Tag: Bellator 299

Bellator 299 weigh-in results: Title fight official, one fighter heavy in Dublin

Check out the results from the official Bellator 299 fighter weigh-ins in Dublin.

The official weigh-ins for Bellator’s return to Dublin are in the books, and all but one fighter on the card hit their marks.

In the main event, middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) defends his title against Fabian Edwards (12-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA), who hit the mark at 185 pounds. Eblen came in slightly under championship weight at 184.6.

In the co-headliner, Pedro Carvalho (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) faces Aaron Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) at featherweight. Former title challenger Carvalho weighed in at 145.6; Pico weighed in at 145.2.

Featherweight Piotr Niedzielski (17-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) missed weight for his prelim fight against undefeated Khasan Magomedsharipov (8-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA). He weighed in at 147.8 pounds and will be fined a percentage of his purse. Magomedsharipov was on weight at 145.6.

The weigh-ins took place at the Bellator host hotel. The nearby 3Arena in Dublin, hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The full Bellator 299 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Showtime (4 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Johnny Eblen (184.6) vs. Fabian Edwards (185) – for middleweight title
  • Pedro Carvalho (145.6) vs. Aaron Pico (145.2)
  • Mads Burnell (144.4) vs. Daniel Weichel (145.6)
  • Sara Collins (145.3) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (145.8)
  • Levan Chokheli (169.9) vs. Sabah Homasi (170.2)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 11 a.m. ET)

  • Daniele Miceli (170.2) vs. Peter Queally (170.2)
  • Mansour Barnaoui (155.2) vs. Jay Jay Wilson (156)
  • Gregory Babene (185.8) vs. Charlie Ward (185.8)
  • Ciaran Clarke (139.6) vs. Przemyslaw Gorny (139.2) – 140-pound contract weight
  • Roman Faraldo (170.8) vs. Luca Poclit (169.8)
  • Khasan Magomedsharipov (145.6) vs. Piotr Niedzielski (147.8)*
  • Darragh Kelly (145.2) vs. Jelle Zeegers (145.4)
  • Brian Moore (145.4) vs. Otto Rodrigues (145)
  • Davy Gallon (155.2) vs. Attila Korkmaz (155)
  • Asael Adjoudj (145.6) vs. Ibrahim Al-Faqih Hassan (146)
  • Kenny Mokhonoana (145.5) vs. Josh O’Connor (145.8)
  • Romain Debienne (171) vs. Nicolo Solli (170.6)
  • Kasim Aras (253.6) vs. Sergey Bilostenniy (246.2)
  • Mark Ewen (155) vs. Noah Gugnon (155.6)
  • Chiara Penco (115.2) vs. Mackenzie Stiller (115.8)

*Niedzielski missed the featherweight limit and will be fined a percentage of his purse.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Bellator’s Mads Burnell blasts ‘soft as f*ck’ modern jiu-jitsu for making art less effective for MMA

Bellator featherweight Mads Burnell blasts the evolution of modern jiu-jitsu for making the art less effective for MMA.

[autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] is not happy with the evolution of jiu-jitsu, and thinks it comes with a cost, at least in MMA.

With jiu-jitsu vastly changing and evolving from self-defense to more of a sport in recent years, Burnell (17-5 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) thinks it’s become less effective in fighting. Returning at Bellator 299 this Saturday against Daniel Weichel (42-14 MMA, 11-6 BMMA), Burnell (17-5 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) was pretty vocal about the current state of jiu-jitsu.

“It’s soft as f*ck to say it mildly,” Burnell said at the Bellator 299 media day on Thursday. “They’re going for worm guard, spider guard, this guard, that guard. The old-school way like Renzo and Rickson (Gracie) did it like to get the takedown, get on top, get to mount, punch somebody in the face and choke people. That’s how it works in MMA. But this soft sh*t where they butt scoot and try to get each other’s foot, that sh*t don’t fly in MMA.”

It may be surprising to see Burnell critical of jiu-jitsu given that it’s his main weapon in MMA. Burnell has 10 stoppage wins in his record, and nine of those have come by way of submission.

“It’s funny because I’m good on the ground, but I actually think jiu-jitsu is soft,” Burnell said. “I actually don’t like it, especially how it is today. I really don’t like it. I don’t like the tournaments and how they call it fights. How can it be a fight when no one is getting slapped? I really don’t like how jiu-jitsu is today.”

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Either way, Burnell is focused on MMA and not jiu-jitsu. He’s hoping to build momentum from his win over Justin Gonzales in April and further himself from that two-fight losing streak in 2022. The 29-year-old finds Weichel to be the perfect opponent to do just that.

“He’s a legend, that’s why I called him out,” Burnell said. “I’ve said this before, but it was mostly to reel him in. I’ve been wanting to fight this guy since I almost became a pro. He fought in Denmark when I was 10 years old in a fight card I was live watching in 2004, so it’s pretty cool to fight him.

“He’s all around a good fighter and has fought who’s who. If you look at his track record, that’s the type of record you want to have. He fought anybody, anytime, anywhere, and I respect that a lot.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Johnny Eblen confident in striking vs. Fabian Edwards at Bellator 299: ‘I’m going to rearrange his face with my fists’

If you expect a wrestling display from Bellator champ Johnny Eblen against Fabian Edwards, you might want to think again.

If you expect a wrestling display from Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] this Saturday, you might want to think again.

Eblen feels confident to strike with challenger Fabian Edwards, the brother of UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards. Eblen (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) defends his middleweight crown this Saturday in the main event of Bellator 299 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Eblen (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) is aware of Edwards’ (12-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) strengths but expects domination from himself.

“He’s fast, athletic, good left hand, southpaw, has a good few tricks, tries to set you up with stuff, but he ain’t going to get me, man,” Eblen said at the Bellator 299 media day on Thursday. “I’m too slick, too good. I put too much pressure on people. I break them. I’m going to rearrange his face with my fists. That’s what I’m going to do Saturday night.”

Eblen is obviously known for his wrestling, but he feels confident to stand with Edwards. He’s been training with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and Artem Levin, who holds a win over Alex Pereira in kickboxing.

“I’m not worried if it’s a standup matchup,” Eblen said. “During this camp, I got to train with Artem Levin. He’s a six-time world champion kickboxer from Russia. He’s a killer. He actually beat Alex Pereira, and that’s one of my main training partners for this camp, and I stand and bang with him. I stand and bang with Sean Strickland. He’s one of the best in the world, just like me. He’s right now the UFC champion.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Aaron Pico advises young fighters to focus on development, not championships: ‘There’s no rush’

Aaron Pico doesn’t want young fighters to make the same mistake he says he did early in his Bellator career.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] had to learn the hard way.

Pico’s start to his professional career was an unexpected one. He signed and debuted with Bellator at just 20 years of age, and came into the sport with several junior medals in wrestling and as a Junior Golden Gloves boxing champion. Pico promised the world, and he wanted just that as soon as possible.

Unfortunately for him, Pico suffered a submission loss in his debut and at one point found himself 4-3 as a professional. He was fighting far more experienced fighters than him.

Now, Pico is 7-1 since the rut, and the only defeat came due to an injury. He had to dial back on the level of competition as he learned the ropes in MMA. And now knocking on the door of a title shot, Pico advises young fighters to take their time.

“My advice is to develop,” Pico said at Thursday’s Bellator 299 media day. “There’s no rush. Everyone looks at Jon Jones as in, ‘I want to be the youngest (champion). I want to do this,’ but that’s an exception. That’s one guy. Your journey is different. I kind of made that mistake early on and said I want to be champion early on. This game is evolving so much and everyone is good. There’s no rush. You will be champion in due time – when the right time is for you.

“Take your time, (book the) right fights – because it’s a pain in the ass to get your confidence back. For me, I had to really dig deep and surround myself with good people and come back because my confidence was shot for a long time – and it’s coming back for sure.”

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Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) reurns to the cage this Saturday against Pedro Carvalho (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Although Carvalho is Portuguese, he’s been training at SBG Ireland for many years and is fan favorite in the country. Pico has yet to fight in enemy territory, but he’s excited for the opportunity.

“I’ve never done this in my career as far as MMA,” Pico said. “Of course in wrestling, I’ve been all over the world, and I’ve wrestled, but I think as an MMA fighter, it’s good for my development because I’m sure in the future I’m going to be in people’s backyards and fighting.

“They always say that the Irish are some of the best fans in the world, and I have the opportunity to put on a show in front of them, so it’s going to be good. I’m excited, but it doesn’t play (a factor). I’ve wrestled all over the world, and his fans can’t fight for him. His coaches can’t fight for him. It’s just him and I locked in there.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Fabian Edwards plans on turning Johnny Eblen into a panic wrestler at Bellator 299: ‘At heart, that’s what he is’

Fabian Edwards doesn’t see Johnny Eblen standing with him for too long.

[autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] doesn’t see [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] standing with him for too long.

Edwards (12-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) challenges middleweight champion Eblen (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Edwards is going up against an NCAA Division I wrestler in Eblen, but is confident that once he gets his hands on him, Eblen will be desperately shooting for takedowns.

“Be Fabian Edwards, and that’s land heavy shots on him, make him uncomfortable in there and turn him into a panic wrestler,” Edwards said during Thursday’s Bellator 299 media day. “At heart, that’s what he is. So you’re going to go back to what you are by me making him realize that real quick.”

According to BetMGM, Edwards is a +425 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the challenger would net a $425 profit. Eblen is a -600 favorite, meaning a $600 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit.

Edwards once was undefeated himself, but after tasting defeat, he realized having an unbeatable mindset could be to his detriment.

“When you’ve never lost before, you think, ‘Nah, I can never lose. That would never happen to me,'” Edwards said. “That would be his downfall. He thinks he could never lose, and that’s a good mindset to have. But when I go in there, when the shots are flying at him and he’s in a fight, then he’ll realize.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Bellator 299: Make your predictions for Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards in Dublin

We want your predictions for Saturday’s Bellator 299 event in Dublin.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s Bellator 299 event in Dublin.

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 Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 299 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator 299 takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the main card fights below.

Aaron Pico sees ‘straightforward’ Pedro Carvalho as good style matchup at Bellator 299: ‘I have fought better strikers’

Aaron Pico doesn’t expect Pedro Carvalho to pose too many problems for him.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] doesn’t expect [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] to pose too many problems for him.

Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) faces Carvalho (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Pico, one of the most highly touted contenders in Bellator, is coming off a unanimous decision win over James Gonzalez in April. He was able to rebound from a TKO loss due to shoulder injury against Jeremy Kennedy, which was his only loss since 2019. He is 7-1 in his past eight.

Former title challenger Carvalho has lost four of his past six. But the SBG Ireland fighter will mark one of Pico’s most experienced opponents to date, and Pico won’t underestimate him.

“I think he’s pretty straightforward,” Pico told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s southpaw (but) he switches to orthodox, as well – looks for a lot of guillotines and left body kicks. I think I have fought better strikers.

“But this game is crazy, and with 4-ounce gloves, this crazy sport, anything can happen. But we’ve really studied him and I’m really excited for this one. I think it’s a good style matchup for me so, I can’t wait.”

Pico says he’s been working a lot on his kicks recently, and would love to notch a spinning back kick knockout – even though his corner was shouting at him when he failed to effectively land them in his past fight against Gonzalez.

“That would be a great knockout, a spinning back kick,” Pico said. “You know what? I have a really good spinning back kick, to be honest with you, on the pads and things like that. It’s good, but it’s different in a fight. It’s really hard to get the timing down and to make sure he’s in the right spot to hit it. It’s a powerful kick, but it’s also a really hard kick to land. But I can do it pretty good on the pads.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Johnny Eblen doesn’t see Fabian Edwards winning in any circumstance: ‘I’m going to overwhelm him’

Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen doesn’t see a scenario where Fabian Edwards beats him.

[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] doesn’t see a scenario where [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] beats him.

Middleweight champion Eblen (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) defends his title against Edwards (12-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Edwards is enjoying his best career-run after scoring a decisive win over former champ Gegard Mousasi, but undefeated Eblen thinks he’ll be too much for him.

“He’s been training, got a few more fights under his belt, definitely gained some more experience,” Eblen told MMA Junkie Radio. “(He’s) probably made a few adjustments, learned from those losses, probably learned from his wins because the best guys in the world learn from their wins and their losses. I just don’t see him beating me in any circumstance.

“He has gotten better and I have seen a progression in him, but it’s just not relative to the progression I’ve made even since my last fight. I’m going to be too much for him. I’m going to overwhelm him. I’m a different animal when I’m in there and he’s going to feel it.”

Eblen notched his first title defense February when he defeated Anatoly Tokov by unanimous decision in the Bellator 290 co-main event. That’s when he gained confidence that he’ll be a tall order for anyone at 185 pounds.

“I would say since after my Tokov fight – actually, leading up to that fight I started to feel like, ‘Damn, dude – I’m getting good,'” Eblen said. “‘I’m sparring with really high-level guys and doing better than I thought.’ It’s hard to digest sparring when you’re in it, but luckily enough Mike Brown likes to film a lot of my sparring, so I get to watch back and get to learn. I get to see how well I do and sometimes I’m too hard on myself, and I think it’s a good thing though.

“I think it’s the reason why I’m accelerating and getting so much better. Basically, I’m seeing how well I’m doing and how much better I’m getting exponentially, especially in the timeframe I’m doing it in. I truly think I’m the best or one of the best in the world, and I’m here to prove it. I can’t wait to prove it. I’m just going to keep winning fights and getting better.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Khasan Magomedsharipov gets new Bellator 299 opponent

Zabit’s brother Khasan Magomedsharipov will face a new opponent at Bellator 299 – and it’s perhaps his stiffest test to date.

[autotag]Khasan Magomedsharipov[/autotag], the brother of former UFC star Zabit Magomedsharipov, has perhaps his stiffest test to date in front of him due to an opponent change.

At Bellator 299 on Sept. 23 in Dublin, Magomedsharipov (8-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) will now face [autotag]Piotr Niedzielski[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), who replaces Martin McDonough, promotion officials recently informed MMA Junkie.

The event takes place at The O2 with the main card on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Magomedsharipov, 22, has passed all of his professional tests with flying colors. His resume currently shows three knockouts, two submissions, and two decisions. He most recently competed at Bellator 291 in February when he finished Martin Hudson by first-round TKO due to ground-and-pound.

Niedzielski, 32, entered Bellator on an eight-fight winning streak and as the Babilon MMA lightweight champion. In his promotional debut, he defeated former Bellator featherweight title challenger Pedro Carvalho by split decision. He’s since dropped back-to-back decisions to Richie Smullen and Yves Landu.

With the change, the Bellator 299 lineup includes:

  • Champion Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for middleweight title
  • Pedro Carvalho vs. Aaron Pico
  • Mads Burnell vs. Daniel Weichel
  • Levan Chokheli vs. Sabah Homasi
  • Brian Moore vs. Otto Rodrigues
  • Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
  • Mark Ewen vs. Noah Gugnon
  • Kenny Mokhonoana vs. Josh O’Connor
  • Chiara Penco vs. Mackenzie Stiller
  • Romain Debienne vs. Nicolo Solli
  • Daniel Miceli vs. Peter Queally
  • Gregory Babene vs. Charlie Ward
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Przemyslaw Gorny
  • Darragh Kelly vs. Jelle Zeegers
  • Mansour Barnaoui vs. Jay Jay Wilson
  • Roman Faraldo vs. Luca Poclit
  • Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Piotr Niedzielski
  • Davy Gallon vs. Attila Korkmaz
  • Asael Adjoudj vs. Ibrahim Al-Faqih Hassan
  • Kasim Aras vs. Sergey Bilostenniy

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Bellator 299 adds four fights with European fan favorites to Dublin lineup

The lineup for Bellator’s fall return to Ireland continues to build with the addition of four new matchups.

The lineup for Bellator’s fall return to Ireland continues to build with the addition of four new matchups.

Dublin’s own [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-8-1 MMA, 2-4 BMMA) will return to fight in front of his home fans in a welterweight bout against Italy’s [autotag]Daniele Miceli[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Promotion officials announced the new booking Monday for Bellator 299, which takes place Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In addition, Bellator officials announced the inclusion of featherweight fights between unbeaten Irishman [autotag]Ciaran Clarke[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Przemyslaw Gorny[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Darragh Kelly[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Jelle Zeegers[/autotag] (2-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), plus [autotag]Charlie Ward[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Gregory Babene[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 4-0 BMMA).

Queally will attempt to snap a three-fight skid. After a May 2021 win over Patricky Freire in Connecticut due to a doctors stoppage, the pair rematched later that year for the vacant lightweight title. But when they ran it back, Freire knocked out Queally in the second round and started his current skid ahead of losses to Benson Henderson and Bryce Logan.

Miceli got back in the win column this past November with a first-round submission win in France. After a loss in his lone Bellator fight in 2016, he has bounced around the European regional circuit.

Clarke is one of Bellator’s homegrown prospects. The 28-year-old Irishman is unbeaten in his pro career and has racked up three rear-naked choke wins in his first seven fights, all for Bellator. Gorny will make his Bellator debut on the strength of three straight wins, including two straight stoppages in 2022.

Kelly has three of his first four pro wins by stoppage, including a D’Arce choke finish of Andre Ferreira at a Clan Wars event earlier this month. Zeegers, from the Netherlands, will be making his Bellator debut.

The 42-year-old Ward will try to get back on track after back-to-back decision losses to Fabian Edwards and, most recently, Mike Shipman in February at Bellator 291. Prior to that, the longtime fighter had won seven of eight under the Bellator banner. France’s Babene is a perfect 4-0 for Bellator, including a first-round knockout of Shipman at Bellator 280 in 2022.

With the additions, the Bellator 299 lineup in Dublin now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for middleweight title
  • Pedro Carvalho vs. Aaron Pico
  • Sara Collins vs. Sinead Kavanagh
  • Mads Burnell vs. Daniel Weichel

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie/YouTube, 11 a.m. ET)

  • Daniele Miceli vs. Peter Queally
  • Gregory Babene vs. Charlie Ward
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Przemyslaw Gorny
  • Kenny Mokhonoana vs. Josh O’Connor
  • Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
  • Brian Moore vs. Otto Rodrigues
  • Darragh Kelly vs. Jelle Zeegers
  • Roman Debienne vs. Nicolo Solli
  • Mark Ewen vs. Noah Gugnon
  • Chiara Penco vs. Mackenzie Stiller

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