Tag: Bellator Champions Series: Belfast

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast video: Manoel Sousa sleeps Tim Wilde with ‘left hook from hell’

Tim Wilde wasn’t having a bad first round until Manoel Sousa connected with one punch at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

[autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] wasn’t having a bad first round, but then [autotag]Manoel Sousa[/autotag] connected with one punch at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

That was all Sousa needed to shut the lights out on Wilde, who dropped like a sack of potatoes when a hard left hook landed flush across his chin. And with that, Sousa was victorious by first-round knockout just 48 seconds into their main-card opener Friday at SSE Arena.

Check out the devastating finish below (via X):

[lawrence-related id=2726823,2726557,2726570,2726312]

 

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieā€™s event page forĀ Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast video: Nathan Kelly obliterates opponent with vicious elbow

Nathan Kelly said heading into Bellator Champions Series: Belfast that he planned to throw some elbows, but he only needed one.

[autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] said heading into his fight at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast that he planned to throw some elbows, but he only needed one.

Just 40 seconds into his matchup with [autotag]Vikas Singh Ruhil[/autotag], Kelly separated from a clinch near the cage to throw a vicious elbow that landed across Ruhil’s temple and sent him crashing to the canvas. The fight was over just like that, hyping the crowd at SSE Arena.

Check out the finish in the videos below (via X):

Kelly, a product of Conor McGregor’s home gym of SBG Ireland, now has won 10 fights in a row after starting his professional career 0-2. He said afterward that his contract is up and hopes to negotiate a new deal.

[lawrence-related id=2726312]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieā€™s event page forĀ Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast predictions: Who are we taking in two title fights?

Check out our staff members’ picks and analysis for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator is back for its first official event not branded with the PFL since the merger with a pair of title fights at the top of the lineup.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast (Max) takes placeĀ Friday at SSE Arena in Belfast.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial weigh-ins photos

Check out these photos of fighters on the scale and their faceoffs from the Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial weigh-ins.

Check out these photos of fighters on the scale and their faceoffs from the Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial weigh-ins. (Photos courtesy of PFL/Bellator)

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast faceoff video: Corey Anderson, Karl Moore size up for vacant title

The Bellator light heavyweight title is up for grabs, and Corey Anderson and Karl Moore faced off one last time before their Belfast clash.

Bellator returns Friday with its first event of 2024, and the vacant light heavyweight title will be on the line in the main event.

The first card promoted by PFL, Bellator Champions Series: Belfast is headlined by [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6) vs. [autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] (12-2). The two veterans will fight in a five-round bout for the championship vacated by Vadim Nemkov, who moved to heavyweight.

Anderson and Moore remained respectful but intense at Thursday’s ceremonial faceoffs, as Bellator/PFL analyst Dan Hardy raised the title gold above them.

Check out the BCS: Belfast main event faceoff in the video above.

[lawrence-related id=2725616,2725801]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieā€™s event hub forĀ Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast faceoff video: Patricio Freire, Jeremy Kennedy emotionless

Watch as Patricio Freire and Jeremy Kennedy stare each other down ahead of their Bellator Champions Series: Belfast co-main event.

It appears to be all business between Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] heading into their title clash.

Ahead of Saturday’s Bellator Champions Series: Belfast co-main event, Freire (35-7) and Kennedy (19-3) came face to face for the final time before their five-round bout.

Neither fighter displayed any interpretable emotion as they stared each other down. “Pitbull” clutched his gold title throughout. The height difference, which is listed as five inches, was noticeable ā€“ not that Freire is unfamiliar with such a discrepancy.

Check out the BCS: Belfast co-main event faceoff in the video above.

[lawrence-related id=2725678]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieā€™s event hub forĀ Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Video: Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial weigh-ins, faceoffs live stream

Watch a live stream of the Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial fighter weigh-ins on Thursday.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Thursday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place in Belfast Northern Ireland, where Bellator Champions Series: Belfast takes place Friday at SSE Arena. The main card streams on Max after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Two title fights are on the docket as in the main event, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6) and [autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] (12-2) meet for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title.Ā In the co-main event, featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-7) will look to notch his second title defense against [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag]Ā (19-3).

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieā€™s event hub forĀ Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast weigh-in results: Title fights official, one fighter heavy

Check out the results from the official Bellator Champions Series: Belfast fighter weigh-ins in Northern Ireland.

The official weigh-ins for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast are in the books, and all but one fighter hit their marks.

In the main event, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6) and [autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] (12-2) will battle for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title. Both fighters weighed in at 204.6 pounds.

In the co-headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-7) defends his title against [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (19-3). They each hit 145 pounds on the dot.

[autotag]Vikas Singh Ruhil[/autotag] (12-7) was the lone fighter who missed weight. Ruhil fights against [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] (9-2) at featherweight, but he weighed in at 147 pounds and will be fined a percentage of his purse. Kelly was on proper weight at 146.

The weigh-ins took place at the Bellator host hotel. The SSE Arena in Belfast, hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on Max following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The full Bellator Champions Series: Belfast weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Max 3 p.m. ET)

  • Corey Anderson (204.6) vs. Karl Moore (204.6) ā€“ for vacant light heavyweight title
  • Champ Patricio Freire (145) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (145) ā€“ for featherweight title
  • Fabian Edwards (185.6) vs. Aaron Jeffery (185.2)
  • James Gallagher (145.4) vs. Leandro Higo (145.1)
  • Manoel Sousa (155.6) vs. Tim Wilde (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12 p.m. ET)

  • Ciaran Clarke (135.5) vs. Darius Mafi (135.3)
  • Nathan Kelly (146) vs. Vikas Singh Ruhil (147)*
  • Abraham Bably (257.4) vs. Isaiah Pinson (242)
  • Grant Neal (205.4) vs. Luke Trainer (203.8)
  • Alfie Davis (155.6) vs. Oscar Ownsworth (155)
  • Jordan Elliott (129.5) vs. Nate Kelly (129.1) ā€“ 130-pound contract weight

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

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieā€™s event hub forĀ Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

James Gallagher confirms Bellator Champions Series fight vs. Leandro Higo a title eliminator

Longtime Bellator fighter James Gallagher has sparsely competed but confirmed he’ll fight for a title should he win in Belfast.

Fight fans don’t often get to see [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] compete in the cage as much as he’d like, but he’s still inching closer to his first major promotional title opportunity.

At a Bellator Champions Series: Belfast virtual pre-fight news conference Wednesday, Gallagher (12-2) said should he defeat opponent Leandro Higo (22-6) on Friday at SSE Arena, which confirmed similar language used by the promotion when the fight was announced.

“They have told me Iā€™ll fight for the world title when I beat Leandro this weekend,” Gallagher said. “Theyā€™ve already confirmed that to me. So itā€™s both. I want to get active and I want to fight for the world title.”

Gallagher and Higo were supposed to fight in March 2023, but Gallagher withdrew. It was one of his four publicly-known withdrawals since 2020.

Despite his sparse activity, Gallagher remains focused on the prize: title gold.

“I bring a mind set and a skill set that he has not faced against,” Gallagher said. “I feel heā€™s going to be emotional and overreact on every flinch that I make. I’m going to get him into the positions that I want and capitalize on it.”

[lawrence-related id=2726008,2726009]

Over the past four years, the rivalry between Team Pitbull and SBG Ireland has been revisited. Verbal jabs have been exchanged through various interviews. Gallagher said he’ll keep his emotions at bay, regardless of the opponent.

ā€œThereā€™s no animosity from me ever,” Gallagher said. “Itā€™s clear-minded, very focused and Iā€™ve got a job at hand. The only animosity there is, is between him and him. Iā€™m not involved in that animosity. I’m here clear-minded, very focused. I’ve put in the work. I don’t actually have much to say about him. Friday night, I’m going to go in there and show all I’ve done. I don’t need to sit here and speak about him. I don’t need to sit here and say there’s animosity or create this narrative to cover his nervous energy.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieā€™s event hub forĀ Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Karl Moore on Bellator title shot: ‘Belfast, Beirut, Bangladesh ā€“ it doesn’t matter’

Karl Moore on Bellator title shot: ‘Belfast, Beirut, Bangladesh ā€“ it doesn’t matter’

#BellatorBelfast

Karl Moore has the biggest opportunity of his career in font of him. He can admit that Friday is not just another fight.

[autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] has the biggest opportunity of his career in font of him. He can admit that Friday is not just another fight.

Moore (12-2) will fight Corey Anderson (17-6) for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title atop the Bellator Champions Series: Belfast lineup at SSE Arena in Northern Ireland. What’s more, it’s a home fight for Moore ā€“Ā though he tries to make that not matter.

“I love the fact that I’m fighting in front of my own people in Belfast. It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” Moore told MMA Junkie Radio. “But for me personally, everything outside the cage is just irrelevant. It’s amazing, but when me and Corey’s in there, everything outside is just background noise. It doesn’t matter. It’s me and Corey locked in a cage for 25 minutes. Everything outside is just irrelevant.”

Anderson is 4-1 under the Bellator banner after he came over from the UFC in 2020. He lost a previous title shot to Vadim Nemkov in 2022 in a fight that was a rematch after a no contest from earlier that year.

Moore in 4-0 in Bellator, but seems comfortable with the line of thought that his wins over Lee Chadwick, Karl Albrektsson, Maciej Rozanski and Alex Polizzi don’t quite match up with Anderson’s Bellator opponents ā€“ Melvin Manhoef, former two-division champion Ryan Bader, Phil Davis and Nemkov among them.

But Moore knows his wins aren’t slouches, either, and said he’s prepared to back up the reason he’s in a title fight.

“Before Nemkov had the belt, I was the only guy in the division that Vadim hadn’t fought. He’s beaten everybody else except me,” Moore said. “I’m 4-0. I’m undefeated in the promotion, and in them four fights, I’ve taken out the fifth and sixth ranked guy in the division. I think that speaks for itself. When I fight, my fights are nearly always exciting too. I come to fight. I think that speaks for itself.

“”In terms of footage and on paper, yes, I would say (he’s my toughest opponent). But you won’t know until you’re in there. This fight could last 5 seconds and it could be the easiest fight I’ve ever had, or it could last 25 minutes and be the toughest fight.”

Anderson is as much as a 4-1 favorite in the fight, so the oddsmakers aren’t expecting Moore to make it a 5-second win, that’s for sure. And even if the fans could give him an edge, he might be so focused in the moment it would’t matter.

“After the fight’s over and I win, I can take it and I can soak it in and appreciate everything ā€“ fighting in front of my own people, winning the belt,” Moore said. “But them 25 minutes, it doesn’t matter. It could be silence. It could be absolutely mayhem. I’m focusing on the job at hand and that’s it.

“It can be in Belfast, Beirut, Bangladesh ā€“ it doesn’t matter. The job’s still the same.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s eventgholvlrlllg for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.