Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 11-17.
Minutes after a deafening cheer, the boos rained down in Chicago following the conclusion of Gokhan Saricam vs. Daniel James.
CHICAGO – [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] received a hero’s welcome on his way to the cage Friday at Wintrust Arena, but it was [autotag]Gokhan Saricam[/autotag] who walked away with a smile
On the Bellator 297 main card, Saricam (8-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) defeated James (15-7-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) with a wrestle-heavy game plan, much to the displeasure of those in attendance.
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After a few big exchanges in the opening round, Saricam planted an aggressive James to the canvas and remained heavy on top. The fighters got up with both pressing the other against the fence.
The two visuals of cage-pushing and Saricam on top on the ground repeated throughout the bout. In Round 3, James mustered up the most success he found in the fight, as he pressed Saricam and threatened a front choke. But it was too little too late.
The boos rained down upon the final bell and Saricam was declared the victory in enemy territory.
The #Bellator279 main card is underway and it’s a hero’s welcome for Daniel James.
Results: https://t.co/OOmQIk0rN1 pic.twitter.com/l4mEHSd7JA
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 17, 2023
James, 41, rode a five-fight winning streak into the contest that included back-to-back victories over Tyrell Fortune and Marcelo Golm.
Saricam, 32, gets back on track after a unanimous decision loss to Oleg Popov in February.
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 297 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
After more than 40 years as a Chicagoan, Daniel James finally went inside one of the city’s most iconic landmarks before Bellator 297.
CHICAGO – After more than 40 years as a Chicagoan, [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] finally went inside one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
James, a Bellator heavyweight, never had been to Wrigley Field, the longtime home of the Chicago Cubs and a historic ballpark that is more than 100 years old. But Wednesday, he made his first visit – and threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
That’s not too shabby for a Wrigley debut.
Friday, James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) fights Gokhan Saricam (8-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) to open the main card at Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. A win for James could have him in position to challenge for the heavyweight title his next time out.
Ahead of the fight, take a journey with James from the Chicago Loop to Wrigley Field for his first pitch in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
Check out photos from Daniel James’ ceremonial first pitch at the Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game at Wrigley Field.
Check out these photos of Bellator heavyweight and Chicago native [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] throwing out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. James fights at Bellator 297 Friday in front of his home fans. (Photos by Matt Erickson–MMA Junkie)
Bellator’s headlining champs and challengers had their first faceoffs of fight week Wednesday 1,350 feet in the air – absent one key player.
CHICAGO – Bellator’s headlining champs and challengers had their first faceoffs of fight week Wednesday 1,350 feet in the air … absent one key player, though.
Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line against [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 297 main event.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) chases history when he tries to add the bantamweight title to his current featherweight belt. He challenges 135-pound champ [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the co-feature, and a win will make him the first fighter in Bellator history to have titles in three different divisions.
Wednesday, the fighters took questions from the media at a press conference at the Skydeck at Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), Chicago’s tallest building. At 1,451 feet, the Willis Tower is the 23rd tallest building in the world, third tallest in the U.S. and has the tallest public viewing area of any building in the country.
But Romero elected to stay at the host hotel in downtown Chicago rather than go to the 99th floor of the building. Romero, he said, is afraid of heights. He joined the press conference through a video feed in his hotel room. That meant no faceoff for the main event, but there were three others.
Check out the highlights from the co-main event faceoff in the video above, as well as the faceoff between [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) and former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] (24-6 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) and an appearance from Chicago’s own [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), a heavyweight contender who opens the main card against Gokhan Saricam (8-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA).
Bellator 297 takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
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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 April 10-16
The pieces are beginning to fall in place for the class of 2024.
The pieces are beginning to fall in place for the class of 2024. This past weekend saw a surge of recruiting in this cycle, including five different quarterbacks making their college commitments.
Then on Monday, a few schools all had the same idea: recruit three-star cornerback prospects from this class with similar builds. Here’s who they are and where they committed.
Zachary Rogers: Wylie E. Groves (Mich.) – Toledo
COMMITTED! @ToledoFB #AGTG 🙏🏾#ONErocket #GoRockets #RocketNation 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/tzzpTMp6QS
— CB • Zachary C Rogers • #27 (@ZacharyCRogers) April 10, 2023
According to On3, Rogers (6-foot-0, 170 pounds) is ranked No. 27 in the state of Michigan and No. 105 among cornerbacks in his class. 12 other programs made offers, including Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Michigan State.
Antoine Belgrave-Shorter: Mandarin (Fla.) – Penn State
COMMITTED🦁🦁 @coachjfranklin @Hayesfawcett3 #WEARE pic.twitter.com/3ZAMPrMCsa
— Antoine “AJ” Belgrave-Shorter🃏 (@ohthatsaj3) April 10, 2023
Going by the consensus rankings, Belgrave-Shorter (6-foot-0, 180 pounds) is currently No. 87 overall in Florida. He had 18 other offers on the table, including Florida Atlantic, Miami, UCF, USF and Florida State.
Daniel James: McEachern (Ga.) – Cincinnati
100% COMMITTED ⚫️🔴 #GoBearCats @CoachSattUC @DB_CoachCoombs @DeRailSims @CoachB_BROWN @UCGriff @Coach_Cass pic.twitter.com/g4llYlzw2T
— Daniel James ✞ (@Dan1James_) April 10, 2023
And last but not least, James (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) ranks No. 64 overall in the state of Georgia, according to 247Sports. He had 23 offers all together, including Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Georgia State.
More football stories
College football recruiting watchlist: USA TODAY Sports college wires weigh in on Class of 2023
See what company president Scott Coker had to say about Daniel James, Cat Zingano, Cris Cyborg, Patricio Freire and more after Bellator 293.
TEMECULA, Calif. – The heavyweight title picture got a fresh name Friday, but that’s not the only big thing going on with Bellator lately.
After Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., promotion president Scott Coker talked to MMA Junkie and other media members at a post-event news conference.
Coker talked about [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag]’ emergence at heavyweight, [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] as the No. 1 women’s featherweight title contender for champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] and featherweight champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s upcoming shot at the bantamweight belt.
See what Coker had to say about those topics and more below.
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.
Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.
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 293.
Daniel James appears to be realistic about his chances to get a Bellator heavyweight title shot in the next few months.
TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] appears to be realistic about his chances to get a Bellator heavyweight title shot in the next few months.
Still, that he’s already in the conversation just two fights into his return to the promotion at what in theory should be the tail end of his career is reason to celebrate. James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) took out Marcelo Golm (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in the third round of their Bellator 293 main event this past Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
And after the win, James found himself on the microphone – with heavyweight champion Ryan Bader on his feet cageside to applaud his win and presumably to welcome him to the conversation for a potential crack at his belt. Bader is expected to defend his title against Linton Vassell next, but strange things happen in MMA all the time.
“I was respectful. I respect him,” James said at his post-fight news conference. “At the end of the day, we’re two warriors. You come in and you perform, and Ryan Bader is standing up. To see him standing up and applauding, that he would accept what I did …”
If Bader and Vassell indeed are next up, then James wants someone ahead of him in the rankings to make sure he stays in the picture.
James was Bellator’s No. 7 heavyweight after his upset knockout of Tyrell Fortune this past November in his home city of Chicago. Golm was ahead of him at No. 5 – and Fortune was at No. 4 heading into Bellator 293. Almost certainly, James will find himself at No. 4 when the new rankings come out with Steve Mowry at No. 3, Valentin Moldavsky at No. 2 and Vassell as the No. 1 contender for champ Bader.
“I’d like to see to somebody in front of me,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to go backward (in the rankings). Give me (Steve) Mowry or something. He’s a 6-(footer) – I like to fight tall guys.”
And considering Bellator recently announced a return to James’ home city of Chicago for mid-June, that’s precisely when he’d like to find himself fighting again.
You can’t have nothing in Chicago without me. People will be buying tickets. Chicago’s waiting on me in June.
Check out James’ full post-fight interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
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