has a big name: Nurmagomedov. That’s it. But let’s do it. If Bellator put him against me, let’s destroy.

“Bellator put him against me just because of his name, Nurmagomedov. That’s it, because he never fought against nobody from the top 10 in Bellator. (I fought Tofiq) Musayev, another Russian guy. I have a lot of big names – (Brent) Primus. … (Nurmagomedov) fought against nobody.”

That doesn’t mean Freire is taking Nurmagomedov lightly. The Brazilian, who captured the vacant title with a second-round TKO of Peter Queally at Bellator 270, knows he’s in for a tough test, but is ready for it.

“He’s a young boy. Of course he knows wrestling and he strikes very well. But I’m a ‘Pitbull,'” Freire said. “I’m the king. I’m the champion. It doesn’t matter who they put against me. I will destroy everybody. It doesn’t matter.”

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Bellator 288 to host two title fights: Nemkov vs. Anderson, ‘Pitbull’ vs. Nurmagomedov

Bellator is brining two big-time title fights to the “Windy City” this fall.

The “Windy City” has two big-time championship fights coming its way this fall.

On Monday, it was revealed Bellator 288 will be headlined by [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] defending his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and co-headlined by [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] putting his lightweight title on the line against [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag]. Bellator officials announced the bouts Monday following an initial report from “The MMA Hour.”

Bellator 288 takes place Nov. 18 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) faced each other in the light heavyweight grand prix final this past April at Bellator 277. The result of the bout was a no contest after an accidental clash of heads caused a cut to Nemkov, which prompted a stop to the fight. Now, the pair are set to run it back once again for the title with the $1 million grand prize and tournament title at stake.

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Nemkov, 30, entered the Bellator 277 bout against Anderson on a nine-fight win streak that stretches back to 2016.

After defeating Ryan Bader to claim the light heavyweight title at Bellator 244, Nemkov defeated Phil Davis and Julius Anglickas, retaining his title while reaching the finals of the grand prix.

Anderson, 32, reached the finals on the heels of a three-fight win streak. He racked up two TKO finishes over Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and Ryan Bader, leading to his showdown against Nemkov that resulted in a no contest.

Freire, 36, will have to deal with undefeated Nurmagomedov for his first title defense. Freire (24-10 MMA, 15-8 BMMA) won the vacant lightweight title last November when he knocked out Peter Queally in the second right at Bellator 270.

Nurmagomedov, 24, is the younger cousin and pupil to UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Usman is 15-0 as a professional fighter, including 4-0 in Bellator with a decision win over Mike Hamel and finishes against Manny Muro, Patrik Pietila, and most recently Chris Gonzalez this past July.

The current Bellator 288 lineup includes:

  • Champ Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson – for light heavyweight title; grand prix final
  • Champ Patricky Freire vs. Usman Nurmagomedov – for lightweight title
  • Khasan Askhabov vs. Otto Rodrigues

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