Bruna Ellen – Syndication Server

Bellator 295 winner Bruna Ellen wants Keri Melendez fight rebooked

As far as Bruna Ellen is concerned, the sooner her fight with Keri Melendez gets rescheduled the better.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] hopes her fight with [autotag]Keri Melendez[/autotag] gets rescheduled.

Ellen (7-4 MMA, 5-4 BMMA) was scheduled to face Melendez (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) at Bellator 292 in March, but the bout was scrapped when Melendez withdrew due to injury.

Ellen ended up getting booked one month later against Ilara Joanne in this past Saturday’s Bellator 295 event at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. She won by unanimous decision and thinks rebooking her fight against Melendez makes sense.

“Keri Melendez, I was ready for her,” Ellen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “So, we can do that fight like next week if she can.”

Ellen made her flyweight debut once she signed with Bellator in 2016. The Brazilian has alternated wins and losses in her past seven fights but is ready to go on a run after Bellator 295.

“When I was in Brazil, I fought at 115,” Ellen said. “Now I’m 125, flyweight division, So I’m working on my skills, on my speed. I’m training with a lot of high-level girls right now, and I’m proving what I need to do. But I’m ready now just to put some wins. … Sometimes I thought I was too small for the division, but at the same time, I can hurt the girls. You saw it tonight, so I’m learning how to improve my skills for this division and see what can happen next.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

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.

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

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 16-22)

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 Jan. 16-22.

Bellator 292 adds return of Keri Taylor-Melendez, Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell rematch

The Bellator 292 lineup continues to fill with some notable names – one of which hasn’t competed for over two years.

After more than two years out of competitive action, [autotag]Keri Taylor-Melendez[/autotag] is back.

At Bellator 292, which takes place March 10 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Taylor-Melendez (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will compete on the prelims against [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout.

Additionally, a main card heavyweight contender rematch between [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) has been added to the event.

A promotion official recently informed MMA Junkie of both bouts.

Taylor-Melendez, 38, is the wife of former UFC title challenger and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. She has competed intermittently since her debut in 2016 with three finishes in five wins. She most recently competed in November 2020, but was booked to fight in February 2022 before the bout was canceled.

Ellen, 26, has alternated wins and losses over her past six fights dating back to August 2017. She enters the bout off a unanimous decision loss to Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in August.

Moldavsky, 30, and Vassell, 39, fought at Bellator 218 in March 2019. Moldavsky defeated Vassell by unanimous decision. Since the first meeting, Vassell has not lost. He rides a four-fight winning streak with victories over Tim Johnson, Tyrell Fortune, Ronny Markes and Sergei Kharitonov. Moldavsky is 3-1 with a no contest in five bouts since the Vassell win. The lone loss was a unanimous decision in a heavyweight title challenge against Ryan Bader.

With the addition, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:

Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – grand prix quarterfinal for lightweight title
Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy – grand prix quarterfinal
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
Bruna Ellen vs. Keri Taylor-Melendez
Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley

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Bellator 284 results: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane survives guillotine, nearly losing shorts in first win since 2019

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane largely dominated with the exception of a submission by Bruna Ellen in Round 3.

[autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] is back in the win column for the first time since 2019.

At Bellator 284, Macfarlane (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) defeated [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in a women’s flyweight bout. The fight took place Friday on the main card at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Ahead of the bout, Macfarlane missed weight, which she apologized to Ellen for in social media posts shortly thereafter. Ellen accepted the bout despite a three-pound miss by Macfarlane.

The bout was competitive, technical, and calculated with both women having their moments. The fight began with some striking before Macfarlane went to her bread-and-butter grappling. She scored a takedown as the clock wound down. In Round 2, Macfarlane tried for another, with less success.

Round 3 was perhaps Ellen’s best round, as she threatened a guillotine choke for a long period of time. Her grip was tight and, as we came to learn, was catalyzed by Macfarlane’s fear of losing her fight shorts. In her post-fight interview, Macfarlane told “Big” John McCarthy she was not wearing any underwear and feared her shorts were going to come off during the sequence.

Regardless, Macfarlane broke the grasp of Ellen and with it landed on top.

🚨 Another CLOSE result 🚨

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane comes out on top by split decision after a hard-fought, back-and-forth bout with Bruna Ellen#Bellator284 | @BellatorMMA pic.twitter.com/nmephvuU2i

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) August 13, 2022

In the eyes of the judges, she did enough to win. Originally read as a split decision, promotion officials later clarified it was unanimous.

After the fight, Mcfarlane got emotional in the cage and explained how this fight rejuvenated her. She showed herself she still has a passion for the sport, despite recent interviews that indicated she won’t fight much longer.

The win was her first since 2019. She snapped a two-fight skid that included a title loss to Julianna Velasquez and a hometown upset by Justine Kish in Hawaii. It also marks her first win since 2020 knee surgery.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 284 results include:

lima-Lei Macfarlane def. Bruna Ellen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Gokhan Saricam def. Said Sowma via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Aaron Jeffery def. Austin Vanderford via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
Marcos Breno def. Josh Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
DeAnna Bennett def. Justine Kish via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sullivan Cauley def. Tyson Jeffries via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 1:39
Pat Downey def. Keyes Nelson via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 1, 0:36
Bailey Schoenfelder def. Mark Currier via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:35
Mitchell McKee def. Tony Ortega via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:28

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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Photos: Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins

Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and the final faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Check out these photos of the main card fighters on the scale and the final pre-fight faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Sep 9, 2017; Ruston, LA, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs cornerback Amik Robertson (21) celebrates after a interception during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Joe Aillet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Bellator 284 predictions: Who are our two unanimous picks in Sioux Falls?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 284 main card in Sioux Falls, S.D.

	Gracie vs. Yamauchi	Moldavsky vs. Mowry	Ellen vs. Macfarlane	Saricam vs. Sowma	Jeffery vs. Vanderford
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 131-79	Yamauchi (58%)	Mowry (61%)	Macfarlane (79%)	Saricam (62%)	Vanderford (68%)
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 143-72 2018 Champion	Gracie	Mowry	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 139-76	Gracie	Moldavsky	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 137-78 2014 Champion	Gracie	Moldavsky	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 135-80	Gracie	Mowry	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
Simon Samano @SJSamano 132-83	Gracie	Mowry	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 131-84	Gracie	Mowry	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 130-85	Gracie	Moldavsky	Macfarlane	Sowma	Vanderford
Nolan King @mma_kings 127-88	Gracie	Moldavsky	Ellen	Sowma	Vanderford
Brian Garcia @thegoze 126-89 2017 Champion	Gracie	Moldavsky	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 117-98	Gracie	Mowry	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 104-111	Gracie	Moldavsky	Macfarlane	Saricam	Vanderford

Bellator returns to South Dakota this week with a welterweight bout atop the card, plus two former champions and a recent title challenger on the bill.

Bellator 284 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. 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, [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) takes on first-time Bellator headliner [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) at welterweight. Gracie is a -200 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Yamauchi is +150. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Gracie as one of two unanimous picks on the main card – but in a rarity, our readers disagree and are backing Yamauchi at a big 58 percent clip.

In the co-feature, former interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) takes on unbeaten up-and-comer [autotag]Steve Mowry[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA). Moldavsky is more than a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, but he has the narrowest possible edge over Mowry in the picks at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) takes on former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA), who is fighting outside her native Hawaii or homebase of California for just the second time in nearly five years. Macfarlane is a slight favorite at -135, but is a near-unanimous pick with our staff members at 10-1. (It should be noted Macfarlane missed weight for for the first time in her MMA career. She came in at 129 pounds at Thursday’s weigh-ins.)

[autotag]Gokhan Saricam[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is a 2-1 favorite in his heavyweight bout against [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), and he’s got a blowout from our pickers at 9-2.

And to open the main card, our second unanimous pick is recent middleweight title challenger [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA), who is a -200 favorite against late replacement opponent [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Vanderford has an 11-0 shutout from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Yamauchi (58 percent), Mowry (61 percent), Macfarlane (79 percent), Saricam (62 percent) and Vanderford (68 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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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 284 lineup announced, including Neiman Gracie vs. Goiti Yamauchi headliner, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, more

The Bellator 284 lineup also includes a heavyweight contender bout in the co-main event.

Major promotional MMA heads back to South Dakota this summer.

Bellator 284 is set to take place Aug. 12 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, the promotion officially announced Wednesday. Atop the card is a five-round welterweight matchup between [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA).

Gracie, 33, most recently competed in a five-round war against Logan Storely in February. The battle was back-and-forth until the final horn, shortly after which Storley was named winner by split decision. The loss moved Gracie to 2-3 in his past five appearances.

Yamauchi, 29, has won back-to-back fights entering Bellator 284. His most recent performance, a quick submission win against Levan Chokheli, marked his divisional debut at welterweight.

In the co-main event, top heavyweight contenders collide as [autotag]Valentin Moldavksy[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) looks to rebound from a title shot loss when he battles undefeated rising star [autotag]Steve Mowry[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA).

Also on the card, former Bellator women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) will take on [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA). Macfarlane will look to snap a two-fight losing skid, including a title defeat to Juliana Velasquez and a unanimous decision to Justine Kish.

Meanwhile, Ellen has won two of her most recent three bouts.

The current Bellator 284 lineup includes:

Neiman Gracie vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Valentin Moldavksy vs. Steve Mowry
Bruna Ellen vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Weber Almeida vs. Ilias Bulaid

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