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Check out these photos from Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally at Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland.
Check out these photos from Benson Henderson’s unanimous decision victory over Peter Queally in the main event of Bellator 285 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)
Benson Henderson turned in a one-sided performance on his opponent’s home soil.
Former two-division Bellator title challenger [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] proved to be too much to handle in the main event of Bellator 285, leaving the Irish crowd stunned at the one-sided display.
Peter Queally, who had the entire arena rocking with his walkout to “Zombie” by The Cranberries, soaked in the scene moments before the main event got underway against Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA). Unfortunately for the hometown fighter, the pre-fight celebration would be the only high point, as he ended up on the wrong side of a dominant unanimous decision.
Bellator 285 took place Friday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Queally (13-7-1 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) didn’t waste time applying pressure to Henderson, as he quickly darted across the cage and began putting punching combinations together. Henderson remained calm and circled away as the crowd chanted for Queally. Henderson went to his grappling game, pinning Queally down to one knee against the fence while short strikes. This would be scene repeated over the next 20 minutes.
The second round paused nearly as soon as it started after a hard kick from Henderson went south. Queally took his time to recover, and was docked a point by the referee. When the action resumed, Henderson went back to the wrestling game, racking up control time against the fence while looking for short strikes, but Queally kept things standing.
A tense fight so far between @PeterQueally and @BensonHenderson. #Bellator285 | 🇺🇸 @SHOSports | 🇬🇧 @BBCThree pic.twitter.com/CmROd4NZEq
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) September 23, 2022
After a few exchanges on the feet to begin the third, Henderson completed a takedown and unloaded a series of elbows after Queally scrambled to get his back to the fence. Queally got back to his feet, but Henderson continued to unload strikes until changing levels.
👇 @BensonHenderson takes it down to the canvas. #Bellator285 | 🇺🇸 @SHOSports | 🇬🇧 @BBCThree pic.twitter.com/3sDlluMbti
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) September 23, 2022
Henderson kept the pressure high to begin the fourth round, hurting Queally with strikes early. Queally covered against the fence as Henderson unloaded knees to the thigh and short elbows. It was another five minutes of one-sided action.
Unleashing a jumping switch kick and punching combinations, Henderson’s confidence was incredibly high to start the final round. Before Queally could mount any significant offense, Henderson went back to the wrestling to seal the fight.
With the crowd silenced, the judges turned in identical scores of 49-45 in Henderson’s favor, who used his post-fight interview time to make his case for another shot at the Bellator title.
With the win, Henderson keeps the momentum going following a split decision win over Islam Mamdeov in January. The former UFC lightweight champ walks away with the seventh win of his Bellator run, which includes wins over Myles Jury, Adam Piccolotti, and Patricio Freire.
On the other side, the result Queally marks the second-straight setback following a vacant lightweight title challenge loss to Patricky Freire at Bellator 270. Prior to that, Queally picked up two second-round stoppage wins in a row, one of Freire, and the other against Ryan Scope.
Full results of Bellator 285 include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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Watch the preliminary stream and keep up with live and official results of Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland.
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Bellator 285 takes place Friday, and you can join MMA Junkie for the preliminary live stream and official results.
The event takes place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 6-6 BMMA) steps into the backyard of Ireland’s [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-6-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) for a lightweight showdown.
The co-feature will see [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) take on [autotag]Melvin Manhoef[/autotag]Â (32-15-1 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) in a light heavyweight bout.
Official Bellator 285 results include:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 285 which took place at 3Arena in Dublin.
Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 285 which took place at 3Arena in Dublin. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)
Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 285 main card in Dublin, which features Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally.
| Henderson vs. Queally |
Manhoef vs. Romero |
McCourt vs. Silva |
Burnell vs. Carvalho |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 147-90 |
 Henderson (68%) |
 Romero (87%) |
 McCourt (87%) |
 Burnell (82%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 162-86  2018 Champion |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 158-90 |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 156-92 2014 Champion |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 154-94 |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 153-95 |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 152-96 |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 152-96 |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 146-102 |
Henderson |
Romero |
 Silva |
Burnell |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 145-103 2017 Champion |
Henderson |
Romero |
Silva |
Burnell |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 135-113 |
Henderson |
Romero |
McCourt |
Burnell |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 121-126 |
Henderson |
Romero |
Silva |
Burnell |
(Editor’s note: The fight between Ciaran Clarke and late opponent Rafael Hudson was added too late for our staff picks deadline.)
Bellator returns to Ireland this week with a former title challenger at the top the card.
Bellator 285 takes place Friday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former UFC lightweight champion and two-time Bellator title challenger (at lightweight and welterweight) [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 6-6 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-6-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in a lightweight bout. Henderson is more than a 2-1 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Queally is +160. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Henderson as one of three unanimous picks at 11-0.
The co-main event is a light heavyweight bout between former Bellator middleweight title challenger [autotag]Melvin Manhoef[/autotag] (32-15-1 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) and former UFC title challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA). Romero is a massive -800 favorite and, not surprisingly, is one of our three unanimous picks.
Also on the main card is the only contentious fight among our pickers at women’s featherweight between [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Dayana Silva[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA). Although Silva is a -140 favorite at the betting window, It’s McCourt who has a big 8-3 lead in the picks.
And former Cage Warriors featherweight champ [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) will try to get back on track against former title challenger [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 5-3 BMMA). Burnell nearly is a 5-1 favorite and our third unanimous pick.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Henderson (68 percent), Romero (87 percent), McCourt (87 percent) and Burnell (82 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
Twenty-six athletes partook in Bellator 285 ceremonial faceoffs including Benson Henderson, Peter Queally, Yoel Romero, and Melvin Manhoef.
Bellator 285 takes place Friday at 3Arena in Dublin and Thursday, competitors came face-to-face one final time ahead of their respective bouts.
Among those who squared off were headliners [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 6-6 BMMA) and [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-6-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who are set to compete in a five-round lightweight bout. Also on the card, former UFC middleweight title challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) serves as the final test for [autotag]Melvin Manhoef[/autotag] (32-15-1 MMA, 4-4 BMMA), a combat sports legend expected to compete in his last MMA bout.
Four of the most experienced fighters on the card, the headliners and co-headliners remained respectful with handshakes after their faceoffs.
The ceremonial faceoffs came hours after all 26 fighters made weight at the host hotel.
The most intense interaction of the ceremony was between preliminary card openers [autotag]Luca Poclit[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Dante Schiro[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA). The two welterweight fighters ground forehead against forehead until promotion and commission officials intervened.
The full Bellator 285 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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Twenty-six fighters hit the scale in Dublin including a former UFC lightweight champion and fan favorite “The Soldier of God.”
Bellator is back in Dublin with a card featuring a handful of notable names including a former UFC lightweight champion and fan favorite “The Soldier of God.”
[autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] headlines Bellator 285 against [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag], right after [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] battles [autotag]Melvin Manhoef[/autotag] in the co-main event. Thursday, fighters hit the scales at the host hotel ahead of Friday’s event at 3Arena. The event’s main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
The official weigh-ins saw all 26 fighters make weight. One fighter, [autotag]Dayana Silva[/autotag], needed a to weigh in twice for her main card bout vs. [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag]. Silva made successfully weight on her second attempt. Outside of that sliver of drama, weigh-ins ran smooth and finished 68 minutes into the two-hour window.
Here are the complete results from the official Bellator 285 weigh-ins:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1 p.m. ET)
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Benson Henderson has four more fights left in him.
[autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] knows the end is near.
The former UFC lightweight champion and current Bellator contender is wrapping up his distinguished MMA career, and he plans on doing with the completion of his Bellator contract, which is a four-fight deal.
This final career chapter starts this Friday, as Henderson (29-11 MMA, 6-6 BMMA) returns to the cage against Peter Queally in the main event of Bellator 285 in Dublin.
“For sure, these are the last four fights of my career,” Henderson told reporters at Wednesday’s Bellator 285 media day. “I have to give it all I got, give it the best I got. Lay it all out there. And after I’m done, then it’s going to be my wife’s turn. It’s going to be her turn to give it her chance to live her dream to go be a world champion.”
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Henderson is coming off a split decision win over Islam Mamedov back in January. He plans on getting a victory over Queally (13-6-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) this Friday and making it two in a row.
And if all goes according to plan, Henderson hopes the promotion gives him the next title opportunity and fight the winner of Patricky Pitbull vs. Usman Nurmagomedov, which is set to go down on Nov. 18 at Bellator 288.
“After I beat up Peter Queally and put a stop to Peter Queally, I’m going to get a title shot next,” Henderson said. “I’m either going to beat up Pitbull (or Nurmagomedov). I’d love to do it in a soccer stadium in Brazil or beat up a Russian in a soccer stadium in Russia – no problem. Either way, I’m going to end these last four fights with a Bellator lightweight belt around my waist.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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The UFC is idle this week, but there are plenty of veterans of the promotion in action across the globe.
The UFC is idle this week before another event at UFC Apex in Las Vegas Paris for UFC Fight Night 211.
However, there are a number of MMA and boxing events taking place that feature many familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
From one of the greatest female combatants of all time taking on a new challenge to former UFC champions and title challengers, there are 12 veterans of the global leader competing this weekend from Sept. 23-25.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Benson Henderson’s wife, Maria Henderson, needed less than two minutes to pull off an impressive submission in her pro debut.
[autotag]Maria Henderson[/autotag], wife of former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], created an incredible highlight in her professional MMA debut.
Opening up the main card of LFA 135, Henderson (1-0) stepped into the cage for the first time as a pro after fighting three times as an amateur. Sharing the cage with her was a fellow pro debutant, Melanie McIntyre.
The fight started off quickly and in the opening exchange, Henderson landed a flush kick to the body. McIntyre (0-1) looked to clinch immediately after, but that eventually led to Henderson taking full mount after getting a trip takedown.
Henderson then switched to a triangle choke submission. McIntyre kept her left arm out in the open too long and Henderson locked in an Americana from her back, which prompted the tap from the double-submission maneuver at 1:42 of the first round.
Check out video of the wild finish in the video below (via Twitter):
Maria Henderson with the triangle in her pro debut! You know @BensonHenderson is a proud husband! #LFA135 pic.twitter.com/nziHDl18P2
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 9, 2022
The Hendersons spoke about why the time was right to make the jump to the professional ranks at this point. They felt their preparation was at such a high level that they felt the fight would be similar to that of an open-book test.
Ultimately, Maria performed as if she had all the answers, and walks out of the Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix as an undefeated professional MMA fighter.
