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 Aug. 28-Sept. 3.
Moments after a controversial stoppage, Saul Rogers got his submission win overturned to a no contest at Bellator 296.
Despite getting his hand raised, [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag] did not leave Bellator 296 with a win.
Originally awarded a first-round submission victory over [autotag]Davy Gallon[/autotag], Rogers (15-5 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) the result was overturned to a no contest by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation and French Mixed Martial Arts Federation just minutes after the fight ended Friday at Accor Arena in Paris.
Rogers put Gallon (21-8-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in a D’Arce choke about two minutes into their lightweight bout. The submission was tight, but Gallon was doing the proper defense. Referee Jacob Montalvo, who didn’t have a good view of Gallon’s face, thought Gallon was put to sleep and stopped the fight. Gallon immediately protested and showed the referee he was defending the move.
Regardless, Rogers was awarded the win and got his hand raised in the middle of the cage. Minutes later, Bellator commentator John McCarthy informed on the broadcast that Roger’s win was now a no contest.
Bellator announced that the decision to overturn was made after “an instant replay review.” It’s unclear how this ruling will affect the pay or either fighter.
Below, you can watch a replay of the controversial stoppage:
Did you agree with the stoppage? 🤔
The referee stops the fight in favour of @Saul_Rogers.#Bellator296 @MonsterEnergy Prelims ▶️ https://t.co/NxwCKFPRok pic.twitter.com/NTtGsITsk1
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 12, 2023
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 296.
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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 Jan. 9-15.
Michael Page will finally get the opportunity to avenge the lone loss of his MMA career, when he rematches Douglas Lima on Oct. 1.
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] will finally get the opportunity to avenge the lone loss of his MMA career.
Page (19-1 MMA, 15-1 BMMA) rematches former three-time welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-9 MMA, 14-5 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 267, which takes place at London’s The SSE Arena, Wembley on Oct. 1, Bellator officials announced Tuesday morning.
Since losing to Lima in the welterweight grand prix semi-finals in May 2019, “MVP” has won five straight bouts, most recently smashing Derek Anderson’s nose in with a left kick in the first round of Bellator 258. He’s been eager to run things back with Lima ever since getting knocked out by him and he will get his wish, this time, in front of his home crowd.
After recapturing his welterweight title from Rory MacDonald in the grand prix finals in October 2019, Lima attempted to go up in weight and become a dual-champion by challenging Gegard Mousasi for the vacant light heavyweight title at Bellator 250. Lima would fall short in his pursuit and would go on to lose his 170-pound belt in his first title defense against Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 260 in June.
The full Bellator 267 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12:30 p.m. ET)
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Here are the top five honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2019.
With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2019.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Knockout of the Year.”
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6. Niko Price def. James Vick at UFC on ESPN+ 19
Known for his creative violence, [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) did not disappoint in his welterweight matchup against James Vick (13-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in October, scoring a knockout with a rarely-successful technique at the top level.
After absorbing some hard shots from Vick on the canvas, Price improvised and sent his foot toward the chin of Vick. A bone-chilling thud sounded as his foot hit Vick flush on the face. Vick’s bloody, unconscious body crumpled onto Price, who landed a few short shots to his already out opponent, and the fight was stopped in less than two minutes.
Whoa! Holy shit…😟
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) October 13, 2019
5. Douglas Lima def. Michael Page at Bellator 221
[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) respected Michael Page (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) in the lead-up to their Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinal matchup in May, but the former two-time champion felt strongly that his experience and striking power would make a difference, and he was right.
Lima gave “MVP” a rude welcome to a new level of competition when he scored an absolutely sickening knockout to make the grand prix final. The Brazilian set it up when he dropped Page with a perfectly timed low kick. As Page attempted to stand up, Lima uncorked a beautiful left hand that landed clean and brought an end to Page’s unbeaten run in MMA.
4. Davy Gallon def. Ross Pearson at “MTK MMA: Probellum”
Ross Pearson (20-17) had a rude welcome back to MMA from his retirement courtesy of the unheralded [autotag]Davy Gallon[/autotag] (18-7-2), who in November delivered what could go down as an all-time knockout to occur outside of a major organization.
The lightweight fight was relatively competitive for more than two rounds. In the closing stages of the third, though, Gallon went airborne and unleashed a rolling thunder kick. The heel landed flush on Pearson’s face, and “The Ultimate Fighter 9” winner was immediately knocked out in a shocking finish.
3. Valentina Shevchenko def. Jessica Eye at UFC 238
[autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) got her UFC women’s flyweight title reign off to a good start in June, when she made an example of overmatched challenger Jessica Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) with a brutal knockout.
Shevchenko kept her firm grip on the 125-pound strap when, as one of the biggest betting favorites in UFC title history, “The Bullet” delivered a highlight-reel head kick knockout of Eye in the second round of the contest. Eye was down on the canvas for quite some time after the kick connected, but fortunately came out OK.
2. Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson at UFC on ESPN+ 6
Former UFC and WEC lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) made a splash in his welterweight debut in March when he upset former title challenger Stephen Thompson (15-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) with a brutal knockout.
After getting picked apart and bloodied for the majority of two rounds, Pettis showed his trademark “Showtime” creativity when he bounced off the octagon fence and proceeded to take off with a superman hook punch that caught Thompson completely off guard and put his lights out for the first time in his career.
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The most hyped grudge match heading into UFC 239 in July ended in the fastest and perhaps most violent knockout in the history of the UFC.
Veteran welterweight [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) used a hellacious flying knee coming out of the gate to knock Ben Askren (19-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) cold.
The time of the stoppage officially was at the 0:05 mark of the opening round. That beat, by one-second, Duane Ludwig’s record, set in a victory over Jonathan Goulet in 2006.
“I really wanted to beat his ass for 14 minutes and 30 seconds, but it didn’t happen, so back to business,” Masvidal said.
Masvidal, with his hands behind his back, came out at an odd angle and charged at Askren, who attempted to duck under it.
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Instead, the knee landed flush on Askren’s ear, knocking him stiff to the mat. Masvidal landed two more punches to the clearly unconscious Askren before the referee could step in and wave things off.
Masvidal taunted Askren as doctors rushed into the cage to attend to his foe, with whom he had engaged in quite a bit of trash talk leading up to the fight.
“That dude was talking wild, man,” Masvidal said. “I have to show you there’s consequences sometimes, there’s some bad (expletive) out there.”
The victory was by far the biggest in the career of Masvidal, a longtime presence on the scene who is finally breaking through to the top. It also marked the first career loss for Askren, the former Bellator and ONE welterweight titleholder. After regaining consciousness, Askren left the cage under his own power.
Also see:
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from November 2019.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from November 2019. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for November.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Kevin Lee def. Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244
Fighting in his opponent’s home territory in New York, [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) knocked previously unbeaten Gregor Gillespie (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) cold in his return to the lightweight division.
It took less than three minutes and one perfectly placed head kick for Lee to take back attention as a lightweight contender. Following some early exchanges, “The Motown Phenom” separated Gillespie from consciousness in devastating fashion.
Andrew Kapel def. Muhammed Lawal at Bellator 232
[autotag]Andrew Kapel[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) made sure it was an unhappy end to Muhammed Lawal’s (21-10 MMA, 10-7 BMMA) career, because he sent “King Mo” into retirement on a knockout loss in their 195-pound catchweight fight.
After a brief feeling out process to begin the fight, Kapel threw a body kick which Lawal caught. He went to throw a punch, but Kapel timed the perfect counter shot on him coming in. Lawal immediately went down and out, and retired following the defeat.
Magomed Ankalaev def. Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC on ESPN+ 21
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) capped off a solid performance with a highlight-reel finish when he defeated Dalcha Lungiambula (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in their light heavyweight matchup.
Ankalaev connected with a perfect front kick that made a sickening thud and instantly rocked Lungiambula. From there, the Russian unloaded a clean follow-up shot that put Lungiambula down to stop the fight in the third round.
Davy Gallon def. Ross Pearson at “MTK MMA: Probellum”
Ross Pearson (20-17) had a rude welcome back to MMA from his retirement courtesy of the unheralded [autotag]Davy Gallon[/autotag] (18-7-2), who delivered what could go down as an all-time knockout in the sport’s history.
The lightweight fight was relatively competitive for more than two rounds. In the closing stages of the third, though, Gallon went airborne and unleashed a rolling thunder kick. The heel landed flush on Pearson’s face, and “The Ultimate Fighter 9” winner was immediately knocked out in a shocking finish.
Michael Page def. Giovanni Melillo at Bellator Europe 6
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 12-1 BMMA) gave his hometown fans what they wanted as he closed the show in style against Giovanni Melillo (13-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) with the latest addition to his highlight reel.
Page finished late-notice replacement Melillo in less than two minutes with a thumping right hand. Melillo was out on impact, and “MVP” had the walk-off finish to close the welterweight contest.
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Pearson’s MMA return was one for the highlight reel – but not in the way he envisioned.
In his first fight in his native U.K. in over four years, Pearson headlined “MTK MMA: Probellum” in London. Taking on Gallon, Pearson was brutally knocked out in the most improbable of fashions.
As the clock wound down in the final round, Gallon threw a rolling thunder kick, which landed flush on the head of Pearson.
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Upon impact, Pearson was knocked out cold and flew backwards, crashing to the mat. The announcer’s, “Oh, sh*t” reaction sums up just how spectacular it was.
“I’ve only hit it in training,” Gallon told MMA Junkie of the knockout. “I saw a kyokushin video on YouTube, and I tried maybe once or twice in training. I was in the hotel room the day before the fight with my coach. I said, ‘Oh coach, come on. I want to try this kick.’ He told me, ‘You know it’s Ross Pearson? It’s a good guy. It’s a big fighter, you know?’ I said yeah, and he told me, ‘OK, you can try the kick. But you have to do it at the end of the fight.'”
The fight was Pearson’s first since being released by the UFC earlier this year. Prior to his UFC departure, Pearson had dropped six out of his final seven fights with the promotion.
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Davy Gallon’s explanation of how the spectacular kick was planned – it wasn’t just lucky – is pretty fantastic.
A few days have passed, but [autotag]Davy Gallon[/autotag] hasn’t wrapped his head around the finish to his most recent fight.
For almost nine years, Gallon (18-7-2) has competed professionally against a who’s who of European notables. Last Saturday, Gallon finally achieved something he wasn’t able to through his first 26 pro fights. He elevated himself to the forefront of MMA’s mainstream discussion.
With the clock winding down in his three-round bout against UFC veteran Ross Pearson, the French fighter threw a rolling thunder kick – a maneuver normally thrown but rarely, if ever, landed at the end of rounds. The kick cracked across Pearson’s dome, and he was knocked out on impact.
It didn’t take long for the kick to go viral. Since Saturday, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of the world’s top online publications have posted replays of the kick. Gallon is in awe.
“I’ve fought eight or nine years since I started MMA,” Gallon told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Just to see everybody loved the fight and the millions of views, it’s really motivating. It’s crazy. I’ve trained a lot – a lot of years. It’s the fulfillment of evening training (sessions) I’ve done for many years. It’s really crazy.”
Davy Gallon KOs Ross Pearson with a ROLLING THUNDER in R3 at Probellum 1 in London. OH MY GOD #Probellum1 pic.twitter.com/Uza57ScMmH
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) November 16, 2019
Just in case there was any doubt: The kick wasn’t “lucky.” It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment impulse that just happened to land, no. Gallon had planned for this. So much so that one day prior, Gallon and his team mapped out the exact moment he’d throw it – with less than a minute left in the third round.
“I’ve only hit it in training,” Gallon said. “I saw a kyokushin video on YouTube, and I tried maybe once or twice in training. I was in the hotel room the day before the fight with my coach. I said, ‘Oh coach, come on. I want to try this kick.’ He told me, ‘You know it’s Ross Pearson? It’s a good guy. It’s a big fighter, you know?’ I said yeah, and he told me, ‘Okay, you can try the kick. But you have to do it at the end of the fight.'”
And that’s exactly what Gallon did. Throughout the fight, Gallon gauged Pearson’s tiredness through fakes and feints. When Pearson began overreacting to his takedown threats, Gallon capitalized.
“One time, I tried to shoot (on) him, and he was reacting at my shot,” Gallon said. “At the end of the fight, I tried a jab and a shot. His hand came down. I was like, ‘OK, it’s time.’ Then, I do this heel kick, and it goes ‘boom’ right on his head. When I got up on my feet, I thought he was just blocking the kick, and I watched him go ‘boom’ on his back. I said ‘woah’ in my head. It was crazy.”
The publicity and the fame is great. However, the “visibility” is what Gallon sees as most beneficial. He hopes his newfound fame will earn him a shot in the UFC or Bellator.
“I’ve been doing this for nine years but have never had this crazy visibility,” Gallon said. “Just to take the fight against Ross Pearson. Many guys told me he’s a big guy and a strong guy. With this knockout against Ross Pearson, it’s everyone going mad. I’ve got a big visibility now.
“I hope all the work I did before will get more crazy with something like UFC or Bellator. Give me my chance and opportunity to fight a big fight against a big opponent. It’d be cool to do the same kick – only in the UFC cage.”
His first fight since being released by the UFC ended in devastating and spectacular fashion thanks to Davy Gallon.
[autotag]Ross Pearson[/autotag]’s MMA return was one for the highlight reel – but not in the way he envisioned.
In his first fight in his native United Kingdom in over four years, Pearson (20-17) headlined “MTK MMA: Probellum” in London on Saturday night. Taking on [autotag]Davy Gallon[/autotag] (18-7-2), Pearson was brutally knocked out in the most improbable of fashions.
As the clock wound down in the final round, Gallon threw a rolling thunder kick, which landed flush on the head of Pearson. Upon impact, Pearson was knocked out cold and flew backwards, crashing to the mat. The announcer’s “oh sh*t” reaction sums up just how spectacular it was.
Was it a “Knockout of the Year” contender? Watch Gallon’s finish in the video below:
Davy Gallon KOs Ross Pearson with a ROLLING THUNDER in R3 at Probellum 1 in London. OH MY GOD #Probellum1 pic.twitter.com/Uza57ScMmH
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) November 16, 2019
These images also illustrate just how incredible it was:
The fight was Pearson’s first since being released by the UFC earlier this year. Prior to his UFC departure, Pearson had dropped six out of his final seven fights with the promotion.
As for Gallon, the 30-year-old welterweight now has won six out of his last eight fights and is is riding a three-fight winning streak.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
