Tag: Cody Law

Bellator 297 pre-event facts: Patricio ‘Pitbull’ can be first to achieve triple champ status

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 297, where Patricio Freire is on the cusp of an unprecedented MMA accomplishment.

The biggest Bellator event of the year so far goes down Friday with Bellator 297, which takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

A championship doubleheader is featured on the top of a loaded card. In the main card, [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) will attempt to make his third light heavyweight title defense when he takes on [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA). The co-headliner, meanwhile, sees the return of bantamweight titleholder [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), who attempts to defend against current featherweight and former lightweight champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-5 MMA, 22-5 BMMA) in a potentially historic affair.

For more on the numbers behind the two title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 297.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 1-7)

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 May 1-7.

Defying the odds: The 10 biggest MMA betting upsets of 2022

Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2022, according to the oddsmakers, across Bellator, the UFC, PFL and more.

Who doesn’t love a good upset?

In 2022, MMA saw its fair share of underdogs who defied the odds in the UFC, Bellator and beyond. While everyone has an opinion of who should win and who should lose, the oddsmakers (and how the betting public responds) largely get the final say on what history reflects.

This year, with the help of MMA database Tapology, MMA Junkie has compiled the top 10 betting upsets of 2022. Fights that were eligible were those that multiple major online sportsbooks recognized, and that Tapology recorded prior to the close of the betting line.

Promotions eligible include UFC, Bellator, PFL, KSW, DWCS, Road to UFC, Eagle FC, and One Championship.

Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2022 below. Only major MMA promotions were included in the tally.

Bellator 289 post-event facts: Underdogs shine on final card of 2022

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 289, which took place Friday and saw a number of significant betting upsets.

Bellator put on its 17th and final event of the year on Friday with Bellator 289, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Two champions defended their titles at the top of the card. In the main event, [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) edged [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) by split decision in their grudge match to defend interim bantamweight gold and advance to the finals of the promotion’s grand prix.

The co-headliner saw [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) earn a second consecutive win over [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA), this time without controversy as she scored a second-round submission to defend women’s flyweight gold.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 289.

Bellator 289: Best photos from Connecticut

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289 in Uncasville, Conn.

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289, headlined by an interim bantamweight title and grand prix semifinal bout between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Cris Lencioni returns, meets Cody Law at Bellator 289 in December

After three fights outside the promotion this year, Cris Lencioni will return to Bellator in December.

After three fights outside the promotion this year, [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] will return to Bellator in December.

Lencioni (9-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) has signed a new multifight deal with the promotion and will take on [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in a featherweight bout at Bellator 289. A promotion official confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie on Wednesday.

Bellator 289 is set for Dec. 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The card features a women’s flyweight title fight between new champion Liz Carmouche and former champ Juliana Velasquez, plus a pair of bantamweight tournament semifinals that include interim champ Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello.

In addition, a welterweight fight between [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 2-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Michael Lombardo[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) has been added to the lineup.

Lencioni most recently fought for Bellator in August 2020, when he took a unanimous decision from A.J. Agazarm. After that, he competed in many grappling tournaments, then returned to MMA in February with a loss to recent UFC signee Don Shainis. But he bounced back after that with a decision over Drako Rodriguez in April and, most recently, a submission of Talon Hoffman on the regional circuit in August.

Law started his career a perfect 6-0 with five stoppage wins before he was upset by James Gonzalez in June at Bellator 282. The American Top Team-trained wrestling standout will be looking to get back on track against Lencioni.

With the addition, the Bellator 289 lineup now includes:

  • Interim champ Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello – for interim bantamweight title; bantamweight grand prix semifinal
  • Champ Liz Carmouche vs. Juliana Velasquez – for women’s flyweight title
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Patchy Mix – bantamweight grand prix semifinal
  • Cody Law vs. Cris Lencioni
  • Mark Lemminger vs. Michael Lombardo

Bellator 282 post-event facts: Johnny Eblen the newest undefeated champion

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.

Bellator 276: Cody Law drops James Adcock once, punishes him with violent KO for getting back up

Former All-American wrestler Cody Law packs a mean punch, as he showed once again at Bellator 276.

[autotag]James Adcock[/autotag] tried to keep fighting, but the outcome proved to be the same.

Against undefeated standout [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) on the Bellator 276 prelims, Adcock (7-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) was dropped in a frantic exchange. A tough customer, he rose to his feet but was met by another Law haymaker. That was it. The fight was over at the 1:11 mark of Round 1.

Bellator 276 took place Friday at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. and aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Law, an All-American wrestler at University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, has shown he’s more than just a grappler in his MMA career to date. Bellator 276 marked the fourth knockout victory of his undefeated career.

Check out the finish below:

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 276 results include:

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Cat Zingano to meet Pam Sorenson at Bellator 276; Cris Cyborg says Zingano turned down title fight

Cat Zingano could’ve had a title fight, but she’ll instead meet Pam Sorenson on the Bellator 276 prelims.

Bellator’s plan was to have Cat Zingano challenge women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg for the title, but that’s not happening.

Zingano instead will face Pam Sorenson on March 12 at Bellator 276, which takes place at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., just outside of St. Louis. MMA Fighting first reported the booking, which a promotion official later confirmed to MMA Junkie on Tuesday.

Zingano, 39, has gone 2-0 so far since signing with Bellator in October 2019. After a unanimous decision win over Gabrielle Holloway in her promotional debut, Zingano submitted Olivia Parker by first-round armbar in April 2021.

The victory seemingly set up a title-fight showdown with Cyborg, who indicated on Twitter that Zingano declined the opportunity.

“She turned down a World Title Fight to compete on the prelims?!” Cyborg tweeted and later deleted (screenshot below).

It’s unclear if that’s exactly how things turned out, but Bellator president Scott Coker said on Jan. 29 that the promotion wanted to boon Cyborg vs. Zingano “as soon as possible.” He seemed to indicate that the hold-up was on Zingano’s end.

“I think timing is going to be an issue on that fight, when Cat is ready to fight her,” Coker said after Bellator 273. “We would like that fight to happen as soon as possible.”

“That is our plan, but we have to have both fighters agree to that plan. We’re talking to the managers, Cat’s manager, find out when she’ll be ready to, No. 1, fight, and will she be willing to fight Cyborg?”

That won’t be the case, and Zingano (11-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will instead fight 35-year-old Soreno (9-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA), who has split her first two Bellator outings. She won a split decision over Roberta Samad in August before she lost a unanimous decision to Arlene Blencowe this past November at Bellator 271.

While Zingano vs. Sorenson is scheduled for the prelims, a middleweight bout between [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 18-5 BMMA) is the most recent addition to the main card. Eblen is considered one of the fastest-rising fighters in the division, while Salter looks to bounce back from a title shot loss against Gegard Mousasi.

Other additions to the card include a lightweight battle between [autotag]Derek Anderson[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA).

Notable prospects middleweight [autotag]Romero Cotton[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), women’s flyweight [autotag]Diana Avsaragova[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), featherweight [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), and welterweight [autotag]Roman Faraldo[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) have also been matched up with non-rostered opponents.

The lineup for Bellator 276 currently includes:

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

  • Adam Borics vs. Mads Burnell
  • Phil Davis vs. Julius Anglickas
  • Johnny Eblen vs. John Salter
  • Jay Jay Wilson vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET )

  • Pam Sorenson vs. Cat Zingano
  • Jose Augusto vs. Alex Polizzi
  • Derek Anderson vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Romero Cotton vs. Lance Wright
  • Diana Avsaragova vs. Ashley Deen
  • Cody Law vs. Johnny Soto
  • Roman Faraldo vs. Kelvin Rayford
  • Jordan Howard vs. Trevor Ward
  • Dan Busch vs. Josh Augustine

Bellator 271 adds Valerie Loureda, host of other prospects to South Florida lineup

Valerie Loureda will look to rebound from the first loss of her career when she competes at home.

Bellator 271 is less than one month away, and the card is quickly filling up.

On Wednesday, promotion officials announced the addition of five preliminary card matchups, each of which features at least one multifight-rostered up-and-comer.

The event takes place Nov. 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Among the names included are highly touted prospects Valerie Loureda, Roman Faraldo, Desiree Yanez, Cody Law, and Jordan Newman. Scroll below to check out who each fighter is facing.