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 a promotion from June 26-July 2.
The lineup for Bellator’s fall return to Ireland continues to build with the addition of four new matchups.
The lineup for Bellator’s fall return to Ireland continues to build with the addition of four new matchups.
Dublin’s own [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-8-1 MMA, 2-4 BMMA) will return to fight in front of his home fans in a welterweight bout against Italy’s [autotag]Daniele Miceli[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Promotion officials announced the new booking Monday for Bellator 299, which takes place Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In addition, Bellator officials announced the inclusion of featherweight fights between unbeaten Irishman [autotag]Ciaran Clarke[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Przemyslaw Gorny[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Darragh Kelly[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Jelle Zeegers[/autotag] (2-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), plus [autotag]Charlie Ward[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Gregory Babene[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 4-0 BMMA).
Queally will attempt to snap a three-fight skid. After a May 2021 win over Patricky Freire in Connecticut due to a doctors stoppage, the pair rematched later that year for the vacant lightweight title. But when they ran it back, Freire knocked out Queally in the second round and started his current skid ahead of losses to Benson Henderson and Bryce Logan.
Miceli got back in the win column this past November with a first-round submission win in France. After a loss in his lone Bellator fight in 2016, he has bounced around the European regional circuit.
Clarke is one of Bellator’s homegrown prospects. The 28-year-old Irishman is unbeaten in his pro career and has racked up three rear-naked choke wins in his first seven fights, all for Bellator. Gorny will make his Bellator debut on the strength of three straight wins, including two straight stoppages in 2022.
Kelly has three of his first four pro wins by stoppage, including a D’Arce choke finish of Andre Ferreira at a Clan Wars event earlier this month. Zeegers, from the Netherlands, will be making his Bellator debut.
The 42-year-old Ward will try to get back on track after back-to-back decision losses to Fabian Edwards and, most recently, Mike Shipman in February at Bellator 291. Prior to that, the longtime fighter had won seven of eight under the Bellator banner. France’s Babene is a perfect 4-0 for Bellator, including a first-round knockout of Shipman at Bellator 280 in 2022.
With the additions, the Bellator 299 lineup in Dublin now includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie/YouTube, 11 a.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Dublin.
Watch the preliminary stream and keep up with live and official results of Bellator 285 in Dublin, Ireland.
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Bellator 285 takes place Friday, and you can join MMA Junkie for the preliminary live stream and official results.
The event takes place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 6-6 BMMA) steps into the backyard of Ireland’s [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-6-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) for a lightweight showdown.
The co-feature will see [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) take on [autotag]Melvin Manhoef[/autotag] (32-15-1 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) in a light heavyweight bout.
Official Bellator 285 results include:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
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Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 285 which took place at 3Arena in Dublin.
Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 285 which took place at 3Arena in Dublin. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)
As expected, bantamweight contenders James Gallagher and Patchy Mix will face off in Ireland, with the two set to headline Bellator 270.
As expected, bantamweight contenders [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] and [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] will face off in Ireland.
Promotion officials today announced the two will headline Bellator 270 on Nov. 5 at Dublin’s 3Arena. MMA Junkie previously reported the planned matchup.
Additionally, the card features a key lightweight rematch between top contenders [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 14-8 BMMA) and [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-5-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), whose first fight ended via doctor’s stoppage due to a cut.
Bellator has not held a show in Ireland since February 2020.
The first scheduled booking between the Gallagher (11-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and Mix (14-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) was supposed to take place at Bellator 258 in May. However, Gallagher withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Mix instead faced UFC alum Albert Morales, whom he defeated via third-round submission.
After his win, Mix revealed that bad blood between him and Gallagher continued from the time of the cancellation until after the fight. Mix claimed Gallagher sent harassing direct messages on social media and mean-mugged him while at the event cornering his teammate Queally.
Gallagher, 24, rides a four-fight winning streak into the fight. Nine of his 11 wins have come via finish. He most recently competed in October when he submitted Cal Ellenor.
Meanwhile, Mix has won three of his four fights in Bellator including a 66-second submission of Ricky Bandejas. Eleven of Mix’s 14 wins have come inside the distance. His only career loss was a closely-contested decision loss to then-title holder Juan Archuleta in 2020.
More on this in a moment.
The Bellator 270 lineup currently includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 5 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1:30 p.m. ET)
