Tag: Biaggio Ali Walsh

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions live and official results

Check out the full results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions which takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions took place Saturday and MMA Junkie provided coverage of live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured PFL fighters vs. Bellator fighters at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Champions of both promotions clashed in the main and co-main bouts. The main event was a heavyweight bout between PFL’s [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] and Bellator’s [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag]. Middleweights battled in the co-feature as PFL’s [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] took on Bellator’s [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag].

The 11-fight event featured several notable names including [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag], [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], and the pro debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag].

Check out the official results, details and highlight clips from each bout below.

Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Emmanuel Palacio at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions: Best photos

Check out these photos from the pro MMA debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Check out these photos from the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag]’s pro MMA debut victory over Emmanuel Palacio at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions results: Biaggio Ali Walsh grinds out pro debut victory

Muhammad Ali’s grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh won his pro MMA debut in Saudi Arabia on the prelims of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

The grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali is now a winning professional MMA fighter.

On the prelims of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, Biaggio Ali Walsh stepped into the PFL cage for the first time as a professional fighter after seven amateur bouts. After a 15-minute grind of wrestling and takedowns, Walsh (1-0) swept the scorecards for a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over Emmanuel Palacio (1-1).

The lightweight bout took place on the prelims at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

After a touch of gloves, Walsh calmly stalked forward and completed a nice takedown. The fight returned to standing a moment later, but Walsh went right back in for the clinch, eventually getting the fight back to the ground. After racking control time on the mat, the fight returned to the feet again in the closing moments, where strikes were traded until the end of the round, including a left hook from Palacio that tagged Walsh after the horn.

Striking exchanges were on display early in Round 2, until Walsh decided to take the fight to the ground again. Once back on the feet, Walsh unleashed a nice flying knee followed by punches and another takedown. Walsh ended the round on top, but Palacio was active from his back with short punches.

The two fighters embraced to begin the final round. Walsh then immediately took the fight to the canvas with a clean takedown. Action stalled on the ground and the referee stood the fighters up, but Walsh quickly took the fight back to the ground. Walsh worked to land punches and elbows from the top until the final horn.

Each judge saw every round in Walsh’s favor, sweeping the scorecards in his pro debut.

Walsh competed as an amateur five times under the PFL banner, and has now completed his first professional bout with the promotion.

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Up-to-the-minute results of PFL vs. Bellator: Champions include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Biaggio Ali Walsh explains why pro debut at PFL vs. Bellator is ‘just another fight’

Muhammad Ali’s grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh has grown up under the PFL banner as an amateur, and is ready for his first test as a pro.

[autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag] is finally turning pro, but for the grandson of Muhammad Ali, leaving the amateur ranks feels like nothing more than a formality.

Given his family lineage, Walsh (0-0) took advantage of an opportunity to grow up in front of fans as a featured amateur fighter at big PFL events. His third fight as a 1-1 amateur took place at the 2022 PFL Championships, which led to four more appearances – all of which were knockouts.

On Feb. 24 at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Saudi Arabia, Walsh will finally enter the cage as a pro fighter. His first test will be against a 19-year-old with a record of 1-0, Emmanuel Palacio.

For Walsh, other than getting paid as a professional, nothing else really changes.

“Just another fight, and that’s the truth,” Walsh told MMA Junkie Radio. “It really is just another fight. The cage that they build in Saudi is the same cage that they built in D.C., Atlanta, New York – it’s all really the same thing. …

“Maybe it would be a little different if – like I remember before my first PFL fight, I fought in southern Utah, and that was in like a warehouse on a barn. Then from that fight, I went to the prelims of the championship card on ESPN in Madison Square Garden. So that’s a pretty big jump. I remember before that fight I was going to sh*t my pants, but I’m kind of used to that stage now and all the illusion around. I’m used to it now. This is no different fight, really. I just plan on going in there, being a bully, and giving people what they want to see.”

Walsh’s path to becoming a pro is truly unique. Major televised MMA events simply do not feature amateur fighters. But Walsh did it on five occassions and excelled each time out.

Perhaps more important than growing his physical tools, has been the experience of being under the bright lights of a PFL production. Walsh admits he wanted to prove to himself that he was in the right place before turning pro, and he believes his amateur run helped him realize he’s on the correct path.

“I think the biggest question that I had was: Am I doing the right thing?” Walsh said. “Because I remember the PFL came to us when I was 0-1 as an amateur. I’m thinking like, I’m 0-1. Like, what? Do you guys see potential in me? What is it? The name? And it’s both. I think they see the potential in me, and the name is just the cherry on top. …

“You’ll never hear me saying that I’m fighting for a belt or for money, or anything like that. I’m fighting so that one day I can be a mentor like my coach, and his coach, and help athletes who have been playing a sport and then they stop playing and don’t know what to do with their life, like myself. That’s the same thing I went through right before I got into MMA.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 22-28)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 22-28.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 15-21)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 15-21.

Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Joel Lopez at 2023 PFL Championship: Best photos

Check out these photos from Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Joel Lopez, an amateur MMA bout at 2023 PFL Championship.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag]’s victory over Joel Lopez at 2023 PFL Championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)

Muhammad Ali’s grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh may turn pro with win at 2023 PFL Championships

Biaggio Ali Walsh may be the next in the Muhammad Ali lineage to become a pro fighter if successful in his next amateur bout in PFL.

LAS VEGAS – The Muhammad Ali lineage may have another professional fighter soon.

[autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag], a grandson of the iconic boxer, has six amateur MMA fights under his belt and may decide to make the jump to the pro ranks after his next outing in November.

At the 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 23, Walsh returns to action again to face Joel Galarza Lopez, an undefeated amateur with three wins. If successful, it may be the moment that marks Walsh’s move to becoming the first pro MMA fighter in his fighting family’s lineage, alongside brother Nico Ali Walsh and aunt Laila Ali, who stuck with boxing as professionals.

“God willing, I put this guy to sleep in November, and I’m going to sit down with my coach and see what he thinks is next,” Ali Walsh told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a media scrum at Xtreme Couture. “I like to listen to him, I’m still a baby. He has so much more knowledge than I do. This is not a sport to rush in, but personally, if you were to just ask me individually, I think after this next fight I get the win, God willing, I think I’ll be ready to go pro.”

Walsh was submitted in his amateur debut, but has since ripped through five straight opponents by stoppage, including four first-round finishes. Walsh first competed under the PFL banner in November 2022, where he stopped Tom Graesser in just 45 seconds with a crushing right hand. His upcoming bout against Lopez will be his fifth amateur bout with the promotion that has never rushed his journey to reach the professional ranks.

Check out the full media scrum with Walsh in the video above.

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Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Ed Davis at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3: Best photos

Check out these photos from Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Ed Davis, an amateur lightweight bout at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3 in New York.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag]’s victory in a lightweight amateur bout over Ed Davis at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)

Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Travell Miller at 2023 PFL 5: Best photos

Check out these photos from Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Travell Miller at 2023 PFL 5 in Atlanta.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Biaggio Ali Walsh[/autotag]’s amateur victory over Travell Miller at 2023 PFL 5 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)