Check out a live replay of Bellator 204, which featured a Darrion Caldwell win and a stunning finish.
You can watch a live replay of Bellator 204 right here on MMA Junkie, beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).
Bellator 204, which took place Aug. 17, 2018 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., featured then-bantamweight champion [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] competing at featherweight.
In the main event, Caldwell knocked out Noad Lahat in the second round of their 145-pound bout. And in the co-main event, [autotag]Logan Storley[/autotag] won a by second-round TKO against A.J. Matthews. The night also featured [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] suffering is first loss at the hands of [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag], who won stunning first-round knockout.
You can catch all of the action in the video above.
“He’s going to go in there and beat up all the white boys, then when he fights somebody real, like he’s about to, it’s a different story.”
NEW YORK – [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] is primed and ready to face [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] at Bellator 244, but the former bantamweight champion says he’s not sure McKee is quite as keen as he is for the matchup.
McKee (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) underweight surgery in January to repair knee ligament damage sustained in his quarterfinal win over Derek Campos, but Caldwell (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) isn’t convinced the undefeated contender is as badly injured as he’d have him believe.
“Not at all,” Caldwell told MMA Junkie following the Bellator 2020 showcase press conference. “I feel like A.J.’s a slick dude, and he’s trying to sandbag it and take me off my game. But I will be ready June 6 to put hands on you, and elbows and knees. I don’t think that injury is any bit real at all. Fake news.”
Despite the fact there’s still three months to go until they throw down inside the Bellator cage, “The Wolf” already seemed to have his game face on as he discussed the potential dynamics of the matchup.
“In all honesty, what’s his gameplan?” Caldwell asked. “To knock me out, he said? I think that’s a tough task to accomplish as I don’t really get hit, you know? It’s not something (where) I go in there and just take punches and take damage. So I think he’s going to run into a situation where he’s looking for one thing, and he’s not going to get it.”
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Caldwell is back in a groove after losing back-to-back fights to Kyoji Horiguchi as he lost his bantamweight title, then fell short in his tilt at the Rizin equivalent in successive outings. The two losses prompted a change of plan as Caldwell returned to Pinnacle Mixed Martial Arts, where he believes he’s found his mojo again.
“I feel like I kinda just plateaued, you know?” Caldwell said. “Whenever you’re not getting any better, it’s important to make adjustments and improve where you need improvement, and that’s what I did. These last two fights I changed camps, I got back with Jake Behney up there at Pinnacle, and we just hit the ground running. Two fights jumping into this tournament, coming off two straight losses. A loss doesn’t define me, (and) a win doesn’t define me, either. But this million dollars is everything to me, so I’m coming in guns a-blazing. I’m ready to take what’s mine.”
During his time as bantamweight champ, Caldwell viewed himself as the man nobody wanted to fight, citing his bid to move up and challenge Patricio Freire for the featherweight title as an example of how top fighters preferred to avoid him. But now, as part of a tournament structure, the 32-year-old says he’s in the perfect situation to face the best. That, he said, makes him a happy man.
Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 238. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)
“I’m about to be a Bellator featherweight tournament winner,” Caldwell said. “I get to beat guys with no losses on their record, like I just did (against Adam Borics in the quarterfinals) – and like I’m about to do. Then I get to fight the guy who’s been talking for two years. Since I’ve been a champion at ’35, he’s been talking. But he didn’t want to sign the paper for me to come up and fight him.
“I think this is a stylistic thing. The tournament style fits wrestlers, (and) I’m a wrestler. I’ve done this a million times; there’s no difference. I see a bracket, and I see my name as a champion, and that’s how it’s going to be. Facts.”
As for the matchup with McKee, Caldwell said the undefeated prospect will come up against the most athletic opponent of his career, with the former 135-pound champion warning that facing him represents a test levels above those “The Mercenary” has faced before.
“He ain’t faced color. He ain’t faced me,” he said. “I’ve seen him when he fought somebody athletic. He’s just not the same. He’s going to go in there and beat up all the white boys, then when he fights somebody real, like he’s about to, it’s a different story. That’s ultimately what it boils down to. I’m a different beast, and that’s going to show on June 6.”
To hear more from Caldwell, watch the video above.
Check out the faceoffs from some of the biggest upcoming fights on the Bellator schedule, including Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima.
NEW YORK – Bellator hosted a news conference Monday to promote the biggest bouts on its upcoming schedule, and at the end of it the fighters got face to face.
Fourteen athletes from future championship, main event and featherweight grand prix tournament bouts were in attendance, including the headliners from Friday’s Bellator 241 event, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag].
In addition, a number of others got a chance to go toe-to-toe, including: [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (Bellator 241 on March 13), [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (Bellator 242 on May 9), [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (Bellator 242), [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] (Bellator Europe 8 on May 16), [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (Bellator 244 on June 6), [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (Bellator 244) and [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (Bellator Dublin on Oct. 3).
Watch the video above to see all the faceoffs from the media event, which took place at Viacom headquarters in Manhattan.
Bellator will return to Chicago proper for the first time in nearly 10 years with a rematch and a key featherweight tournament fight.
Bellator in June will return to the city of Chicago proper for the first time in nearly 10 years.
Bellator 244 is set for June 6 at Wintrust Arena on the near South Side of the city, the promotion announced today. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, former lightweight champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) meets former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) in a rematch from a 2016 fight Chandler won by split decision. In the co-feature, [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) will take on [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) in the semifinals of the ongoing featherweight grand prix.
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Benson Henderson vs. Michael Chandler
Chandler got back in the win column this past December in Japan with a first-round knockout of Sidney Outlaw at Bellator 237. It was his rebound from a title fight loss to Patricio Freire at Bellator 221 in May 2019. Freire knocked chandler out in 61 seconds to claim the lightweight belt to go along with his featherweight title.
Before the loss to Freire, Chandler had three straight wins, including a decision over Brent Primus in December 2018 to reclaim the lightweight title.
Henderson has rebounded with four straight wins after starting his Bellator tenure on a 1-3 slide. He debuted with the promotion nearly four years ago and fought Andrey Koreshkov for the welterweight title, but lost a decision. He bounced back with a return to lightweight and a win over current dual champion Freire, who suffered a leg injury that led to a Henderson TKO.
After that first Bellator win, he fought Chandler for the lightweight title while Chandler still was champion, but dropped a split call. He had a second straight split decision setback nearly 10 months later with a loss to Patricky Freire at Bellator 183. But since then, he has a submission win over Roger Huerta and three straight decisions over Saad Awad, Adam Piccolotti and Myles Jury.
McKee will be looking to book a trip to the tournament final. This past September, he knocked out Georgi Karakhanyan in just eight seconds at Bellator 228 in the opening round. In his quarterfinal fight in Honolulu in December, he stopped Derek Campos with a third-round armbar to stay unbeaten.
Caldwell, a former Bellator bantamweight champion, has back-to-back wins after moving up to featherweight for the tournament. Prior to that, he had successive losses to Kyoji Horiguchi. The first came in a Rizin event for that promotion’s bantamweight title in Japan, but he lost by submission. The two rematched in June 2019 for Bellator’s bantamweight belt, but Horiguchi took a unanimous decision and Caldwell lost the title.
Caldwell moved to featherweight, a division in which he experimented in a one-off fight while bantamweight champ, and took a unanimous decision from Henry Corrales in the tournament’s opening round. In January, he handed Adam Borics the first loss of his career with a submission in the quarterfinals to advance to the meeting with McKee.
Wintrust Arena is less than three years old. The 10,000-seat venue is the home of the DePaul University men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. Bellator’s recent events in the Chicago area have taken place at Allstate Arena in northwest suburban Rosemont, Ill., about 20 miles from the city. Bellator held events there in 2017, 2018 and 2019. But the promotion’s most recent visit to Chicago proper was in August 2010 for Bellator 25 at the Chicago Theatre.
Jay Glazer and Robin Black team up to deliver a YouTube update on all things Bellator in the promotion’s newest video feature, “The Dose.”
Do you have Bellator fever? Then the only prescription is “The Dose.”
Jay Glazer and Robin Black have teamed up for the promotion’s latest video franchise, with the duo shooting the Bellator breeze as they look back at some of the biggest performances from recent events and look ahead to the big-time matchups to come.
In the first episode of “The Dose,” Glazer and Black preview the Bellator 239 main event in Oklahoma, as former collegiate wrestling standout [autotag]Ed Ruth[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) faces off against Ukraine’s undefeated [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (22-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a pivotal welterweight bout, while also highlighting the co-main event between [autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA).
The duo also take look back at flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA), who enjoyed a memorable win – and a memorable walkout – at Bellator 236, and the throwback fight between former PRIDE FC legends [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (39-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] (38-13 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) at Bellator 237.
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We also hear from the fighters themselves, as Jenn Brown chats with newly-crowned featherweight queen [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and featherweight grand prix semifinalist [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) following their winning performances at Bellator 238.
Finally, Glazer and Black run through the current state of play in the Bellator featherweight grand prix, with the second half of the bracket set to play out and produce the second semifinal matchup with [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) set for Bellator 241 in Uncasville on Mar. 13.
For a man many claim knows nothing about MMA, Stephen A. Smith sure did occupy a massive space in the sport over the past week.
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, “Gorgeous” George, “Goze” and John Morgan take a look at the unexpected biggest story of the past week, with Stephen A. Smith and Joe Rogan publicly expressing their differing positions on the evaluation of UFC 246’s main event between [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag].
SHOW RUNDOWN:
Smith is known for his bold opinions and his willingness to argue them at length, but his knowledge in the sport of MMA is admittedly limited. But was there any truth to his claim that “Cowboy” quit in the bout with McGregor? And should anyone really even care what Smith’s thoughts are on big UFC events?
[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] made her Bellator debut over the weekend and picked up the company’s women’s featherweight title with a fourth-round TKO of former champ Julia Budd. Cyborg now owns belts in four different major promotions. Is that enough to call her the women’s GOAT of MMA, or does Amanda Nunes have that title locked down?
Bellator 238 also featured the continuation of Bellator’s featherweight grand prix, and former bantamweight champ [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] looked stellar with a first-round finish of Adam Borics. Is “The Wolf” now the favorite to win the grand prix title and the accompanying $1 million prize?
[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]’s career has been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions from the start, entering as a man labeled “the greatest prospect in MMA history” but sputtering at times along the way. Pico picked up a much-needed win at Bellator 238, snapping a two-fight losing streak in the process. Is Pico poised to finally deliver on his potential?
At UFC Raleigh, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] picked up a big win over former champ Junior Dos Santos and made it clear he’s gunning for the title. Unfortunately, champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to step back in the cage. What’s going on with the UFC heavyweight division?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 13 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of Bellator 238, where Cris Cyborg and Darrion Caldwell shined bright.
What mattered most at Bellator 238 in Inglewood? Here are a few post-fight musings …
* * * * *
1. Cris Cyborg’s big moment and what’s next
[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] picked up her fourth major promotional championship with a fourth-round TKO of Julia Budd to claim the women’s featherweight title. This seems like the pinnacle for her at this point, and anything else she achieves going forward is gravy.
We all wanted to see that rematch with Amanda Nunes in the UFC, but it not coming to fruition might have been for the best. Cyborg seems to be infinitely happier fighting in Bellator, and it sounds like she’s getting a healthy payday to be there.
Although the narrative is that Bellator has a deeper women’s 145-pound division than the UFC, having Cyborg at the top can make things look thin in a hurry. The fight with Budd was compelling for its layer of perceived competitiveness, and more matchups like that will be needed to hold interest in her title run.
Bellator president Scott Coker offers his thoughts on the winners and losers from Bellator 238.
Bellator 238 took place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., where [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] made history.
In defeating Julia Budd by fourth-round TKO in the night’s main event, Cyborg became the first fighter to win major championships in four separate promotions – Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC, and now Bellator.
The event also included [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] moving on to the featherweight grand prix quarterfinals with a submission win over previously undefeated Adam Borics.
As is customary, Bellator president Scott Coker spoke with reporters afterward and offered his reaction to those outcomes and more. You can read below or watch the video above.
****
On Cris Cyborg’s championship win over Julia Budd
“It was electric in there, and I think that Cyborg came in, and she looked super explosive, like really good. Julia looked great, too, but as the rounds went on, Cyborg started dominating the fight and instilled her will on Julia. That’s the way I saw it, but in that first round anything could’ve happened, someone could’ve gotten caught, and you know, get a finish.
“It was a great fight. It was really intense in there, and I’m proud of both ladies. Julia Budd is a great fighter. She’s someone who’s had the belt for a long time, and I think everybody can now see why. She’s gotten so much respect among her peers and fans.”
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On a potential rematch between Cris Cyborg and Julia Budd
Cris Cyborg and Julia Budd at Bellator 238. (Dave Mandel, MMA Junkie)
“That really depends on what happens in the next year. I think Julia, I haven’t talked to Julia, but I’m just assuming from knowing her that she’s going to want to come back and get busy. So if she gets on a tear and Cyborg keeps winning then maybe we’ll get it on again, but in this sport you never know.”
On Cris Cyborg wanting a women’s featherweight grand prix
“I think we have eight girls that are solid, but I’ll tell you what: After that performance, she’s going to be a tough fight for anybody in the weight class, so they better bring it, because she’s a beast, explosive, and she looked like she didn’t miss a beat in my opinion. That’s why I call her the greatest fighter of all time today in the female division, and I think you saw it with your own eyes today.”
On Sergio Pettis’ successful Bellator debut
Sergio Pettis submits Alfred Khashakyan at Bellator 238. (Dave Mandel, MMA Junkie)
“I think he looked great. I think he’s right in that mix, because with (Kyoji) Horiguchi being out and DC (Darrion Caldwell) being in the (featherweight) tournament, we’re going to host a 135-pound championship (fight) at some point. But we’re going to wait and see how these guys perform over the course of two, three, four months, because we will be doing 30 (events) this year in 2020.
“So well have a lot of opportunity for these guys to get some more fights under their belt, and we’ll probably host a 135-pound championship fight in some time.”
On Darrion Caldwell’s quick submission win over Adam Borics
“Caldwell surprised me. Let’s be honest: We thought that may work out the other way, but in a fight anything can happen.
“I think that was one of the fights that could’ve maybe had a different outcome, but he went and did his thing. He wants to fight for that million dollars at the end of the year. The only thing I didn’t like was the backflip at the end off the cage. I think I’ve seen enough of that. I tell my guys, ‘Please, let’s just stop that.'”
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On boxing champion Ava Knight suffering her first MMA loss
“Ava Knight had something to prove tonight. She fought a girl that had some great ground skills and beat her, so back to the drawing board. I know she’ll bounce back, train hard, and this is not an easy sport, as you all may know.
“This is a difficult sport, so we wish her luck in training and maybe in three or four months we can have her back.”
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 238, which took place Saturday and saw Cris Cyborg beat Julia Budd in the main event.
The first Bellator event of the year unfolded Saturday with Bellator 238, which went down at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with a main card that streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) enhanced her legacy with another championship belt when she scored a fourth-round TKO of [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) to claim the women’s featherweight belt.
The card also featured a quarterfinal bout in the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix, as well as some other notable results. For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 30 post-event facts about Bellator 238.
General
Betting favorites went 4-2 on the main card (5-2 overall in fights where odds were available).
Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 41:59.
Main card
Cris Cyborg
Cyborg became the first in history to win titles in Bellator, UFC, Invicta FC and Strikeforce.
Cyborg became the second in history to win titles in Bellator and UFC. Eddie Alvarez also accomplished the feat.
Cyborg has earned 18 of her 22 career victories by knockout.
Budd had her 11-fight winning streak snapped for her first defeat since November 2011.
Budd has suffered all three of her career losses by stoppage.
Budd suffered her first knockout loss since Jan. 7, 2011 – a span of 3,306 days (more than nine years) and 14 fights.
Darrion Caldwell
[autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) improved to 6-0 in Bellator featherweight competition. He’s 8-0 in the weight class during his career.
Caldwell’s six-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind A.J. McKee (16).
Caldwell’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied for second most in company history behind Goiti Yamauchi (seven).
[autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) had his 14-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (24-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) has earned four of his six Bellator victories by decision.
Sergio Pettis
[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) earned his first submission victory since Sept. 28, 2013 – a span of 2,311 days (more than six years) and 15 fights.
[autotag]Alfred Khashakyan[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) earned the first submission victory of his career.
[autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] (2-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) improved to 2-0 since he returned to MMA competition from a nearly 11-year layoff in May.
Daniels has earned both of his career victories by knockout.
[autotag]Jason King[/autotag] (8-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage. He’s suffered all those defeats by knockout.
[autotag]Emilee King[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is on a four-fight winning streak after starting her career 0-4.
[autotag]Ava Knight[/autotag] (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) suffered the first loss of her career.
Preliminary card
Aaron Pico
[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) improved to 5-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in September 2017.
Pico has earned all of his career victories by knockout.
Pico’s five knockout victories in Bellator featherweight competition are third most in divisional history behind A.J. McKee (six) and Patricio Freire (six).
[autotag]Adel Altamimi[/autotag] (8-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) has suffered six of his seven career losses by stoppage.
Altamimi suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Darrion Caldwell is going from one undefeated fighter to another in consecutive rounds of the Bellator featherweight grand prix.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It was as impressive a statement as [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] could have possibly made in the quarterfinal round of the Bellator featherweight grand prix: Not only did he take the zero away from Adam Borics in his loss column, but he ran over him, submitting him with a rear-naked choke in less than half of a round on Saturday night.
But Caldwell’s victory was barely in the books before he turned his attention to yet another undefeated fighter: A.J. McKee, whom Caldwell will face in the tournament’s semifinal round.
“He’s good, he’s (16-0) for a reason,” Caldwell said at the Bellator 238 post-fight news conference at The Forum. “But like I said, I’m the guy that beat him. I’m the guy to beat ‘Pitbull.’ I’m going to be a champ at featherweight in 2020.”
The manner in which Caldwell (14-3 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) earned his victory gave fans plenty of reason to anticipate his eventual showdown with McKee. The former Bellator bantamweight champion shot for the double, immediately improved his position when they hit the ground, and softened Borics up with strikes until the perfect moment arrived.
“My body was right where I wanted it to be,” Caldwell said. “I think I opened him up with the elbows, forced him to give me the neck. So it was prefect; I’m taking those 0’s.”
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While Caldwell is known to be a bit testy heading into his fight, he had kind words for a disconsolate Borics after the latter’s first career loss.
“Adam is a great competitor,” Caldwell said. “14-0 is a hard feat, I didn’t even get to 14-0, so to do that is very difficult. So I just told him what he should really understand and really know this isn’t the end of him, you know? It’s only up from here. He just lost to a champion.”
With that, Caldwell gets back to work. And while Caldwell went nose-to-nose with McKee in a post-fight staredown that saw neither fighter give an inch, Caldwell gives McKee his due.
“It’s the same preparation, you know?” Caldwell asked. “Going in, laying the groundwork down early, and then attack it. He’s human. Everybody is beatable, and I proved that tonight. So at the end of the day, I’m going out there do my business, do my job.
“Who knows? Every fight is different, yeah? You can’t really say his ground is flawed when he just got a slick-ass submission. So for me, it’s just about me. At the end of the day, it’s not about these guy it’s about me.”
