Bellator 262 results: Juliana Velasquez retains title with split decision over Denise Kielholtz

Check out how the main event of Bellator 262 unfolded between Juliana Velasquez and Denise Kielholtz.

[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] has successfully defended her Bellator flyweight title for the first time.

The main event of Bellator 262 was a closely contested championship fight between champ Velasquez (12-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Denise Kielholz[/autotag].

The event took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The first round started out with both fighters feeling out the striking range. The challenger, Kielholtz (6-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) put together quick combinations while Velasquez’s output was lower with single strikes throughout the round. With 30 seconds left, Kielholtz unleashed a beautiful five-punch combo to get the champ’s attention and put a stamp on the first five minutes of action.

In the second round, Velasquez worked behind a right-hand jab and started to increase her striking volume as she appeared to figure out her opponent’s range. Kielholtz seemed game for the change of pace, as she also answered with punches of her own.

The pair continued to trade strikes in the center of the cage early in the third round. Kielholtz led the charge by pressing forward with combinations, but Velasquez would circle away from danger before getting too close to the fence. Kielholtz controlled the center of the cage for the majority of the round, while Velasquez looked to counter with punches.

With 15 seconds left in the round, Velasquez secured her first takedown, but with a short time remaining, nothing significant came from it.

The fourth started similarly to the previous round as Kielholtz continued to keep the pressure on the champ as she circled on the outside. Velasquez’s right-hand jab continued to find the mark as the blood and bruising on Kielholtz’s face became more visible. The champ appeared to have her opponent’s timing and distance down, as she became more fluid defensively.

The final round started with a huge right hand from Kielholtz to briefly knock the champ off balance. Perhaps sensing the fight was close, the challenger turned up the pressure. The champ found the range again and returned to working from the outside while countering with punches. Kielholtz stuffed a takedown with a minute to go and led the striking exchanges until time expired.

Two of the judges scored the bout in favor of Velasquez with scores of 48-47, while the dissenting judge turned in a score of 48-47 in favor of Kielholtz.

Velasquez improves to 12-0 in her professional career, picking up her first flyweight title defense by split decision after becoming champion by defeating Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in December.

Kielholtz’s winning streak ends at four after falling to Velasquez in Friday’s main event. After losing to Veta Arteaga by second-round submission in 2018, Kielholtz went on a tear of four straight finishes to earn a shot at the Bellator title. However, she was one judge’s scorecard away from victory on Friday evening.

The full results of Bellator 262 are below:

  • Juliana Velasquez def. Denise Kielholtz via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
  • Tyrell Fortune def. Matt Mitrione via submission (strikes) – Round 1, 1:45
  • Matheus Mattos def. Cee Jay Hamilton via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:33
  • Arlene Blencowe def. Dayana Silva via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:00
  • Johnny Eblen def. Travis Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Said Sowma def. Ronny Markes via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:09
  • Cody Law def. Theodore Macuka via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:54
  • Diana Avsaragova def. Gabriella Gulfin via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Adil Benjilany def. Johnny Soto via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Charlie Campbell def. Nicholas Giulietti via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:30

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Cody Law enters Bellator 262 inspired by training partner and ‘good person’ Dustin Poirier’s win at UFC 264

A top Bellator prospect, Cody Law began his training camp drilling daily with Dustin Poirier.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – American Top Team is in the midst of another successful calendar year, and [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] hopes to continue the momentum with another big win Friday at Mohegan Sun.

On Saturday, Law’s teammate and training partner [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 264 in a trilogy fight main event. The win came six days prior to Bellator 262, the event in which Law (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) will compete against Theodore Macuka (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

“We’ve got a lot of momentum, man,” Law told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “We’ve just had big win after big win, so I’d like to add to it. … Just recently (Poirier and I) started training more frequently, like, toward the beginning of my camp and the beginning of his camp we were training more together. Then, as we got closer, I had to focus on me. He had to focus on him, but we got some good training in and I’m happy to have done it.”

If there was any question as to the character of Poirier, as a friend or training partner, Law wants to put an end to the doubt. In his experience, “The Diamond” has been nothing but a high-class individual.

“(He’s) a really good person, man,” Law said. “He’s treated me really well. He’s a great person. Everybody loves him. I was really, really happy to see him win and I can’t wait to see him win that belt.”

Now that it’s his time to shine, Law thinks he’s ready to show what they’ve been drilling so hard and so often at ATT in Coconut Creek, Fla. A standout wrestler, Law’s main focus for his past few fights has been to get a finish – a mindset he’s keeping going into Bellator 262.

“(I need to) get the finish,” Law said. “I’m really focused on getting finishes and improving. My last fight, I made a lot of mistakes and I’m looking to improve, show a better version of myself, and always get the finish.”

Bellator 262 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSfB042fgnw

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Bellator 256: Make your predictions for Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida 2

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 256 event in Connecticut.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 256 event in Connecticut.

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 Wednesdday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 256 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 256 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Top 10 Bellator dark horses to watch in 2021

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a look at his top 10 Bellator dark horses to watch in 2021.

Despite being held to just 18 events in 2020 due to the global pandemic, Bellator was able to keep the proverbial ball rolling in regards to fostering new names and cultivating homegrown talent.

Sure, it’s been easy to get excited about big-name signings like Yoel Romero or Anthony Johnson, but I think the promotion carries a quiet value with the offerings that are often found on their undercards. So, with that in mind, I decided to steer away from mainstream names or past grand prix competitors in order to focus on the dark horses whom I see either making their marks or (in some cases) taking a stab at a title in 2021.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 dark horses that I think you need to be familiar with this year.

Linton Vassell vs. Ronny Markes, Cody Law vs. Kenny Champion added to Bellator 254

Two new bouts pitting Linton Vassell vs. Ronny Markes and Cody Law vs. Kenny Champion have been added to Bellator 254 on Dec. 10.

The lineup for Bellator’s return after a few weeks off continues to build.

The organization has booked [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] against [autotag]Kenny Champion[/autotag] and is targeting a bout between [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] and [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] for Bellator 254, which takes place Dec. 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news following an initial report from MMA Fighting.

Law (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), a top prospect at American Top Team, made his professional debut in October and submitted Orlando Ortega in the first round at Bellator 250. He is a former NCAA Division-II wrestling champion.

Champion (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) made his professional debut in October 2019. He will make his Bellator debut against Law.

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In the heavyweight bout, both Vassell (19-8 MMA, 8-5 BMMA) and Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) look to build momentum from victories in their most recent fights, which snapped losing skids for both.

Vassell defeated Sergei Kharitonov with a second-round TKO in November 2019 at Bellator 234. Prior to that, the Englishman was on a three-fight losing skid.

Markes finally will make his Bellator debut more than a year after signing with the promotion. The Brazilian was expected to debut against Josh Barnett in December 2019 in Honolulu, but Barnett was removed from the card just hours before the fight when he was deemed unfit to compete due to illness. Markes most recently fought in June 2019 and beat Sigi Pesaleli in the PFL.

With the additions, the Bellator 254 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Juliana Velasquez – for women’s flyweight title
  • Ronny Markes vs. Linton Vassell
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Matheus Mattos
  • Jessica Borga vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
  • Tyree Fortune vs. Grant Neal
  • Romero Cotton vs. Justin Sumter
  • Nate Andrews vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Kenny Champion vs. Cody Law

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Bellator 250 adds Nick Newell vs. Zach Zane, two other fights to lineup

Three fights have been added to the Bellator 250 lineup, including Nick Newell’s return.

The Bellator 250 lineup is now three fights deeper.

Among the additions are a lightweight rebooking between [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag], a middleweight matchup between [autotag]Taylor Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag], as well as a featherweight fight between [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] and [autotag]Orlando Ortega[/autotag].

Bellator 250 takes place Thursday, Oct. 29 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on CBSsports.com.

A promotion official confirmed the three bookings to MMA Junkie on Tuesday after initial reports from MMA Fighting (Newell-Zane), Fansided (Johnson-Eblen), and MyMMANews (Law-Ortega).

Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) were originally scheduled to fight at Bellator 241 in March. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the card was canceled hours before the first prelim was scheduled to take place.

Newell, 34, will look to rebound from his first loss in Bellator – a split decision defeat to Manny Muro at Bellator 232 in October. As for Zane, he’ll aim to keep his winning ways alive after earning a unanimous decision victory over Nainoa Dung at Bellator 236 in December.

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Johnson (6-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) was last seen on Sept. 11 at Bellator 245, submitting Ed Ruth with a heel hook submission in 59 seconds. As for Eblen (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), the Jorge Masvidal protege is undefeated and has finished four of his six pro victories.

A former wrestling standout at Penn State University, Law (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make the jump to MMA’s big leagues for his professional debut. Dropping to featherweight, Law will take on Ortega (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) who is moving up from bantamweight.

With the additions, the Bellator 250 lineup includes:

  • Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima – for the Bellator welterweight title
  • Sabah Homasi vs. Bobby Voelker
  • Nick Newell vs. Zach Zane
  • Johnny Eblen vs. Taylor Johnson
  • Cody Law vs. Orlando Ortega

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