Tag: Bellator 293

Archie Colgan sets up long-term title aspirations after Bellator 293

Archie Colgan stayed unbeaten with his second straight first-round finish when he took out Justin Montalvo with a TKO at Bellator 293.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] beat Justin Montalvo with a first-round TKO Friday on the main card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Colgan, who stayed unbeaten with his second straight first-round finish.

Sara Collins hopes to finally get active after Bellator 293 win

Sara Collins, from Australia, has gotten tired of only having one fight a year. At Bellator 293, her first one of 2023 was a stellar tapout.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Sara Collins[/autotag] beat Pam Sorenson with a first-round submission Friday on the preliminary card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Collins, an Australian who handed Sorenson her third straight loss.

Jeff Creighton loved proving doubters wrong with massive Bellator 293 upset of Joey Davis

Jeff Creighton handed massive favorite Joey Davis the first loss of his career –  and proved a few doubters wrong at Bellator 293.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Jeff Creighton[/autotag] beat Joey Davis with a split decision Friday on the preliminary card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Creighton, who handed Davis the first loss of his career.

Adam Piccolotti knew better than to trust the judges at Bellator 293

Adam Piccolotti beat Mandel Nallo with a late submission at Bellator 293 and got back in the win column after a loss this past October.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Adam Piccolotti[/autotag] beat Mandel Nallo with a third-round submission Friday on the preliminary card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Piccolotti, who got back in the win column after a submission loss this past October.

MMA Junkie Radio #3349: Larissa Pacheco, WWE-UFC merger, and MMA weekend recap

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,349, the boys welcomed 2022 PFL women’s lightweight champion [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] into the studio, joined by her manager (and interpreter) Alex Davis. Additional topics include the WWE and UFC merger, Bellator 293 results, 2023 PFL 1 results, and more. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Mike Hamel ready to put lightweight on notice after Bellator 293 knockout

Mike Hamel’s head kick of Nick Browne led to the fastest win of his career and third straight overall at Bellator 293.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] beat Nick Browne with a first-round TKO Friday to close out the preliminary card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Hamel, whose head kick led to the fastest win of his career and third straight overall.

Spinning Back Clique: UFC 287, Pereira-Adesanya 2, PFL opener, Gamebred Boxing, more (noon ET)

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” live stream covering the biggest topics in MMA, including a look ahead to UFC 287.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Dan Tom will join host Farah Hannoun live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • One of the most talked about rematches in UFC history is set for Saturday in Miami when middleweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] puts his title on the line in a rematch with former champ [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]. Adesanya was up 3-1 in the fifth round of their first fight this past November when Pereira caught him and knocked him out. The Brazilian also has two wins over him in kickboxing. Recently Adesanya said his fight with Pereira could be his “last shot.” Is he blowing things out of proportion, or is there some truth to that?
  • In the co-main event at UFC 287, Miami’s own [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] is back to take on [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]. Masvidal, a regular lightning rod for controversy who is awaiting trial for an alleged attack of [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], is a heavy underdog in the fight. He’s lost three straight. Yet he maintains if he wins impressively, he’ll leapfrog Covington into a title shot with welterweight champ Leon Edwards – another of his big rivals. Is that likely to happen? Or can Burns make that same case, himself?
  • [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] won $1 million in the 2022 PFL featherweight season. Saturday, he started off his quest for a repeat with 5 points and a finish of Marlon Moraes. Afterward, he talked about putting some respect on his name – and that he needs to be considered among the world’s best at 145 pounds. Is he?
  • Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing took its show on the road to Milwaukee on Saturday with home city hero Anthony Pettis in the main event for his boxing debut against all-time legend Roy Jones Jr. But Pettis wasn’t alone for MMA standouts on the card, which included Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens, Vitor Belfort vs. Ronaldo Souza, Pearl Gonzalez vs. Gina Mazany and more. How do we rate some of the MMA performances in their crossovers – and do we want to see more of it?
  • The top two fights are UFC 287 are big ones, to be certain. But the rest of the card features some big names, too. Outside of the 1-2 punch in Miami, who is going to steal the show? Adrian Yanez? Kevin Holland? Or maybe someone farther down the card? We take a deep dive.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

John Salter says there’s one way to get him out of retirement after Bellator 293

John Salter announced his MMA retirement after an upset win over Aaron Jeffery at Bellator 293, but said one opponent could get him back.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] beat Aaron Jeffery with a unanimous decision Friday on the main card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Salter, a former Bellator middleweight title challenger who announced his retirement after the win.

Luke Trainer breaks down big night at Bellator 293 – including that marriage proposal

Luke Trainer beat Sullivan Cauley with a submission upset Friday. Fortunately, there was no upset when he popped the question minutes later.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag] beat Sullivan Cauley with a first-round submission Friday to open up the main card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Trainer, who used his upset as an opportunity to propose to his girlfriend in the cage, live on Showtime.

Bellator 293 post-event facts: Unbeaten fighters fall on upset-heavy card

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.

Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 293.