Costello van Steenis – Syndication Server

Bellator 296 predictions: Mousasi or Edwards, Barnaoui or Primus in Paris?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 296 main card in Paris.

	Mousasi vs. Edwards	Barnaoui vs. Primus	Lima vs. Van Steenis	Gouti vs. Mousah
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 66-49	Mousasi (77%)	Barnaoui (56%)	Lima (60%)	Gouti (67%)
Matt Erickson @MattE 75-40	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Lima	Mousah
Simon Samano @SJSamano 73-42	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Van Steenis	Mousah
Nolan King @mma_kings 71-44	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Van Steenis	Mousah
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 70-45	Mousasi	Primus	Lima	Mousah
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 70-45	Mousasi	Primus	Van Steenis	Mousah
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 68-47 2014 Champion	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Lima	Mousah
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway -65-50 2018, 2022 Champion	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Lima	Gouti
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 65-50	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Van Steenis	Mousah
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 63-52	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Van Steenis	Gouti
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 62-53	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Lima	Mousah
Brian Garcia @thegoze 62-53 2017 Champion	Mousasi	Barnaoui	Lima	Mousah

Bellator is back in the “City of Light” for the third time with a key tournament fight and an ex-champ at the top of the bill.

Bellator 296 takes place Friday at Accor Arena in Paris. 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, former middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (49-8-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) will fight for the first time since he lost his title when he takes on [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA), the brother of UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards.

Mousasi is a -260 favorite in the fight, and he’s a near-unanimous pick from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers. They have it as a blowout for the former champ, Mousasi, at 10-1.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Mansour Barnaoui[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on former lightweight champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) in a quarterfinal fight in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix. Barnaoui is a moderate favorite at -360 and has a big 9-2 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, former welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-11 MMA, 14-7 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in a middleweight bout. Van Steenis is a slight favorite at -160, but it’s Lima with a narrow 6-5 edge in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Thibault Gouti[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) meets [autotag]Kane Mousah[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) at lightweight. Gouti is a slight favorite at -140, but it’s Mousah in a blowout at 9-2.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Mousasi (77 percent), Barnaoui (56 percent), Lima (60 percent) and Gouti (67 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 296.

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.

Ex-champ Douglas Lima moves back to 185, meets Costello Van Steenis at Bellator Paris

A former Bellator welterweight champion is moving back up a division, and he has his first assignment.

[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-11 MMA, 14-7 BMMA) has been booked for a middleweight matchup against [autotag]Costello Van Steenis[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) when Bellator returns to France this spring. Bellator officials announced the new booking Thursday, as well as a light heavyweight bout between [autotag]Jose Augusto[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Simon Biyong[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) for the prelims.

Bellator Paris takes place May 12 at Accor Arena in Paris. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The event will be Bellator’s second event in Paris in less than a year.

Lima will be looking to get back on track in what is the roughest stretch of his career. “The Phenom” beat Andrey Koreshkov in a rematch to reclaim the 170-pound title in 2016 and defended it against Lorenz Larkin in 2017. But in early 2018, he lost the belt to Rory MacDonald.

Lima rebounded with finishes of Koreshkov, then became the first fighter to beat Michael Page when he knocked him out at Bellator 221. Later in 2019, he beat MacDonald to get the welterweight title back.

Then his struggles started. He dropped a unanimous decision to then-middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi in a bid to become a two-division titleholder. Then he lost the welterweight title to Yaroslav Amosov in June 2021. Later that year, he dropped a split call to Page in a rematch, and in July 2022, he lost a decision to Jason Jackson for his fourth straight setback.

Van Steenis will be looking to build on back-to-back wins over Fabian Edwards in 2020 and a submission of Kamil Oniszczuk this past October at Bellator 287. Van Steenis, from the Netherlands, is a training partner of Mousasi, who headlines Bellator Paris.

With the additions, the Bellator Paris lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)

Gegard Mousasi vs. Fabian Edwards
Mansour Barnaoui vs. Sidney Outlaw – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
Douglas Lima vs. Costello van Steenis
Thibault Gouti vs. Kane Mousah

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, noon ET)

Davy Gallon vs. Saul Rogers
Jose Augusto vs. Simon Biyong

[vertical-gallery id=457096]

Costello van Steenis aims to put fear in Bellator middleweight division after climbing out of ‘dark hole’

Costello van Steenis overcame injuries to return to Bellator, and now he’s shooting for the top of the middleweight division.

Everything was going great for [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] at the tail end of 2020. He’d won seven of eight fights, was coming off his first Bellator main event win over Fabian Edwards, and seemed in position to make a run at the middleweight title.

Just when van Steenis (14-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) was hitting the point at which the opportunities he’d worked a lifetime for were just around the corner, it all fell apart and he wasn’t seen again for 25 months.

“I had loads of injuries,” van Steenis told MMA Junkie. “I had two stomach hernias, a groin tear, and had COVID really bad. It really affected me. It took me five, six months to recover from that. When I came back, I started training too hard and tore my ACL. It was hectic.

“I definitely had doubts (about my future) because I was having so much bad luck. It wasn’t small injuries that I could push through. … That really messed up my head. Everything was like a dark hole for me.”

Van Steenis, 30, is the first to admit life got pretty low for him. However, a relationship with a new trainer allowed him to rebuild physically and mentally.

At long last, van Steenis made his return to competition this past month at Bellator 287 in Italy. “The Spaniard” picked up right where he left off and submitted Kamil Oniszczuk with a D’Arce choke in the second round of their bout.

Although it wasn’t the highest ranked opponent, van Steenis said the fight allowed him to get back in groove, and in his opinion shows he belongs at the upper tier of Bellator’s 185-pound division.

“I think I should be in the top three, definitely,” van Steenis said. “I’ve been out for two years, so I can’t be too picky. But put me wherever and I’ll start beating people and putting fear in the middleweight division.

“There’s loads of new fighters. The whole middleweight division is different. The whole lineup is different (than before my injuries). I’m excited to prove myself that I should be in the top three, and I’ll keep proving myself.”

Van Steenis said he’s targeting a return at Bellator’s event in Dublin on Feb. 24. He would like the highest ranked opponent available, and would even be ready to jump into a title bout with champ Johnny Eblen if possible.

“If I could pick, I would fight Eblen right away,” van Steenis said. “But I don’t think it’s up to me to pick my own fight. When Bellator tells me I’m ready to fight him, I will fight him.”

[vertical-gallery id=2592691]

Bellator Europe 8 results: Costello van Steenis earns split decision over Fabian Edwards

Costello van Steenis scored yet another impressive win at Bellator Europe 8.

[autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] is no longer undefeated.

The heralded Bellator middleweight contender dropped a split decision to [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] in the main event of Saturday’s Bellator Europe 8 event. The card went down at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy.

As the judges’ 29-28, 28-27, 28-29 scores indicate, the bout was close and competitive. Van Steenis (13-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) had success early. “The Spaniard” did well in the striking department in the first round, pushing the action and landing several leg kicks while avoiding most of Edwards’ (9-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) strikes. The second round was more clear for van Steenis, as he took down Edwards and controlled the action to eventually advance positions and finish out on mount.

In the third round the tide turned for Edwards. The British fighter pushed the action and took van Steenis’ back off a failed takedown. He remained on top position for the majority of the round.

[lawrence-related id=554974,554532]

In addition to the 185-pound main event, two other middleweights had dominant performances in Milan.

[autotag]Will Fleury[/autotag] used his superior ground game and control to outpoint [autotag]Kent Kauppinen[/autotag]; while [autotag]Michael Shipman[/autotag] outstruck [autotag]Pietro Penini[/autotag] for the majority of their contest. Both Shipman and Fleury picked up 30-27 scores in all three judges’ scorecards for unanimous decisions.

Complete results Bellator Europe 8 results:

MAIN CARD

Costello van Steenis vs. Fabian Edwards via split decision (28-29, 28-27, 29-28)
Mike Shipman def. Pietro Penini via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Will Fleury def. Kent Kauppinen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

George Hardwick def. Nicolo Solli via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ion Pascu def. Stefano Paterno via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Alfie Davis def. Akonne Wanliss via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Daniele Scatizzi def. Gavin Hughes via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:41
Aidan Lee def. Jeremy Petley via knockout (knee) – Round 2, 1:22
Frans Mlambo def. Cory Tait via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-27)
Luke Trainer def. Alex O’Toole via TKO (unanswered strikes) – Round 1, 1:22
Richie Smullen def. Harry Hardwick via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Chiara Penco def. Aleksandra Toncheva Plamenova via TKO (unanswered strikes) – Round 2, 4:27
Danni Neilan def. Claire Lopez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:45

[vertical-gallery id=554749]

Bellator Europe 8 results and live stream

Follow the action live as the Bellator cage returns to European soil for Bellator Europe 8 in Milan, Italy.

The Bellator cage returns to European soil as the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy plays host to Bellator Europe 8.

The main event features a battle of European middleweight contenders, as England’s [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on the Netherlands’ [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA), while the co-main event showcases two more middleweights looking to deliver a statement performance, as Italy’s [autotag]Pietro Penini[/autotag] (9-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) faces off against England’s [autotag]Mike Shipman[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA).

The main card’s middleweight flavor continues with Ireland’s [autotag]Will Fleury[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) against England’s [autotag]Kent Kauppinen[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), while the preliminary card is packed with a host of European prospects, including a notable lightweight battle between fellow Brits [autotag]Alfie Davis[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Akonne Wanliss[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA).

Follow the action via Bellator’s official live stream above, and stay up to date with the official results below.

MAIN CARD (MMA Junkie, 5 p.m. ET)

Fabian Edwards vs. Costello van Steenis
Pietro Penini vs. Mike Shipman
Will Fleury vs. Kent Kauppinen

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1:15 p.m. ET)

George Hardwick vs. Nicolo Solli
Ion Pascu vs. Stefano Paterno
Alfie Davis vs. Akonne Wanliss
Gavin Hughes vs. Daniele Scatizzi
Aidan Lee vs. Jeremy Petley
Frans Mlambo vs. Cory Tait
Alex O’Toole) vs. Luke Trainer
Harry Hardwick vs. Richie Smullen
Chiara Penco vs. Aleksandra Toncheva Plamenova
Claire Lopez vs. Danni Neilan

Bellator Europe 8 predictions: Is it Fabian Edwards or Costello van Steenis in Italy?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator Europe 8 main card in Milan, Italy.

	Edwards vs. Van Steenis	Fleury vs. Kauppinen	Penini vs. Shipman
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 104-62	Edwards (57%)	Kauppinen (56%)	Shipman (77%)
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 113-53	Van Steenis	Fleury	Shipman
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 111-55	Van Steenis	Kauppinen	Shipman
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 110-56 2017 Champion	Edwards	Fleury	Shipman
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 110-56	Van Steenis	Fleury	Shipman
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 109-57	Van Steenis	Fleury	Shipman
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 108-58	Edwards	Fleury	Shipman
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 108-58 2019 Champion*	Edwards	Fleury	Shipman
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 106-60 2014 Champion	Edwards	Kauppinen	Shipman
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 104-62	Edwards	Fleury	Shipman
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 103-63	Edwards	Fleury	Penini
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 101-65	Van Steenis	Fleury	Shipman
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 101-65 2018 Champion	Edwards	Fleury	Shipman
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 99-67	Edwards	Kauppinen	Shipman
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 69-97	Van Steenis	Kauppinen	Penini

Bellator is back this week with its first overseas event since the start of the pandemic.

Bellator Europe 8 takes place Saturday at Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. The card streams on MMA Junkie and Bellator’s YouTube page.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) tries to keep his unbeaten record intact when he takes on fellow middleweight [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA). It’s a close matchup with our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts. Edwards has just a slim 8-6 lead in the picks.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Pietro Penini[/autotag] (9-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Mike Shipman[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in a middleweight bout. Shipman has a big 12-2 picks lead.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Will Fleury[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Kent Kauppinen[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in a third bout at 185 pounds. Fleury has a big 10-4 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Edwards (57 percent), Shipman (77 percent) and Kauppinen (56 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

[vertical-gallery id=391998]

Costello van Steenis sees win over Fabian Edwards as passport to John Salter rematch

Dutch middleweight contender Costello van Steenis wants a rematch with John Salter, and says victory over undefeated Fabian Edwards should be enough to get it.

Dutch middleweight contender [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] will line up against [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] looking to prove a point and earn a rematch with the last man to defeat him.

Van Steenis (12-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) takes on Edwards (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) Saturday in the main event of Bellator Europe 8 in Milan. The event streams live on Bellator’s YouTube channel. Ahead of the matchup, van Steenis says he’s delighted to finally be able to line up against a man he revealed he’d asked to fight a few times before.

“I’m feeling great; I’ve been looking forward to this fight for a very long time – you could say for more than a year,” he told the media during a pre-fight virtual media session. “I’ve asked for his name a few times, now look. Santa came early, finally!”

The 28-year-old revealed that his desire to face Edwards stems not just from the Brit’s status as an undefeated contender, but from his attitude, of which van Steenis said he’s no fan.

[lawrence-related id=554218,552523,506365]

When asked if the tension between the pair is legitimate, van Steenis said he thinks it stems more from his side than from Edwards’.

“From my part, there is beef,” van Steenis said. “He’s the one that I wanted to fight for a long time because of his attitude. He’s got a very cocky, stupid, attitude. I believe his part is probably fake because he does that with everybody. So it is real.”

As well as looking to hand Edwards his first career defeat, van Steenis is also looking to re-establish himself as a title contender after a decision defeat to [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] at Bellator 233. The Dutchman said victory over Edwards would put him in a position to face the American again and deal with what he considers to be unfinished business from their first fight.

“After I beat Fabian I’ll definitely fight John Salter again,” he said. “I don’t know if he’s up for it. But I don’t mind, actually. I’ll fight anybody after this fight, whenever. As long as I’m healthy, I’ll just say yes to anything, but I want John Salter next. I don’t believe we finished this fight. It could have gone both ways, and if there were championship rounds it probably would have ended differently.”

Bellator Europe 8’s Costello van Steenis wants Edwards win, Salter rematch

Full fight card announnced for Bellator Europe 8 in Milan

The full fight card for Bellator Europe 8, set for Milan, Italy on Sept. 24, has been confirmed.

The fight card for the first leg of Bellator’s Italian triple-header is now set.

Bellator Europe 8 takes place Sept. 26 at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy, with a 10-fight preliminary card setting the stage ahead of a three-bout all-middleweight main card.

Headlining the event is a battle of European middleweight contenders as England’s [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on the Netherlands’ [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA).

Co-main event support comes in the form of an Italy vs. England clash, as former Venator middleweight champion [autotag]Pietro Penini[/autotag] (9-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) faces off against former BAMMA 185-pound champ [autotag]Mike Shipman[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA). Kicking off the main card is a battle between hard-hitting 185-pounders as Ireland’s Will Fleury (7-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) takes on England’s Kent Kauppinen (12-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).

[lawrence-related id=552523]

The preliminary card features a battle between British lightweight prospects as [autotag]Alfie Davis[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Akonne Wanliss[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), while former Cage Warriors featherweight tournament champion Aiden Lee (8-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) takes on seasoned Canadian veteran Jeremy Petley (13-8-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA)

With the additions, the Bellator Europe 8 card now includes:

MAIN CARD

Fabian Edwards vs. Costello van Steenis
Pietro Penini vs. Mike Shipman
Will Fleury vs. Kent Kauppinen

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

[autotag]George Hardwick[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nicolo Solli[/autotag]
[autotag]Ion Pascu[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stefano Paterno[/autotag]
Alfie Davis vs. Akonne Wanliss
[autotag]Gavin Hughes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniele Scatizzi[/autotag]
Aiden Lee vs. Jeremy Petley
[autotag]Frans Mlambo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cory Tait[/autotag]
[autotag]Alex O’Toole[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag]
[autotag]Harry Hardwick[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag]
[autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksandra Toncheva[/autotag]
[autotag]Claire Lopez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danni Neilan[/autotag]