Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out these photos from Tyler Diamond vs. Brett Johns at 2024 PFL 6 in South Dakota.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag]’s victory over Brett Johns at 2024 PFL 6, which took place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL)
Check out the 2023 PFL Europe 4 results live from Dublin.
2023 PFL Europe 4 took place Friday in Dublin and featured the promotion’s tournament finals for top talent from the region as they vyed for entry into the main series tournament in 2024.
Four European champions were crowned, as bantamweight [autotag]Khushed Kakhorov[/autotag], lightweight [autotag]Jakub Kaszuba[/autotag], flyweight [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag], and light heavyweight [autotag]Jakob Nedoh[/autotag] took home titles and $100,000. Kakhorov, Kaszuba, and Nedoh also earned theirselves a spot in the 2024 PFL season.
Atop the card, Ireland’s [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] sent 3Arena into pandemonium when he submitted [autotag]Dimitry Solimeis[/autotag] by rear-naked choke at 4:47 of Round 1.
The full 2023 PFL Europe 4 results include:
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Brett Johns added PFL to a resume that already included the UFC and Bellator – and did so in style.
[autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] has already checked off wins in the UFC and Bellator, and now he can add PFL to the list.
Friday at 2023 PFL Europe 4, Johns (20-3) won his promotional debut when he finished opponent [autotag]David Tonatiuh Crol[/autotag] (11-8) with punches at 3:09 of Round 3. The event took place at 3Arena in Dublin.
The stoppage came after Johns trapped Crol in a triangle choke. With his opponent unable to defend strikes properly, Johns punched away at Crol’s head. Eventually, the referee saw enough and waved off the fight.
Brett Johns gets the stoppage in the 3rd round! Welcome to the PFL!
#PFLDublin LIVE NOW
🇪🇺 DAZN
🌎 https://t.co/9MHmogryaf pic.twitter.com/9kDhgVBo7G— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) December 8, 2023
Johns, 31, parted ways with Bellator earlier in 2023 and was promptly scooped up by PFL. Friday’s win was his third in a row. He moved to 3-1 since he departed the UFC during free agency in 2021.
The up-to-the-minute 2023 PFL Europe 4 results include:
Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC returns to its home base in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Night 233 takes place at the UFC Apex, and is headlined by a bantamweight bout between Song Yadong and Chris Gutierrez.
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Dec. 8-9.
Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Check out which UFC fighters of the past and present currently run their own promotions.
In the fight game, fighters fight and promoters largely promote. It’s a nearly exclusive rule, but there are some exceptions.
While promoters never fight, occasionally a fighter will promote.
An increasing trend in recent years, more and more combat sports athletes are testing out the waters of running their own promotions. Oftentimes, it’s a fighter who has some name recognition, buzz, or influence in the sport. There are exceptions to the rule, however – fighters who have just figured out how to run a regional promotion successfully.
There are the more obvious stars like [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], who have used their big platforms to promote their recent dive into promoting. There are also others who have quietly promoted behind the scenes for years.
Scroll below to see which current and former UFC fighters currently run their own promotions.
Note: Promotions that have not held an event since before 2019 were not included in this list – and this list is not necessarily all-inclusive.
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 April 24-30.
Brett Johns thinks Bellator should rebook his fight against James Gallagher when the promotion returns to Dublin in February.
[autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] thinks Bellator should rebook his fight against [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag].
Johns (19-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was scheduled to face Gallagher at this past Friday’s Bellator 285 card at 3Arena in Dublin, but Gallagher was forced out due to injury. Johns faced Jordan Winski instead and beat him by unanimous decision.
Bellator announcing a return to Dublin for Feb. 24, and Johns wants to face Ireland’s own Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) in the event’s headliner.
“@BellatorMMA I think it makes sense right now to book @StrabanimalMMA and me for February 24th. It’s the fight everyone wants to see end off. The Irish want it and the welsh want it. It’s probably the biggest Bantamweight fight in European MMA history.
“I’m not here to coast by. I’m here to create big fights and slowly start making my way up the rankings. As for James’ skill set I think it’s a tough fight. He’s proven himself at the top of the @BellatorMMA bantamweight division. But mark my words I’ll be coming for his head.
“5 round main event in Dublin 24th February And I’ll take him out in 2.”
@BellatorMMA
I think it makes sense right now to book @StrabanimalMMA and me for February 24th.It’s the fight everyone wants to see end off. The Irish want it and the welsh want it.
It’s probably the biggest Bantamweight fight in European mma history.
— Brett Johns (@36Johns) September 26, 2022
5 round main event in Dublin 24th February
And I’ll take him out in 2 @Bellator_Europe @BellatorPR @BellatorMMA
— Brett Johns (@36Johns) September 26, 2022
Gallagher saw his four-fight winning streak snapped when he was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix at Bellator 270 this past November. He then was selected for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, but withdrew due to injury.
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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] (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)
So much for James Gallagher’s Bellator return at home.
So much for [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag]’s Bellator return at home.
Gallagher has pulled out of his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag], which was scheduled for Bellator 285 on Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. A Bellator official confirmed the news to MMA Junkie on Thursday following an initial report from Severe MMA.
The reason for Gallagher’s withdrawal isn’t know. Bellator is in search of a replacement to fight Johns.
A fan favorite in Dublin, Gallagher, 25, was looking to regain some momentum after a tough stretch. In November, Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix. He then was chosen for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix but withdrew due to injury.
Johns (18-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) signed with Bellator in late 2020 after back-to-back wins finished off his UFC deal. He’s split his first two Bellator fights.
Johns took a thinly veiled shot at Gallagher on Twitter for withdrawing from the fight.
21 professional Bouts.
Fought every single soul that was put forward. Win lose or draw I’m there every time. I’ve fought the who’s who and not once have I “shit it”Unlike some……….
But don’t you lot worry, as always, September 23rd I’LL BE THERE.
— Brett Johns (@36Johns) August 11, 2022
With the change, here’s the Bellator 285 lineup:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12:30 p.m. ET)
