Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out these photos from the Bellator 296 pre-event news conference held at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Check out these photos from the Bellator 296 pre-event news conference with promotion president Scott Coker, [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag], [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag], [autotag]Mansour Barnaoui[/autotag], and [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] held at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan)
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 Feb. 20-26.
Johnny Eblen joined the short list of fighters to win a Bellator title with an undefeated record at Bellator 282.
The Bellator event schedule resumed Friday with Bellator 282, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and saw a new champion crowned in the main event.
[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) captured the middleweight title with a dominant sweep over [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (49-8-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) by unanimous decision, becoming the eighth 185-pound champion in company history.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-fight facts from Bellator 282.
Violence was in the air at Mohegan Sun Arena.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] hasn’t been in Bellator long, but he continues skyrocketing toward the top.
At Bellator 282 on Friday, Shabliy (21-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) melted former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) to score a TKO at 1:22 of Round 2. The event took place at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The two fighters threw heat and Primus dropped to the canvas after a big punch. Shabliy went in for the kill and snatched consciousness with a series of follow-up shots.
Shabliy stops the former Champ! 😱
In the biggest win of his career, Shabliy picks up his 7️⃣th straight win!
The #Bellator282 @MonsterEnergy Prelims, fueled by El Super Markets, are LIVE NOW on our YouTube channel.
👀 https://t.co/XHobWDyISk pic.twitter.com/em0bKSYkr6
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) June 25, 2022
With the win, Shabliy extends his winning streak to seven. Meanwhile, Primus has lost two fights in a row.
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 282 results include:
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Five fighters pocketed more than $100,000 at Bellator 268 in Phoenix, according to documents obtained by MMA Junkie.
Bellator 268 featured two light heavyweight grand prix matchups, and the fighters involved were four of the five highest-paid athletes on the card.
Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] and fellow grand prix finalist [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] led all paydays, as they pocketed six figures as a result of their wins Oct. 16 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Grand prix participants [autotag]Julius Anglickas[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], who lost in the semfinals, and former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], also took home six figures.
On Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of Bellator 268 salaries from the Arizona Department of Gaming, which oversaw the event.
Check out a full list below.
Formeer Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus defeated former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in Arizona.
PHOENIX – [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] played the role of spoiler Saturday when he defeated beloved Arizonian fighter [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] at Bellator 268.
A former Bellator champion, Primus (11-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) defeated a former UFC champion in Henderson (28-11 MMA, 5-6 BMMA) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
Bellator 268 took place Saturday at Footprint Center. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the opening round, both fighters had their moments on the feet. When the fight hit the canvas, Primus worked for a kimura submission off his back. He was able to roll Henderson over. As he cranked, however, “Smooth” proved his nickname accurate as he slickly utilized the momentum to break the grip. The two duked it out until the round ended.
🤜 @BrentPrimus155 is letting his hands go!
Don't miss a moment of the #Bellator268 action LIVE NOW on @SHOSports!👇
📺 https://t.co/RNtauZGbbQ pic.twitter.com/nQxq6yYgqp
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 17, 2021
In Round 2, the two fighters traded leg kick for leg kick. There were massive windups from Henderson on his strikes, which smacked Primus in the body, head, and legs. For the final minute of the round, Primus climbed the back of Henderson in a rear-naked choke attempt. With the local crowd cheering him on, Henderson survived until the buzzer.
.@BrentPrimus155 comes out strong in the 2️⃣nd round with that spinning backfist!
Catch #Bellator268 LIVE on @SHOSports!
👀 https://t.co/RNtauZGbbQ pic.twitter.com/sGb2KudC7D
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 17, 2021
For the vast majority of Round 3, Henderson fended off Primus submission attempts. From a guillotine choke to a rear-naked choke, Henderson survived but was dominated on the canvas bell-to-bell. The decision was not well received by the crowd, but Primus lobbied for a title opportunity through the boos and jeers.
The Bellator lightweight title is currently vacant, though the Bellator 270 bout between Patricky Freire and Peter Queally will crown a new champion.
With the win, Primus rebounds from a July loss to Islam Mamedov. The Oregonian lightweight has now won three of his most recent four outings. as for Henderson, the former UFC lightweight champion has lost three straight fights for the first time in his career.
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 268 results include:
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Brent Primus isn’t happy with Bellator’s decision to book ‘Pitbull’ vs. Queally for the vacant lightweight title.
PHOENIX – [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] is looking forward to the challenge of facing Benson Henderson, but that isn’t the only thing on his mind this week.
Primus (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will be looking to rebound from a tough split decision loss to Islam Mamedov at Bellator 263. Ahead of their upcoming fight, he had a lot of praise for the former welterweight and lightweight title challenger Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA). The fight takes place on the main card of Bellator 268 at the Footprint Center in Phoneix.
“I love the guy, he’s cool,” Primus told MMA Junkie. “It’s going to be fun fighting him, but at the same time, no respect when I get in that cage, I’m gonna try to knock his head off – not going to try, I’m going to.”
While Henderson is Primus’ main focus this week to get back into the win column, another booking decision within the lightweight division has him fired up, providing a source of extra motivation to get a win on Saturday.
Recently, Bellator president Scott Coker announced Patricio Freire vacated his lightweight title. As a result, the promotion decided to elevate the upcoming rematch between Patricio’s older brother, Patricky Freire, and Peter Queally to a bout for the vacant title at Bellator 270.
“It’s a damn joke, man,” Primus said. “Come on you guys, how is Patricky fighting for the world title when he’s coming off two losses? And then how is Queally fighting – he hasn’t fought anybody, you know? He’s fought twice in the last 3, 3 1/2 years or something like that? I just do not see how that fight makes sense.
“It’s crazy to me and it motivates me a little bit more, so I’m gonna go out there and smash Benson, and I’m gonna go out there and beat the crap out of whoever wins that fight.”
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Primus’ disagreement with the matchup itself doesn’t stop there. Still sour from a booking with Queally that fell apart, Primus was set to face him in February 2020, but an injury caused the bout to be scrapped.
“The guy is known for getting injured or backing out of fights,” Primus said. “I was supposed to fight Queally in his hometown in Ireland and he supposedly got injured a few weeks, a month before. Bottom line, it’s a damn joke. Those guys should not be fighting for a world title.”
According to Primus, the decision to put the fight together comes down to politics with the promotion and the Freire brothers. He believes that Patricio vacated the title because he knew Patricky would get the opportunity to fight for it next.
“I think that’s stupid,” Primus stated. “I could be fighting at a gym, I could have the world title, and I could retire, and be like, ‘Who should I give this belt to? Hmm, this guy’s my good training partner, I’m gonna give the belt to him.’ That’s not how it should be, you know? They should earn their fights, especially if they’re coming off two losses. I don’t see how that’s possible.”
Check out the full interview with Primus in the video above.
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Bellator 268 adds an exciting lightweight matchup between two former champions to the main card.
Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix semifinals card just got even better.
On Thursday, the promotion announced via press release the addition of [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] to Bellator 268 on Oct. 16, which features the light heavyweight grand prix semifinals matchup. The co-main event will be [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and the main event semifinal matchup is also a title fight as [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] takes on champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag].
The event takes place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ on Oct. 16. The main card airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET following prelims on MMA Junkie starting at 7 p.m. ET.
In his first fight of the calendar year, Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) will be looking to snap a two-fight losing skid, having lost to Jason Jackson and Michael Chandler in his two previous outings. Prior to his recent challenges, Henderson was riding high on a four-fight win streak.
The event will be a family outing for Henderson, as his wife, Maria Henderson, will compete in an amateur strawweight bout on the prelims of the card. She successfully competed in her first amateur bout in February at LFA 100, winning via unanimous decision.
Former Bellator lightweight champion Primus (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will step inside the Bellator cage for the second time in 2021, looking to rebound from a split decision loss to Islam Mamedov at Bellator 263. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak with victories over Tim Wilde and Chris Bungard, both of which were first-round submission wins.
With the addition of Henderson vs. Primus, the Bellator 263 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
PRELIMINARY CARD
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Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 263, which saw A.J. McKee become an undefeated champion with a main event win.
Arguably the biggest event in Bellator history went down Saturday with Bellator 263, which took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and saw a title change hands in the main event.
The promotion’s 16-man featherweight grand prix came to a conclusion in the headliner when [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) dethroned champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-5 MMA, 20-5 BMMA) by first-round submission to start a new era in the division and take home a $1 million prize.
For more on the numbers behind McKee’s title win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 263.
On the main card of Bellator 263, Islam Mamedov won his promotional debut in a close contest against Brent Primus.
[autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] has arrived in the Bellator lightweight division.
With former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner, Mamedov (20-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) had a wealth of knowledge at his disposal should he need it.
The bout took place on the main card of Bellator 263 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and aired on Showtime.
After a touch of gloves, the pair felt each other out in the center of the cage, with each fighter offering range-finding strikes. The striking volume began to increase as they put together combinations, but Mamedov initiated a clinch and brought the fight to the canvas. Primus (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) however, was more active on the ground, where the two would remain until the round ended.
.@Islam__Mamedov gets the takedown on @BrentPrimus155!
Tune in LIVE with @SHOSports to catch this bout NOW! 👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/AcKDH74jmo
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
A majority of the second round was spent in the clinch, as both fighters jockeyed for position while standing. Mamedov brought the fight to the canvas again, but Primus remained active, offering submission attempts from his back while Mamedov tried to improve positioning. Primus’ activity prevented Mamedov from causing any damage on the canvas.
Omoplata attempt from @brentprimus155.
A real chess match LIVE on @SHOsports. #Bellator263 pic.twitter.com/faYRzQWEOT
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
The final round started with a Mamedov landing a kick that swept Primus off his feet. As he closed in to take top position, Primus immediately offered a submission attempt in response, halting Mamedov’s advances.
🍌#Bellator263 pic.twitter.com/utuniFMBLK
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) August 1, 2021
While fans grew restless at the lack of action as the two remained on the mat, both fighters were actively looking to improve their positions. Mamedov eventually transitioned to half-guard, but Primus continued to search for an omoplata that never materialized.
The fight concluded with Mamedov on top, leaving it up to the scorecards to determine the winner of the contest.
The judges were split in their decision, with two of the judges favoring Mamedov with scores of 29-28, while the dissenting judge saw the bout for Primus with a score of 29-28.
Mamedov walks away from his Bellator debut with his hand raised, keeping his lengthy streak of 19 wins without a loss going, while Primus’ two-fight win streak was snapped.
Up-to-the-minute results of Bellator 263 include:
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