Tag: Bellator 292

Huge odds don’t matter to champ Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 292

For his first attempt at a title defense, Bellator’s lightweight champion is a betting favorite of almost baffling proportions.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – For his first attempt at a title defense, Bellator’s lightweight champion is a betting favorite of almost baffling proportions.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is a 25-1 favorite against challenger Benson Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in the Bellator 292 main event, which doubles as a quarterfinal fight in the start of the promotion’s lightweight grand prix.

A number as big as -2500 seldom is seen in men’s MMA, and certainly not in title fights. That it comes against Henderson, a former UFC and WEC lightweight champ, makes Nurmagomedov look all the more impressive.

But he’s not thinking about the odds or any kind of sleight by those who set them against Henderson, who has had ups and downs in Bellator, but currently is back on he upswing.

“Whether in MMA or in life in general, I never dismiss people and their achievements,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “The fact that he (had a losing skid) could have been multiple reasons. Plus, people tend to, if they’re smart, learn from their mistakes. So by no means do I want to underestimate him. I still consider him a strong opponent. He’s a strong fighter.”

Nurmagomedov, a cousin of former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, won the title this past November at Bellator 288 in Chicago with a decision over Patricky Freire. His first attempted defense comes in a tournament format, but he said he’s not scouting the rest of the field.

“I always focus on the next opponent,” Nurmagomedov said. “I never plan ahead. I never try to look past my opponents. It’s one guy at a time. It doesn’t really matter for me because I eventually will have to go through all of them, anyway. In this case, Benson is a great matchup because he’s a great opponent. He has great experience and he’s known. It’s going to be good for me, for my resume.”

Bellator 292 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out Nurmagomedov’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

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Benson Henderson announces three-fight timeline for retirement, with history made before then

Former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson announces the remaining fights on his Bellator MMA contract will be the final of his career.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] held UFC gold. He held WEC gold, too. Saturday at SAP Center, he’ll have the opportunity to win the Bellator lightweight championship, a third major promotional title, and a rare feat.

At Bellator 292, Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) takes on Usman Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), the current Bellator lightweight champion and a surging younger cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. In addition to being a title fight, the bout is a quarterfinal of the promotion’s 155-pound grand prix.

Henderson admits he’s in the twilight phase of his career, but attributes the impending curtain close to a desire rather than a necessity. Physically, he still feels good. It’s not that. His wife, Maria, recently signed a multifight deal with Bellator. Henderson wants to repay the favor, step aside, and let her work on her craft – just like she did for him years ago.

“She put off her career, like a lot of wives do,” Henderson told reporters at media day Wednesday. “It’s International Women’s Day today, so shoutout to all the women out there, internationally, everywhere. They put up with a lot of stuff from us guys. My wife put off her career so I could shine and do what I do. It’s worked out pretty well for us. Now, it’s going to be my turn to step back and pick the kids up from school, drop them off at soccer practice, take them to chess practice and let her practice.

“… At the end of these (three) fights, I’m done. I think for everyone at retirement age and athletes who are going to retire, you always have that play-one-more Tom Brady, ‘Can you play one more? Can you not play one more?’ I still feel good. I still feel fast. I still feel I’m competitive. For me, it wouldn’t just be feeling competitive, like I can compete and hang with the best guys in the world and this and that. It’s mostly more about giving my wife her turn.”

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In most cases, a fighter in waning career years doesn’t have as much opportunity to make history as Henderson. Entering an eight-man tournament means Henderson has the opportunity to not only add another major promotion’s title to his wall, but could win a grand prix and cash an extra $1 million for his troubles – a storybook ending.

“I think winning this grand prix will be pretty amazing. I have done a lot of work,” Henderson said. “The decisions I’ve made in my career going this path, the path of least resistance or the more comfortable paths, or the more steady path you go or which path you choose, all the decisions I’ve made, winning this grand prix, winning this lightweight belt, the third belt of mine, the Bellator lightweight title, it means everything. It means absolutely everything to me.”

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Bellator 292 pre-event facts: All-time KO leader meets all-time submission leader

Bellator 292 will see the man who holds the most knockout wins in company history share the cage with the promotion’s all-time submission leader.

Bellator returns to its home base of San Jose, Calif., on Friday with Bellator 292, which takes place at SAP Center with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The main event features the start of the promotion’s lightweight grand prix. The title will be on the line in the opening-round matchup, as reigning 155-pound champ [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) will attempt to make his first defense against former UFC and WEC titleholder [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA).

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 292.

Michael Page: ‘100 percent’ win over Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 292 leads to title shot

Michael Page expects to be right back in title contention with a win at Bellator 292.

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] expects to be right back in title contention with a win at Bellator 292.

Page (20-2 MMA, 16-2 BMMA) faces [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) on Friday’s main card opener at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

“MVP” is coming off a split decision loss to Logan Storley for the interim welterweight title at Bellator 281 last May, and sees a win over submission specialist Yamauchi as enough for another crack at the title. However, Page knows there’s one fighter ahead of him in the pecking order.

“100 percent, for me it’s a case of title fight,” Page told MMA Junkie Radio. “The next in line and I kind of know that is Jason Jackson, simply because there were talks of me and him fighting, and the reason why it didn’t land is because he genuinely believes he’s next in line.

“So, there obviously was a conversation that happened that made him feel that, and he’s like, ‘If I’m next in line, I prefer to wait’ instead of risk having to fight and potentially not succeed in that fight and getting pushed further back away from the title fight, which is why this fight ended up landing. I think he’s next and I’m definitely the one after. So, that’s 100 percent what it does.”

If a title shot doesn’t materialize for Page next, he’s willing to compete once more either in MMA, or bare-knuckle boxing – like he did in his most recent outing when he was edged out by UFC alum Mike Perry at BKFC 27 this past August.

“It potentially could be a long time so it just depends on when things are gonna happen,” Page said. “So, potentially I’ll just do another one. I don’t care that much. I’ll just do another one to stay active, stay fresh, but I still just want to be ready to jump in and go.”

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Bellator 292: Make your predictions for Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 292 event in San Jose.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 292 event in San Jose, Calif.

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 noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 292 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 292 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Michael Page enjoyed BKFC experience, says he’s ‘100 percent’ open to another fight

Despite falling short against Mike Perry, Michael Page would definitely take another bare-knuckle boxing fight.

DUBLIN – Despite falling short against Mike Perry, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] would definitely take another bare-knuckle boxing fight.

Page (20-2 MMA, 16-2 BMMA) lost a hard-fought majority decision to Perry at BKFC 27 last August at OVO Arena Wembley in London. After five rounds of back-and-forth action, the judges scored the fight a split draw, resulting in a final round where Perry outlasted MVP for the win.

It was a much different experience for the talented kickboxer, but one he would certainly repeat.

“One hundred percent yes,” Page told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at Bellator 291. “Bellator’s cool, I’m staying here for now. But 100 percent yes, I would.”

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He continued, “Fun fight, fun night. Everyone’s controversial about the decision. I don’t really care. For me, I’ll go and do it. I’m a combat artist, you know. Give me a challenge, (and) I’m going to figure it out. It’s very different, very, very different. Every graze causes an effect whereas here (in MMA) you kind of have to hit clean. It’s almost like you have elbows for hands. Everything you put out there is damaging, and I had to really tough it out that night, and I enjoyed it.”

For now, though, Page’s focus is on MMA as he returns to action March 10 against Goiti Yamauchi (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) at Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif., with the main card on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.

Scott Coker says Bellator champs best in world at … well, just about every division

Bellator has its lightweight tournament coming up, and Scott Coker thinks the winner will be the best in the world.

DUBLIN – Bellator has another tournament coming up, and Scott Coker thinks the winner will be the best in the world.

The Bellator president never has been shy about saying he thinks many of the champions in his divisions are better than their counterparts in the UFC, ONE Championship, PFL or anywhere else. But Saturday after Bellator 291 in Dublin, he doubled down.

Coker thinks his upcoming lightweight grand prix, which includes new champion Usman Nurmagomedov, will produce the best 155-pound fighter in the world. That’s high praise, given the UFC’s lightweight champion is the highly touted Islam Makhachev, who just got put to the test by featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.

Nurmagomedov has to defend his title straight away against ex-UFC and WEC Benson Henderson. Former champ Patricky Freire is in the mix against his brother’s fierce rival, A.J. McKee. Plus, there’s Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy and ex-champ Brent Primus vs. Mansour Barnaoui.

“Man, there’s a gauntlet of killers in here,” Coker said. “And if you look at the fight starting with March 10, Usman fighting Benson, Shabliy vs. Musayev, and then we go to A.J. McKee fighting ‘Pitbull’ and Barnaoui fighting Brent Primus. That is a tremendous lineup and I’m really looking forward to it.

“That’s going to be a great year for us. I think that we’ve been on a roll. We’ve been putting out some great fights all over the world, and we’re going to continue doing it. I think this is the best roster we’ve ever had.”

Not only does Coker think it’s the best roster since he took over the promotion after Bjorn Rebney’s departure, but he thinks a whole bunch of his champs stack up against anyone else.

“If you look at a 205-pound weight class, I think we have the best fighter in the world,” Coker said. “185, we have the best fighter in the world. 170, we have the best fighter in the world. We could fight anybody, any of those, and even the lighter weights, I think ’45, I think ’55. Then whoever wins this tournament, to me, would be the best lightweight in the world. I mean, that’s how I feel.

“And to have to be able to say that after five, six years of building this roster, it feels really good because these guys are exceptional athletes. And when I first came here, it wasn’t like that. This was not the Bellator it is today. It was a very small organization, small show, and it’s come a long way. And now we’re on a good roll.”

Bellator’s heavyweight champion is Ryan Bader. At light heavyweight, it’s Vadim Nemkov. Johnny Eblen holds the belt at middleweight, Yaroslav Amosov at welterweight after his title unification bout against Logan Storley at UFC 291, Nurmagomedov at lightweight, Patricio Freire at featherweight and Sergio Pettis at bantamweight.

On the women’s side, Cris Cyborg (featherweight) and Liz Carmouche (flyweight) hold the belts.

The lightweight tournament starts March 10 at Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.

James Gallagher out of Bellator 292 bout vs. Leandro Higo

For the third time in four bookings, James Gallagher has withdrawn from a scheduled Bellator bout.

For the third time in four bookings, [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has withdrawn from a fight.

Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) is out of Bellator 292 for undisclosed reasons, and his bout vs. [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) has been scrapped. The bantamweight contenders were expected to throw down March 10 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif..

Promotion officials confirmed the cancellation Thursday to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Severe MMA. Higo will not remain on the card.

Gallagher, 26, has competed once since the end of 2020, a submission loss to Patchy Mix that snapped a three-fight win streak. In between the Mix and Higo matchups, Gallagher was booked to partake in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix. However, a hand injury that required surgery forced him out. Gallagher later withdrew from a Brett Johns matchup scheduled for September.

Higo, 34, competed in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. He was eliminated by Danny Sabatello by unanimous decision in the quarterfinal round. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak.

With the cancellation, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:

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

  • Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – grand prix quarterfinal for lightweight title
  • Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
  • Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Keri Taylor Melendez
  • Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Tony Johnson vs. Khalid Murtazaliev
  • Julius Anglickas vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Alberto Garcia vs. Bobby Seronio III
  • Laird Anderson vs. Rogelio Luna
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
  • Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley
  • Demetri Georgiades vs. Dupree Stewart

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi among new additions to Bellator 292 in San Jose

At Bellator 292, the lightweight grand prix kicks off, a heavyweight title eliminator takes place, and now MVP returns.

After dipping his fists in the world of bareknuckle boxing, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] is putting the gloves back on.

At Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif., Page (20-2 MMA, 16-2 BMMA) will return against fellow welterweight contender [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA), the promotion announced Wednesday as part of a full lineup reveal. The event takes place March 10 at SAP Center with the main card on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Page, 35, returns to MMA after a one-off bareknuckle boxing loss to Mike Perry at BKFC 27 this past August. Bellator permitted Page to take the fight, and though he brought Perry to a tiebreaker round, he lost a majority decision. Prior to that, Page lost an interim title bout against Logan Storley by split decision, a controversial result in the eyes of some viewers.

Yamauchi, 30, comes into the bout off a scintillating knockout victory over Neiman Gracie at Bellator 284 in August. The victory extended his winning streak to three, all finishes.

With the addition, the full Bellator 292 lineup includes:

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

  • Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – grand prix quarterfinal for lightweight title
  • Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
  • Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • James Gallagher vs. Leandro Higo
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Keri Taylor Melendez
  • Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Tony Johnson vs. Khalid Murtazaliev
  • Julius Anglickas vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Alberto Garcia vs. Bobby Seronio III
  • Laird Anderson vs. Rogelio Luna
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
  • Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley
  • Demetri Georgiades vs. Dupree Stewart

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Bellator champ Usman Nurmagomedov says Khabib still giving him coaching advice: ‘He’s my brother’

Usman Nurmagomedov says Khabib will still help him out despite not being in his corner at Bellator 292.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] says Khabib will still help him out despite not being in his corner at Bellator 292.

Lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) defends his title against Benson Henderson (30-11MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in the quarterfinals of the Bellator grand prix on March 10 in San Jose, Calif.

Khabib may have officially stepped from coaching and cornering duties, but Nurmagomedov said his cousin still gives him advice in and out of the cage.

“Khabib is my brother; he’s my cousin,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “We’re not only talking about sport, we are family too. He’s my brother.”

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Nurmagomedov meets former UFC lightweight champion Henderson, who defeated his teammate Islam Mamedov by split decision at Bellator 273 last January. Nurmagomedov was in Mamedov’s corner for that fight.

“He’s a legend, brother,” Nurmagomedov said of Henderson. “Good experience for me, and I will be ready. … I know what he will do, but this is five rounds, big fight, and I hope he will be healthy and in good shape.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

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