Bellator 236 post-event facts: A.J. McKee’s record-book takeover nearly complete

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 236, which took place Saturday in Honolulu.

The second half of Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader took place Saturday with Bellator 236, which went down at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, with a main card that streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Hometown hero and women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA) had another magical moment in her career when, for the second consecutive year, she defended her title on her own soil with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), who became the first in six fights to push “The Ilimanator” to the scorecards.

For more on numbers to come out of main event, as well as the rest of the main card, check below for 30 post-event facts from Bellator 236.

* * * *

General

Betting favorites went 5-0 on the main card. One fight did not have odds available.

Betting favorites improved to 13-8 (with two no contests and one draw) in Bellator main events this year.

Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 1:36:08.

Main card

Macfarlane’s four consecutive Bellator title defenses are tied for most among current champions.

Macfarlane’s five victories in Bellator title fights are tied for third most in company history behind Patricio Freire (eight) and Michael Chandler (six).

Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak is the second longest active streak in the company behind A.J. McKee (16).

Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak is tied with Michael Page for the second longest streak in company history behind McKee (16).

Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.

Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak in the longest among female fighters in the organization.

Macfarlane’s 10 Bellator victories are most among female fighters in the organization.

Macfarlane’s 10 victories in Bellator flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Jackson has suffered both of her Bellator losses by decision.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag]’s (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) 16-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest active streak in the company.

McKee’s 16-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest streak in company history.

McKee’s 16-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.

McKee’s 16 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Chandler for second most in company history behind Freire (18).

McKee’s 16 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Freire (17).

McKee’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied with Freire and Chandler for most in company history.

McKee’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.

McKee’s five submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.

[autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to February 2018.

Campos fell to 1-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in December 2018.

Campos has suffered seven of his eight Bellator losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-9-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) fell to 2-2 since his final UFC appearance in June 2017.

[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag]’s five-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind Macfarlane (10).

Velasquez’s five victories in Bellator flyweight competition are second most in divisor history behind Macfarlane (10).

[autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) has suffered all three of her career losses by decision.

[autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 3-0.

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Bellator 236 results: Raufeon Stots outworks Cheyden Leialoha for decision victory

Raufeon Stots is a former NCAA Division II wrestling champion, and his skills were apparent in his Bellator debut.

[autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] was a two-time NCAA Division II wrestling champion at Nebraska-Kearney, and it’s clear his wrestling base is guiding his MMA career.

In a main-card bantamweight bout featuring a pair of competitors making their big-league debuts, Stots (13-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) used that wrestling knowledge to grind out a victory in Honolulu over Hawaiian son [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag]. The judges’ scores were 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27 for a unanimous decision.

The first half of the opening round was a clinch war along the fence which ended with Leialoha attempting to throw Stots. Stots, however, ended up on top after the scramble. He maintained dominant position the rest of the way, but did not score much in the way of offense.

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Round 2 saw Leialoha shoot for a takedown, and while Stots resisted, Leiloha eventually wrapped him up and slammed him to the mat. Once they got there, though, Stots shook off a Kimura attempt and once again took over the round with his grappling.

Leialoha showed a sense of urgency in the third as he came out firing kicks and punches, but it didn’t take long for Stots to once again implement his grappling game to seal the victory, despite Leialoha’s attempts to find submissions from the bottom.

Stots, a member of Milwaukee’s Roufusport, won his fifth fight in a row and now has seven career decision wins. Leialoha has now dropped two of his past three.

The bantamweight bout was part of the Bellator 236 main card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 236 results include:

  • Raufeon Stots def. Cheyden Leiloha via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Zach Zane def. Nainoa Dung via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Swayne Lunasco def. Kaylan Gorospe via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:29
  • Ben Wilhelm def. Kealii Kanekoa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:24
  • Dustin Barca def. Brandon Pieper via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:58
  • Kai Kamaka III def. Spencer Higa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Keoni Diggs def. Scotty Hao via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:23

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Cheyden Leialoha ‘100 percent confident’ he can defy oddsmakers at Bellator 236

Cheyden Leialoha says he’s ready to prove the oddsmakers wrong against Raufeon Stots at Bellator 236.

HONOLULU – Hawaii’s [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] takes on hot prospect Raufeon Stots as the two bantamweight prospects make their respective promotional debuts Saturday at Bellator 236. And although his opponent has been strongly favored by the oddsmakers, the man known as “Steadfast” is appropriately strong in his belief that he can get the job done on home soil.

Leialoha (7-1, 0-0 BMMA) has four rear-naked choke submissions to his name, including in his most recent outing back in April 2018 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

And now, after an 18-month layoff, Leialoha returns to the same venue looking to score the biggest win of his career against Stots (12-1, 0-0 BMMA) as he looks to make a big first impression on his Bellator debut.

Watch Leialoha’s full media day interview with MMA Junkie in the video above.

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Bellator 236 predictions: Will anyone pick against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in Hawaii?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 236 main card in Honolulu.

Macfarlane
vs.
Jackson
Campos
vs.
McKee
Jackson
vs.
Kunimoto
Ellen
vs.
Velasquez
Leailoha
vs.
Stots
Dung
vs.
Zane
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2019: 210-125 (63%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
(xx%)
mckee2019
McKee
(xx%)
kunimoto2019
Kunimoto
(xx%)
velasquez2019
Velasquez
(xx%)
stots2019
Stots
(xx%)
dung2019
Dung
(xx%)
Simon Head
@simonhead
2019: 127-66 (66%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2019: 121-67 (64%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2019: 215-120 (64%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2019: 214-121 (64%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2019: 214-121 (64%)
trophy copy 2017 Champion
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2019: 212-123 (63%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2019: 210-125 (63%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
kunimoto2019
Kunimoto
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2019: 207-128 (62%)
trophy copy 2014 Champion
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2019: 206-129 (61%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2019: 110-72 (60%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2019: 201-134 (60%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
kunimoto2019
Kunimoto
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2019: 137-106 (56%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
kunimoto2019
Kunimoto
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2019: 175-160 (52%)
macfarlane2019
Macfarlane
mckee2019
McKee
jackson2019
Jackson
velasquez2019
Velasquez
stots2019
Stots
dung2019
Dung

Bellator is back in Hawaii for a doubleheader weekend for the second straight December.

Bellator 236 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. Friday, the same venue hosts Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”), an event exclusively for military members stationed in Honolulu.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), a native of Hawaii who grew up in Honolulu, puts her title on the line against British challenger [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA). Macfarlane is a heavy favorite at the sports books with odds for her as high as 7-1. Not surprisingly, our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking the champ unanimously.

The co-main event is another unanimous pick from our staff members – one of five 13-0 blowouts on the main card. [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 15-0 BMMA) is as much as an 8-1 favorite in his fight against [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 9-7 BMMA), which is a quarterfinal matchup in Bellator’s ongoing featherweight tournament.

[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) will try to stay unbeaten when she takes on [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout. Velasquez is more than a 4-1 favorite and one of our five unanimous picks.

[autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) recently got a long-awaited call from a big-time promotion when Bellator brought him on board. Stots, who trains at Roufusport in Milwaukee, is a 7-1 favorite against local fighter [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), and he’s a 13-0 pick from our staff members.

The other unanimous pick goes to [autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who opens the main card against [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (13-9 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a lightweight fight. Dung, from Hawaii, made his Bellator debut a year ago in Honolulu and will try to repeat his success Saturday.

Our only contentious fight on the main card is between [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-8-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Jackson stepped up on short notice when Neiman Gracie fell off the card earlier this week with an injury. He’s more than a 2-1 favorite, and even though it’s not unanimous, Jackson still has a massive 11-2 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Macfarlane (95%), McKee (88 percent), Jackson (60 percent), Velasquez (81 percent), Stots (70 percent) and Dung (57 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Bellator 236: Cheyden Leialoha media day interview

Bellator 236: Cheyden Leialoha media day interview

Bellator 236: Cheyden Leialoha media day interview

Bellator 236: Make your predictions for Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson

We want your predictions for Bellator 236 in Hawaii.

We want your predictions for this week’s Bellator 236 “Salute the Troops 2019” event in Hawaii.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 236 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator 236 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for all six main card fights inside.

Bellator’s Hawaii cards continue to build with additions from recent open tryouts

The two cards on Bellator’s Hawaii return next month continue to build with additions from the promotion’s recent open tryouts in Honolulu.

The two cards on Bellator’s return to Hawaii next month continue to build with additions from the promotion’s recent open tryouts in Honolulu.

The organization picked 10 total fighters from those open tryouts, and they’ll be part of the “Bellator: Salute the Troops” and Bellator 236 cards in December, the promotion today announced.

The fighters who earned shots with Bellator are featherweight [autotag]Braydon Akeo[/autotag], bantamweight [autotag]Pierre Daguzan[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), lightweight [autotag]Keoni Diggs[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), welterweight [autotag]Hunter Ewald[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Kaylan Gorospe[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), lightweight [autotag]Scotty Hao[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Swayne Lunasco[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), flyweight [autotag]Jamie Thorton[/autotag] (6-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and welterweight [autotag]Ben Wilhelm[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Akeo (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) gets a tough assignment right out of the gate against [autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA). Claxton will be looking to rebound from the first loss of his career, a submission setback against Emmanuel Sanchez in the opening round of Bellator’s featherweight tournament in September. Akeo turned pro a year ago and is 3-0 out of the gate.

The latest “Bellator: Salute the Troops” lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN 10 p.m. ET)

  • Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes
  • Toby Misech vs. Erik Perez
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Alejandra Lara
  • Braydon Akeo vs. Tywan Claxton

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8:45 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Cass Bell[/autotag] vs. Pierre Daguzan
  • Hunter Ewald vs. [autotag]Jonathan Pico[/autotag]
  • Jamie Thorton vs. [autotag]Tiani Valle[/autotag]

And the latest Bellator 236 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson – for women’s flyweight title
  • Derek Campos vs. A.J. McKee – featherweight tournament quarterfinal
  • Neiman Gracie vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Juliana Velasquez
  • Cheyden Leialoha vs. [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag]

Preliminary MMA Junkie, 8:30 p.m. ET Edit Delete

  • Kaylan Gorospe vs. Swayne Lunasco
  • Keoni Diggs vs. Scotty Hao
  • Chas Dunhour vs. Nate Yoshimura
  • Spencer Higa vs. Kai Kamaka III
  • [autotag]Kona Oliveira[/autotag] vs. Ben Wilhelm
  • Dustin Barca vs. Brandon Pieper
  • Nainoa Dung vs. Zach Zane

Raufeon Stots vs. Cheyden Leialoha added to Bellator 236 main card

A clash between rising bantamweights is on tap for Bellator’s return to Hawaii.

A clash between rising bantamweights is on tap for Bellator’s return to Hawaii.

At Bellator 236, highly touted [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] will make his promotional debut when he takes on [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] on the evening’s main card. A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking Wednesday afternoon.

Bellator 236 will take place Dec. 21 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card will stream on DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Stots (12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his debut after signing with the promotion in early October. Highly regarded as one of the top bantamweight prospects in North America, Stots is riding a four-fight winning streak.

Most recently, Stots competed for LFA. In his three outings for the promotion, he defeated all comers, including fellow top prospect Levi Mowles.

Leialoha’s opportunity at Bellator 236 comes on the heels of his participation in an open tryout held in Honolulu on Nov. 2. Hawaii’s Leialoha (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) impressed the promotion’s brass enough to offer him a main-card slot on the second leg of a two-night doubleheader to be held in his home state.

The 25-year-old Leialoha is one fight removed from his appearance on the inaugural season of Dana White’s Contender Series. After losing to John Castaneda on the show, Leialoha picked up a submission victory in April 2018.

Additionally, three preliminary card matchups have also been added to the evening’s undercard. A welterweight matchup pits [autotag]Kona Oliveira[/autotag] (1-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) against Honolulu tryout signee [autotag]Ben Wilhelm[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Flyweights [autotag]Nate Yoshimura[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Chas Dunhour[/autotag] (0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will collide, as well as lightweights [autotag]Dustin Barca[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Brandon Pieper[/autotag] (11-13 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).

Check out the current Bellator 236 lineup below:

  • Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson
  • Derek Campos vs. A.J. McKee
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Juliana Velasquez
  • Neiman Gracie vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
  • Cheyden Leialoha vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Nainoa Dung vs. Zach Zane
  • Kona Oliveira vs. Ben Wilhelm
  • Kai Kamaka III vs. Spencer Higa
  • Chas Dunhour vs. Nate Yoshimura
  • Dustin Barca vs. Brandon Pieper

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