Tag: Bellator X Rizin 2

Magomed Magomedov wants Bellator bantamweight title shot with Sergio Pettis-Patchy Mix winner

Magomed Magomedov hopes he earned a bantamweight title shot after Bellator X Rizin 2.

[autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] hopes he earned a title shot after Bellator X Rizin 2.

Magomedov (20-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) submitted Danny Sabatello (14-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) by first-round guillotine choke this past Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo.

Prior to that, Magomedov was eliminated by Patchy Mix in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix semifinal. Now that he’s rebounded, he hopes to have reinserted himself in the title picture and get a shot at the winner of bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis vs. grand prix winner and interim champ Patchy Mix.

“I hope so – obviously that’s the goal,” Magomedov said through an interpreter at the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 post-fight press conference. “If Bellator sees fit, I would love to fight the winner of Pettis and Mix. If it’s Mix, I would love to run it back.

“I got caught in his trap (and) kind of started fighting really late. I would love to get a rematch. And if it’s Pettis, I never fought him before, so that would be great. I’ve been in this sport for a long time. I feel like I really need to get to this title and win the title. It would be a big deal.”

Sabatello was oozing confidence heading into his matchup with Magomedov, but “Tiger” submitted him early. He expected Sabatello to be more physically imposing as a grappler than he thought he was in the fight.

“Just like I expected, he’s a very skilled wrestler and a good fighter,” Magomedov said. “The only thing that surprised me was I thought he was a little stronger, but he did not feel very strong.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Kyoji Horiguchi wants Makoto Shinryu rematch after no contest for inaugural Bellator flyweight title

Kyoji Horiguchi wants to run things back with Makoto Shinryu after their no contest at Bellator x Rizin 2.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] wants to run things back with [autotag]Makoto Shinryu[/autotag] after their no contest at Bellator x Rizin 2.

Horiguchi’s inaugural Bellator flyweight title fight vs. Shinryu was ruled a no contest after he accidentally poked Shinryu in his right eye and rendered him unable to continue. The poke happened just 25 seconds into the first round of the Bellator x Rizin 2 co-main event Saturday at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Bellator president Scott Coker said he’d like to see the pair rematch, and Horiguchi agrees.

“I guess I would also like to have a rematch,” Horiguchi said through an interpreter at the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 post-fight press conference.

Horiguchi said he immediately recognized that he poked Shinryu in the eye and is apologetic for the incident.

“It was unfortunate,” Horiguchi said. “I felt my finger going into his eye, so immediately I pointed out that he’s hurt and I sort of stopped the match there.”

Although Horiguchi says he would have continued, he doesn’t fault Shinryu for being unable to compete. Shinryu still couldn’t see after taking the entire five minutes to try and recover, which forced referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight and rule it a no contest.

“If he really couldn’t see from his right eye, then I think the match should have been stopped,” Horiguchi said. “You’re a professional. This goes on the record, also so if you can’t fight, then I don’t think it should have been continued.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Scott Coker still bullish on Danny Sabatello’s Bellator future despite submission loss in Japan

Bellator president Scott Coker still sees plenty of potential in bantamweight Danny Sabatello, who lost for the second time in three fights.

[autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] still sees plenty of potential in [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag].

Sabatello (14-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) was submitted by Magomed Magomedov (20-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in this first round this past Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo.

The brash 30-year-old American Top Team fighter has now lost two of his past three, but Coker doesn’t think his stock dropped too much.

“He’s a young kid with tremendous talent,” Coker said at the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 post-fight press conference. “We have a lot of high hopes for his future fighting in Bellator. He had a very tough opponent with Magomed Magomedov, but the loss doesn’t make me feel like he’s going to be any less of a fighter. He’s a young kid. We’re going to continue to help build his career, and hopefully he’ll come back very shortly.”

Sabatello released a statement on social media after the loss, and vows to reach his title goal eventually.

“What a brutal game. It’s what makes it so beautiful. One blink of the eye and it’s death. Sharp for every second or enjoy regret. My run to the belt is about to be special.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Patricky Freire determined to reclaim Bellator lightweight title after Japan win over Roberto de Souza

Patricky Freire has his sights set on reclaiming the Bellator lightweight title after a win in the grand prix in Japan.

[autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] has only one thing on his mind: The Bellator lightweight title.

Now in the semifinals of the Bellator lightweight grand prix, Freire (25-11 MMA, 16-9 BMMA) can see the end goal. Freire, who lost the title to Usman Nurmagomedov in November 2022, defeated Roberto de Souza in the opening round of the grand prix this past Saturday at Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Freire now will take on Russia’s Alexandr Shabliy in the semifinals looking for a spot in the final and a chance to fight for the belt. He said he thinks he’s ready.

“He’s a very tough athlete,” Freire said when asked about Shabliy at the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 post-fight press conference. “Everybody knows that the Russian athlete is very tough. But it doesn’t matter who’s in front of me. I’m going to destroy (him). That’s what’s on my mind. I’m going to be champion. That’s the only thing that matters.”

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Freire was happy to not only get a win and advance in the grand prix, but to fight in Japan. It was his fourth fight there and thinks it was his best experience.

“It looks like this time the Japanese fans were happier,” Freire said. “They were more vibrant, and they were yelling, and I really like that. I enjoy that. They give me their energy.”

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Patricio Freire claims Kleber Koike invaded locker room, attacked brother Patricky at Bellator x Rizin 2

Patricio Freire says former rival Kleber Koike attacked his brother Patricky at Bellator x Rizin 2.

It seems [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag] and the “Pitbull” brothers got into an altercation at Bellator x Rizin 2 in Japan.

According to [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag], Koike argued with his brother, [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag], after Patricky defeated Koike’s teammate, Roberto de Souza, by TKO at Saturday’s Bellator x Rizin 2 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Patricio alleged Koike also celebrated Patricio’s shocking KO loss to Chihiro Suzuki, then after the event, Koike invaded their locker room to kick Patricky from behind and run off.

Patricio and Koike have history. The two fought at the first Bellator x Rizin event back this past December in a non-title bout. Patricio defeated his fellow Brazilian by unanimous decision. That’s his most recent victory. He now has back-to-back defeats for the first time in his MMA career.

Patricio entered Bellator x Rizin 2 off a decision loss to Sergio Pettis in an attempt to capture the bantamweight title and become the first three-division Bellator champion. The 36-year-old made no excuses for his first-round KO defeat to Suzuki and made it clear he’ll bounce back.

You can watch Patricio’s KO loss in the video below:

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Bellator x Rizin 2 results: Patricky Freire uses vicious leg kick to stop Roberto de Souza in grand prix quarterfinal

Considering Roberto de Souza stepped up on short notice, it was only fitting that Patricky Freire chopped him down for the win.

Considering [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] stepped up on short notice, it was only fitting that [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] chopped him down for the win.

In an unexpected Bellator lightweight grand prix quarterfinal, Freire methodically chipped away at de Souza for two rounds before finishing him with a devastating leg kick just 49 seconds into the third round Sunday in the Bellator x Rizin 2 main event at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo. The fight was made just earlier this week after A.J. McKee was forced to withdraw because of a staph infection.

After a slow first round, Freire started doing some damage in Round 2. First he landed a hard one-two combo that stunned de Souza. In the final minute, Freire dropped de Souza after landing a clean jumping knee. However, Freire didn’t rush in to try and finish de Souza as it appeared he might’ve thought de Souza was trying to lure him into a ground fight.

That seemed like it could’ve been a mistake given how dazed de Souza was in the moment, but the misfire didn’t matter after the horn sounded. In the third round, Freire came out firing and landed the brutal leg kick that instantly dropped de Souza to the canvas. It didn’t take but a few follow-up punches for referee Kerry Hatley to step in and stop the fight.

With the win, Freire (25-11 MMA, 16-9 BMMA) rebounded from losing the 155-pound title to Usman Nurmagomedov last November and moved one step closer to a rematch. Freire will meet Alexander Shabliy in one grand prix semifinal, while Nurmagomedov will defend his title against former champ Brent Primus in the other.

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Patricky Freire def. Roberto de Souza at Bellator x Rizin 2: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Patricky Freire’s third-round TKO win over Roberto de Souza at Bellator x Rizin 2.

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag]’s third-round TKO win over Roberto de Souza at Bellator x Rizin 2 from Super Saitama Arena near Tokyo. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator)

Bellator x Rizin 2 live and official results

Bellator x Rizin 2 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for official results beginning at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT).

Bellator x Rizin 2 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for official results beginning at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo, and is a co-promotion with Rizin. The Bellator portion of the event airs on Showtime.

In the main event, former lightweight Patricky Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) meets late replacement Roberto de Souza (15-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), the Rizin ligthweight champ. De Souza stepped in for A.J. McKee for the headliner, which is an opening round fight in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix. In the co-feature, the inaugural Bellator flyweight title is up for grabs between former bantamweight champ Kyoji Horiguchi (30-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) and Makoto Shinryu (16-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

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Check out Bellator X Rizin 2 results, fight information, highlights and more below.

Bellator x Rizin 2 results: Kyoji Horiguchi-Makoto Shinryu title fight ruined by accidental eye poke

Bellator officially has a men’s flyweight division – but it still doesn’t have a champion after an unfortunate turn of events.

Bellator officially has a men’s flyweight division – but it still doesn’t have a champion.

The division’s inaugural title fight ended in a no contest Sunday after [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] accidentally poked [autotag]Makoto Shinryu[/autotag] in his left eye. The poke happened just 25 seconds into the first round of the Bellator x Rizin 2 co-main event at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

To his credit, Shinryu took the entire five minutes to try and recover but ultimately couldn’t continue, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight and rule it a no contest.

It’s an especially unfortunate conclusion for Horiguchi, Bellator’s former banamweight champion, as he was looking to win a second division title in his home country.