Bellator 263 ceremonial weigh-in faceoff video highlights

Check out the final faceoffs between the featured fighters of Bellator 263.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Bellator makes its return Saturday, and the Bellator featherweight championship, as well as a $1 million win bonus, will be on the line in the grand prix finals.

Bellator 263 takes place at The Forum with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. Atop the bill, featherweight and lightweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-4 MMA,) defends his 145-pound title against undefeated challenger [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 17-0 BMMA).

The co-main event also features a key featherweight matchup, this one between Mads Burnell (15-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA).

Following Friday’s official Bellator 263 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.

Check out the faceoffs below, including “Pitbull” vs. McKee, Burnell vs. Sanchez, the returns of [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] and [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag], the debut of [autotag]Khasan Magomedsharipov[/autotag] and more.

Bellator 263 salaries: Patricio Freire, A.J. McKee to pocket $1.4 million combined

The California State Athletic Commission released a full list of disclosed Bellator 263 fighter payouts to MMA Junkie ahead of the event.

LOS ANGELES – The Bellator 263 main event loser will take home a six-figure payday with the winner earning seven figures.

Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] is set to make $250,000 in disclosed show money while [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] will pocket $150,000 in disclosed show pay. The winner will be awarded an additional $1,000,000 – the prize that comes with winning the promotion’s 145-pound grand prix.

Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Following the conclusion of Friday’s official weigh-ins at the host hotel, MMA Junkie acquired a list of disclosed payouts from the California State Athletic Commission. It is important to note the amounts do not include discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings.

The full list of Bellator 263 disclosed payouts (show/win) include:

MAIN CARD (10 p.m. E.T., Showtime)

Patricio Freire: ($250,000/$1,000,000) vs. A.J. McKee ($150,000/$1,000,000)
[autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] ($26,000/$26,000) vs. [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] ($61,000/$61,000)
[autotag]Manny Muro[/autotag] ($26,000/$0) vs. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] ($30,000/$30,000)
[autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000) vs. [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] ($50,000/$0)
[autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] ($31,000/$31,000) vs. [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] ($32,000/$32,000)

PRELIMS (7 p.m. E.T., MMA Junkie)

[autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] ($13,000/$13,000) vs. [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] ($15,000/$15,000)
[autotag]Daniel Carey[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000) vs. [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] ($25,000/$25,000)
[autotag]Khasan Magomedsharipov[/autotag] ($25,000/$0) vs. [autotag]Jonathan Quiroz[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000)
[autotag]Johnny Cisneros[/autotag] ($4,000/$4,000) vs. [autotag]Joshua Jones[/autotag] ($4,000/$4,000)
[autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/autotag] ($50,000/$0) vs. [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] ($70,000/$0)
[autotag]Brian Moore[/autotag] ($25,000/$25,000) vs. [autotag]Jordan Winski[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXNByfW9aZw

Bellator 263 predictions: Who’s picking A.J. McKee to take Patricio Freire’s title?

Check out our staff members’ picks for Bellator 263, featuring a featherweight title fight between champ Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee.

	Freire vs. McKee	Burnell vs. Sanchez	Muro vs. Nurmagomedov	Mamedov vs. Primus	Gonzalez vs. Yamauchi
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 111-66	McKee (64%)	Burnell (52%)	Nurmagomedov (96%)	Mamedov (65%)	Yamauchi (74%)
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 112-65 2018 Champion	McKee	Sanchez	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 109-68	McKee	Burnell	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 109-68	Freire	Burnell	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 108-69 2020 Champion	Freire	Burnell	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 107-70 2014 Champion	McKee	Sanchez	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 106-71	McKee	Sanchez	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 106-71	Freire	Burnell	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 105-72	McKee	Sanchez	Nurmagomedov	Primus	Yamauchi
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 105-72 2017 Champion	Freire	Sanchez	Nurmagomedov	Primus	Gonzalez
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 104-73	Freire	Sanchez	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Yamauchi
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 103-74	Freire	Burnell	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 100-77	Freire	Burnell	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 2021: 36-25	McKee	Burnell	Nurmagomedov	Mamedov	Gonzalez
BetMGM Betting Favorites	Freire -115	Burnell -125	Nurmagomedov -1100	Mamedov -200	Yamauchi -165

Bellator makes its long-awaited return to the road this week with the featherweight title on the line at the top of the bill.

Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. 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, lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) puts his 145-pound title on the line against [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 17-0 BMMA) in a fight that doubles as the featherweight grand prix final. It’s nearly a pick’em fight at the betting window, where Freire is at -115 at BetMGM with the comeback on McKee at -105. Not surprisingly, our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are torn in their picks, too – Freire has the smallest possible edge at 7-6.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) is a slight favorite at -125 against two-time featherweight title challenger [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA). And like the close picks in the main event, it’s tight here, too. Burnell has a 7-6 lead from our pickers.

Our lone unanimous pick should come as little surprise. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is a massive 11-1 favorite against [autotag]Manny Muro[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), and he’s got a 13-0 shutout in the picks.

[autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] (19-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a 2-1 favorite against former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA), and he’s got a big 11-2 picks lead.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) at lightweight. Yamauchi is the betting favorite at -165, but Gonzalez bucked the trend with our pickers at 11-2.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, McKee (64 percent), Burnell (52 percent), Nurmagomedov (96 percent), Mamedov (65 percent) and Yamauchi (62 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Bellator 263 media day faceoffs video: Things get testy in one fight

Check out the four fights that were featured to faceoff at Bellator 263 media day in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES – Bellator 263 media day took place Wednesday at the host hotel, and MMA Junkie was on the scene for the festivities. After fielding questions from reporters, the fighters came together for faceoffs.

Featured on the dais were [autotag]Manny Muro[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] vs. former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag], and [autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag].

You can watch watch the highlights of those faceoffs in the video above.

Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 July 19-25:

Bellator 263 adds three fights including Brent Primus vs. Islam Mamedov, loses ranked bantamweight bout

Three fights have been added to the undercard of the Patricio Freire vs. A.J. McKee event July 31 in Los Angeles.

With less than two weeks before what some are calling the biggest fight in Bellator history, the promotion continues to add the finishing touches to its next event.

Bellator 263 takes place July 31 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

On Monday, promotion officials announced the addition of a main card fight between former Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and Russian standout [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] (19-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). The fight was first reported by TASS.

Additionally, a women’s flyweight bout between [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Vanessa Porto (22-9 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), as well as a 150-pound contract-weight fight between [autotag]Daniel Carey[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] (15-4-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has been added to the prelims.

A bantamweight bout between contenders [autotag]Magomed Magmedov[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) has been removed from the card, MMA Junkie confirmed with a Bellator official. No reason for the cancellation was given.

Primus, 36, has not competed since February 2020. He rides a two-fight winning streak into the bout with back-to-back first-round submissions over Tim Wilde and Chris Bungard. In 11 pro fights, Primus’ lone loss came via unanimous decision when he lost the title to Michael Chandler in December 2018.

Mamedov, 31, makes his promotional debut riding a 19-fight unbeaten streak. Regarded by some as one of the best lightweights in the world, Mamedov nine times for WSOF/PFL where he compiled an 8-0-1 record including wins over Natan Schulte and Thiago Tavares among others.

With the additions, the Bellator 263 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

Champion Patricio Freire vs. A.J. McKee – for the featherweight title
Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Mads Burnell
Manny Muro vs. Usman Nurmagomedov
Islam Mamedov vs. Brent Primus

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

Chris Gonzalez vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Ilara Joanne vs. Vanessa Porto
Daniel Carey vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
Kiefer Crosbie vs. Georgi Karakanyan
Brian Moore vs. Jared Scoggins
Johnny Cisneros vs. Joshua Jones

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Submission Underground 19 live results (6 p.m. ET)

Submission Underground’s final event of 2020 features a number of MMA notables crossing over to the world of submission-only grappling.

Submission Underground’s final event of 2020 features a number of MMA notables crossing over to the world of submission-only grappling, and you can get live results here beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

Submission Underground 19 streams live on UFC Fight Pass from an undisclosed location in Oregon due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the night’s main event, Japanese Olympic gold medalist judoka and 11-year MMA veteran Satoshi Ishii takes on reigning champion Mason Fowler. In the co-feature, UFC women’s featherweight contender Felicia Spencer takes on grappling specialist Amanda Loewen.

Additional notables include former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos facing off with a man he beat twice in the octagon, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, as well as reigning Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader facing recent Bellator signee Anthony Johnson, in a rematch of of their 2016 UFC clash.

The full Submission Underground 19 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

Champ Mason Fowler vs. Satoshi Ishii – for absolute championship
Amanda Loewen vs. [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag]
[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]
[autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag]
Craig Jones vs. [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag]
[autotag]Kevin Casey[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gabriel Checco[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD

Andrew Alexander vs. Cris Lencioni
Alex Larmey vs. Phill Schwartz
Charlie Gilpin vs. Paul Kaufman
David Garmo vs. Denny Prokopos

Submission Underground 14 results: Craig Jones needs overtime but taps out Vagner Rocha

Grappling superstar Craig Jones was frustrated early but continued his Submission Underground dominance with a tapout win over Vagner Rocha.

Grappling superstar [autotag]Craig Jones[/autotag] was frustrated early but continued his Submission Underground dominance with a win over [autotag]Vagner Rocha[/autotag] via tapout.

Jones submitted four-time UFC veteran Rocha in the main event of Sunday’s SUG 14 event, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from a modified grain silo at an undisclosed location in Oregon due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Jones wasted little time moving to a seated position and moving to attack his opponent’s legs. Rocha battled well to break free from each attempt, including a deep entrance into a kneebar. Rocha did his best to engage from the top, but each time he was forced on defense from a leg entanglement. A scramble briefly saw Jones move to the top, but he wasn’t able to maintain the position.

Jones continued to reach for the legs for the remainder of regulation, briefly seeming to indicate Rocha’s limbs were excessively slippery. However, Rocha was checked at the end of regulation and was deemed suitable.

In overtime, Jones started on the back, implementing a squeeze almost immediately. Rocha looked calm at first, but Jones continued working the choke and forced a tap 37 seconds into the two-minute frame.

When it was his turn, Rocha also started on the back. The action was fast-paced at the start, with Jones trying desperately to work free. Rocha was able to lock in a body triangle, but he couldn’t get his opponent into submission trouble fast enough, and time expired, and Jones was handed the win. The result served as a measure of revenge for Jones who lost to Rocha in a 2017 meeting under the Eddie Bravo Invitational banner.

Craig gives up on the slick legs and moves on to the neck… #SUG14 #SUGISLAND pic.twitter.com/fq2isudTYX

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 31, 2020

Checco taps out Vanderford

In the night’s co-feature RFA and LFA veteran [autotag]Gabriel Checco[/autotag] was able to earn an impressive submission win over undefeated Bellator welterweight [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag].

Checco pulled guard at the start and looked to attack the arms early, but Vanderford was able to slip free and remain safe in top position. Working from his back, Checco continued to look to control the arms throughout regulation, but Vanderford pushed away each effort and stayed on top, eventually moving to side control, though he didn’t have enough time to capitalize.

In overtime, Vanderford started on the back and looked to transition to an arm-triangle, but Checco was able to break free quickly. It didn’t cost Vanderford, though, as he also powered free in rapid fashion.

In the second overtime, Vanderford again tried for the same submission, but Checco got free in just eight seconds. Checco then started on the back and controlled the position well, racking up control time before eventually slipping his right arm under the chin and using a Gable grip to squeeze for the finish.

A long battle ends with an OT submission for Gabriel Checco! #SUG14 #SUGISLAND pic.twitter.com/xApJvbbMBo

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 31, 2020

Primus stuns Shields

In a featured contest, former Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] earned a surprising submission win over former Strikeforce middleweight titleholder [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag].

While Primus held top position for much of the regulation period, it ended up being a relativ stalemate. Once the pair went to overtime, Shields started off on the back and earned a full two minutes of control. However, when it was Primus’ turn, he started from the armbar and quickly gained firm control of his opponent’s left arm. Shields did his best to turn and roll free, but Primus held the position and was able to score a tapout victory 31 seconds into overtime.

Primus takes the arm! #SUG14 #SUGISLAND pic.twitter.com/XGuMAJZYSd

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 31, 2020

Complete Submission Underground 14 results include:

MAIN CARD

Craig Jones def. Vagner Rocha via submission (rear-naked choke) – Overtime 1, 0:37
Gabriel Checco def. Austin Vanderford via submission (rear-naked choke) – Overtime 2, 1:02
Brent Primus def. Jake Shields via submission (armbar) – Overtime 1, 0:31
[autotag]Jordan Holy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Andrew Alexander[/autotag] via submission (toe hold) – Regulation, 0:49

PRELIMINARY CARD

[autotag]Roberto Jimenez[/autotag] def. [autotag]Don Stoner[/autotag] submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:10
[autotag]Joseph McKay[/autotag] def. [autotag]Gustavo Bessa[/autotag] submission (lapel choke) – Overtime 1, 1:15
[autotag]Bryan Nuro[/autotag] def. [autotag]Ryan Healy[/autotag] via submission (armbar) – Overtime 1, 0:31
[autotag]Nicholas Maximov[/autotag] def. [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag] via submission (guillotine choke) – Regulation, 2:28
[autotag]Tobias Baker[/autotag] def. [autotag]Charlie Gilpin[/autotag] via submission (armbar) – Overtime 2, 0:23
[autotag]Caleb Stecker[/autotag] def. [autotag]Alex Corrales[/autotag] via escape time – Full time

Video: Relive Bellator Europe 2 on MMA Junkie (6 p.m. ET)

Check out a live replay of Bellator Europe 2, which featured a “Knockout of the Year” candidate from Raymond Daniels.

You can watch a live replay of Bellator Europe 2 right here on MMA Junkie, beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

Bellator Europe 2, which took place May 4, 2019 at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham England, featured a main card full of finishes.

In the main event, former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] rebounded from losing his title to submit Tim Wilde with a gogplata in the night’s main event. The card also featured a 2019 “Knockout of the Year” candidate in [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag]’ dazzling spinning one-punch knockout in just the second MMA fight of the kickboxing champion’s career.

You can catch all of the action in the video above.

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Relive Bellator 240/Bellator Europe 7 on MMA Junkie (6 p.m. ET)

Need your Saturday night fight fix? Then check out the replay of February’s Bellator 240/Bellator Europe 7 card from Dublin.

Getting a little antsy now that another Saturday night is on the horizon and there are no live fights to watch?

Well, Bellator is stepping up to fill in the void — and totally from a safe social distance, too.

Starting at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, Bellator will re-air the memorable Bellator 240/Bellator Europe 7 combo event, which went down at 3Arena in Dublin.

Bellator 240 was headlined by former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag]’ first-round submission of Chris Bungard; while Bellator Europe 7 saw [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] take an impressive unanimous decision over Judith Ruis.

Whether you caught this exciting night of fights the first time around or you missed it and are ready to catch up, Bellator’s here to give you a solid Saturday night of fights. So watch the video above to relive a fun time on the Emerald Isle, starting with the prelims t 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

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