Tag: Bobby King

2 more former Titans coaches hired by other teams

Two more former Titans coaches have reportedly been hired by other teams.

A pair of former Tennessee Titans coaches have reportedly found new homes with other teams.

According to MMQB’s Albert Breer, the Miami Dolphins are hiring ex-Titans outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow to the same role. Breer notes that Crow is thought to have defensive coordinator potential down the line.

In addition, former inside linebackers coach Bobby King is being hired to a similar role with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to ESPN’s Tim McManus.

Crow was hired by the Titans in 2018 as a defensive assistant coach. He then moved over to an assistant special teams coach in 2020 before being promoted to outside linebackers coach in 2021.

King was hired by Tennessee in 2022 to replace former inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett. Before coming to Nashville, King spent five years with the Houston Texans, serving as a linebackers coach and then defensive line coach.

While Tennessee has reportedly filled the linebackers coach role with Frank Bush, they have yet to make a hire for Crow’s former role with the team.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Bellator 295 post-event facts: Patchy Mix’s knee knockout caps off epic grand prix run

Patchy Mix is firmly in the Bellator record books after a perfect knee made him $1 million richer at Bellator 295.

Bellator 295 took place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and marked the second night of the promotion’s weekend doubleheader in Hawaii.

The final fight of a loaded week proved to be the most memorable, because [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) scored one of the greatest knockout highlights in company history when he flattened [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) with a picture-perfect knee to the jaw knockout just 80 seconds into their main event. The nasty finish not only won him the interim bantamweight title, but he is the last man standing in the bantamweight grand prix, winning $1 million after completing the eight-man field.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 295.

Bellator 283 salaries: Jason Jackson pockets $191,000 for win over Douglas Lima

Four fighters walked away with six-figure paydays as a result of Friday’s card in Tacoma, Wash.

Bellator 283 took place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. and featured 12 bouts including two potential title eliminator fights.

Atop the card, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] in a dominant, five-round unanimous decision. The two main event participants were two of four fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed purses from the event, according to a list MMA Junkie acquired Tuesday from the Washington State Department of Licensing, the commissioning body that oversaw the card.

Jackson pocketed a total of $191,000 for his win over former champion Lima, who took home a flat payout of $100,000. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] ($100,000) and [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] ($125,000) were the other two fighters to hit the six-figure mark.

Scroll below to see the rest of the Bellator 283 salaries below. It’s important to note these figures do not include any potential locker room bonuses, sponsor payouts, or streaming points.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 13-19)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements 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 or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from June 13-19.

Bellator 279 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs video: Title fights, grand prix bouts, and more

The event in Honolulu features Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe, Juan Archuleta vs. Raufeon Stots, Patchy Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi, and more.

HONOLULU – The pre-fight necessities are in the books for the second of two Bellator events this week, and all that’s left to do is fight.

The Bellator 279 fighters got face to face for the first and only time, officially at least, at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins. Included in that mix were headliners [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (25-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-4 BMMA), who fight for Cyborg’s women’s featherweight title.

A few quick words were exchanged, though seemingly nothing personal. Cyborg sported artistically-worked facepaint of the Brazilian flag.

The most intense faceoff was between co-main eventers [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), who compete in an interim bantamweight title fight that doubles as a grand prix quarterfinal. The other quarterfinalists competing Saturday, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] (29-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) had a lighter mood as the two flexed and shook hands.

Former women’s flyweight champion and Hawaii native [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) showed a sign of respect to opponent [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] (7-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) when she presented her with a lei.

Saturday’s card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu is the second of back-to-back Bellator events in Hawaii’s capital city. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. Check out all the faceoffs for Bellator 279 in the video above.

[pickup_prop id=”21066″]

Titans’ Mike Vrabel talks hirings of Tim Kelly and Bobby King

Mike Vrabel says Tim Kelly’s role with the Titans will be similar to that of senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Nearly lost in the sauce of the news of the Tennessee Titans extending the contracts of head coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Jon Robinson was the team announcing the hirings of Tim Kelly and Bobby King.

The two former Houston Texans coaches will join Tennessee’s staff in 2022, with Kelly, a former offensive coordinator, serving as the passing game coordinator, and King as the inside linebackers coach.

After making the moves official, Vrabel revealed to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online that Kelly would serve in a role similar to that of senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz.

“Tim Kelly will help the offense, very similar to how (senior defensive assistant) Jim Schwartz has on defense in his role,” Vrabel said. “I really thought that was a positive thing for us, and I think that worked well for our defense. And I want to do the same thing on offense. Tim is a guy I know, and I have worked with and watched.”

Vrabel also explained how the dynamic would work between Kelly and embattled offensive coordinator, Todd Downing, who had a rough first season as Tennessee’s offensive play-caller.

“Todd is in charge of the offense the same way Shane is in charge of the defense,” Vrabel said. “And it’s good to have guys who can help, and you can bounce ideas off of and communicate with and help us any way they can, and that is what Tim is going to do.”

Vrabel went on to express his excitement for the hiring of King, who he says is “a really good football coach.”

“Bobby is a guy that I have a lot of history with, and I think he’s a really good football coach,” Vrabel said. “The timing of these hires, it’s sometimes hard to get guys so I am excited to be able to get Bobby.”

The hiring of Kelly in particular is good news for fans who want Downing gone. Granted, they didn’t get what they wanted, but bringing in Kelly is at least an acknowledgment that more help is needed on offense.

And there’s reason for optimism that Kelly can help turn things around for a passing game that struggled in 2021 after he had success with quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Davis Mills during his time in Houston.

[lawrence-related id=83115,83097,83091]

[listicle id=83150]

Titans make hirings of Tim Kelly, Bobby King official

The Titans officially announced the hiring of two ex-Texans coaches to their staff.

The Tennessee Titans officially announced the hiring of Tim Kelly as passing game coordinator and Bobby King as inside linebackers coach on Tuesday.

The news comes on the heels of general manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel receiving contract extensions.

The Titans looked within their own division, taking Kelly and King from the Houston Texans. Both worked with Vrabel when he was with the organization from 2014 to 2017.

Kelly, a Chicago, Illinois native, played his collegiate football at Eastern Illinois before landing with the Houston Texans as the team’s Offensive Quality Control Coach before the 2014 season.

He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019 under head coach Bill O’Brien, but the latter took back playcalling during the 2020 season. Kelly was classified as the team’s quarterbacks coach before regaining his playcalling duties this past season.

In 2019, the Texans were ranked 15th in passing and 9th in rushing yards.

And confirming the report earlier this week, King comes to the Titans with several connections within the coaching staff and on the roster. Aside from working alongside Vrabel in Houston, King also coached Titans linebacker Zach Cunningham.

He is replacing Jim Haslett, who was relieved of his duties in January.

[lawrence-related id=83122]

Texans lose another assistant amid coaching search

The Houston Texans have lost defensive line coach Bobby King as he has taken up a job with the Tennessee Titans as their inside linebackers coach.

The Houston Texans have lost another assistant as the club is still searching for its fifth full-time assistant in team history.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network, the Tennessee Titans have hired former Texans defensive line coach Bobby King as their new inside linebackers coach.

King was the linebackers coach for the 2017 Texas when Titans coach Mike Vrabel was the defensive coordinator for Houston. From 2018-20, King was the inside linebackers coach for Houston before becoming the defensive line coach in 2021 under first-year coach David Culley and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. The Texans were moving form a 3-4 scheme to a Tampa 2 with a 4-3 base under Culley.

With King going to Tennessee and coaching inside linebackers, he will be returning to a more familiar defense that deploys a 3-4 scheme.

On June 8, 2021, King remarked that making the transition to coaching the defensive line wasn’t that difficult and appreciated working under Smith.

“It hasn’t been that huge of a transition,” said King. “Working with Coach Smith has been unbelievable. The system has been great to learn. It’s helping me and I’m learning every day from him. It’s been outstanding.”

The Titans fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 19-16 in the AFC divisional playoffs, becoming the first No. 1 seed in the conference to sustain a divisional loss since the 2019 Baltimore Ravens.

Report: Titans hire Bobby King as inside linebackers coach

The Titans have reportedly found their new inside linebackers coach.

The Tennessee Titans have reportedly found their replacement for former inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett, who was let go last month.

Per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Titans are hiring former Houston Texans defensive line coach Bobby King as their next inside linebackers coach.

King already has plenty of connections to the Titans from his days with the Texans.

Not only did he coach inside linebacker Zach Cunningham, but King also worked under Mike Vrabel when he was the Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2017. King took over for Vrabel as linebackers coach after he was promoted.

After serving as linebackers coach for one season, King was moved to inside linebackers coach for three years before serving as the defensive line coach last season.

King, who had two stints with the Texans, has also served on the coaching staffs of the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers during his career.

Bellator 272 adds Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Jeremy Kennedy, three other fights

Emmanuel Sanchez, Jeremy Kennedy, and Killys Mota are among the additions.

The Bellator 272 lineup continues to build with four recent additions including a bout between two top featherweight contenders.

Two-time Bellator title challenger [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) will look to end a recent losing skid when he battles former UFC fighter [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in a three-round featherweight bout.

A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Thursday, in addition to a lightweight booking between [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Killys Mota[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA).

The Bellator official also confirmed a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Tommy Espinosa[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Jornel Lugo[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), which was initially reported by My MMA News, as well as a welterweight fight between [autotag]Levan Chokheli[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), which was first reported by Cageside Press.

Bellator 272 takes place Friday, Dec. 3 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the additions, the Bellator 272 lineup includes:

  • Champ Sergio Pettis vs. Kyoji Horiguchi – for featherweight title
  • Jeremy Kennedy vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
  • Josh Hill vs. Jared Scoggins
  • John de Jesus vs. Keoni Diggs
  • Killys Mota vs. Mike Hamel
  • Levan Chokheli vs. Vinicius de Jesus
  • Tommy Espinosa vs. Jornel Lugo

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fhzkh0qrjmfdmks6 player_id=01eqvpqbw4ymnv0rjh image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]