Douglas Lima – Syndication Server

GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

[autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
[autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

[autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

[autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

[autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

[autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
[autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
[autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
[autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
[autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
[autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
[autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

GFL announces new draft entrees, managers, coaches, and team cities

The fledgling Global Fight League continued to get its business in order Thursday.

The fledgling Global Fight League continued to get its business in order Thursday with several important announcements.

Last month, the GFL, headed by co-founder Darren Owen, announced plans for its official launch this year, with the concept of team-based mixed martial arts at the forefront.

The GFL will feature six teams from six cities competing in a league format that includes playoffs. As part of its initial announcement, the GFL said it had signed a plethora of big-name fighters – chalk full of former UFC champions and legends of the sport – ahead of a scheduled Jan. 24 draft date. The GFL hopes to put on its first event in April.

On Thursday, the promotion announced new draft entrees, team locations, as well as team managers and coaches.

Who are the new GFL draft entrees?

The GFL confirmed that [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag], [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag], [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag], [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag], [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag], and [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] will enter the draft.

The GFL’s announcement also teased that “additional athletes will be revealed in the days leading up to the draft.”

Where will the GFL teams be located?

Dubai, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Sao Paulo will serve as the homebase for the GFL’s six teams.

Who will manage and coach the GFL teams?

The coaches and managers for the six GFL teams will be as follows:

Dubai – Former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag], who awaits sentencing after pleading no contest to an attempted murder charge in California, will be manager, with American Kickboxing Academy’s Javier Mendez serving as coach.
London – Six-fight UFC veteran [autotag]Luke Barnatt[/autotag] will manager, while Manchester Top Team’s Carl Prince will coach.
Los Angeles – UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag] will be the manager for the L.A. team, with famed coach Rafael Cordeiro.
Miami – The American Top Team duo of [autotag]Thiago Alves[/autotag] (manager) and Conan Silveira (coach) will lead the way for Miami.
New York – No manager has been determined, but Ray Longo will serve as coach.
Sao Paulo – Former UFC champion [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] (manager) and legendary coach Andre Pederneiras (coach) will head the Brazilian squad.

Former Bellator champ Douglas Lima books first assignment since extending contract

After a period of limbo, Douglas Lima is sticking with Bellator and has his next fight booked.

For a while, it seemed [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag]’s future in Bellator was up in the air, but he’s now on a new deal and has a fight on the books.

Lima (33-11) will face [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (14-5) at the Bellator Champions Series event Sept. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, a promotion official confirmed to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting.

The fight will mark Lima’s first in 16 months as he was in limbo during the early stages of the PFL-Bellator merger. Lima voiced displeasure with the new regime’s business dealings, but the two sides eventually came to terms.

Lima, 36, is one of the most decorated fighters in Bellator history. He served as one of the faces of the promotion during multiple reigns as its welterweight champion. In recent years, Lima has struggled. After four straight losses, Lima finally found victory in his most recent outing, a unanimous decision win over Costello van Steenis at middleweight.

Jeffery, 31, aims to bounce back from a March unanimous decision defeat to Fabian Edwards. The loss dropped him to 1-2 in his most recent three fights.

With the additions, the Bellator Champions Series: San Diego lineup includes:

Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Alexander Shabliy
Marcos Breno vs. Raufeon Stots
Levan Chokheli vs. Lorenz Larkin
Aaron Jeffery vs. Douglas Lima

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.

PFL announces former Bellator champion Douglas Lima re-signed to new contract

With PFL recently releasing one former Bellator champion, the promotion has decided to lock up another.

On Tuesday, the PFL announced that [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] has signed an “exclusive, multiyear, new agreement.” No terms of the deal were released.

“We are excited to announce he will fight this fall 2024,” the PFL added in its statement.

PFL/Bellator Official Fighter Roster Update pic.twitter.com/7zFJnJen9w

— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 28, 2024

As recently as May 17, Lima, a former Bellator welterweight champion, went public with his displeasure in dealing with PFL since the promotion took over Bellator.

“I’m on the sidelines for a year now,” Lima wrote on X at that time. “What (I) heard was my purse was too “high” and PFL didn’t want to pay and honor my last fight on my contract.”

Last guy I beat is fighting for the belt now. Solid win Costello great job. I’m on the sidelines for a year now, what heard was my purse was too “high” and PFL didn’t want to pay and honor my last fight on my contract. so yeaaa @BellatorMMA @PFLMMA

— Douglas Lima (@PhenomLima) May 17, 2024

The PFL re-signing Lima (33-11) comes on the heels of the promotion parting ways with former Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi after he publicly criticized the PFL for keeping him on the shelf in multiple interviews, including with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.

Lima, 36, hasn’t competed since winning a unanimous decision against Costello Van Steenis in May 2023 at Bellator 296. Prior to that, Lima had been on a four-fight skid, which started with a title-fight loss to Mousasi in October 2020.

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Douglas Lima vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov grappling match joins ADXC 2 lineup on Jan. 19

Another Bellator vs. UFC grappling match is headed to Abu Dhabi.

[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] faces [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] in a catchweight grappling match on the main card of ADXC 2 on Jan. 19 at Mubadala Arena, promotion officials announced Monday.

Lima vs. Fakhretdinov joins Terrance McKinney vs. Sidney Outlaw and Aljamain Sterling vs. Chase Hooper among other matchups on the card.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1kRSchPTga/

Lima, a former Bellator welterweight champion, snapped a four-fight losing skid in his most recent outing when he defeated Costello Van Steenis by unanimous decision at Bellator 296 in May.

Unbeaten in his past 21 fights, Fakhretdinov is coming off a majority draw against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 231 in November. Prior to that, he submitted former interim title challenger Kevin Lee in just 55 seconds in July.

[lawrence-related id=2706323,2705448,2692804,2656285]

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.

Douglas Lima aims to end career-long skid with middleweight move at Bellator 296

Former Bellator champ Douglas Lima hopes a move to 185 pounds at Bellator 296 will yield his first victory since October 2019.

For the first time in a long time, [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] feels healthy going into a fight.

A former three-time Bellator welterweight champion, Lima (32-11 MMA, 14-7 BMMA) will move up to middleweight for the first time Friday when he takes on Costello Van Steenis (14-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 296 co-main event, which takes place at Accor Arena in Paris and airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

It’s a crucial fight for Lima. Not only is he changing weight classes, but he enters on a four-fight losing skid, prior to which he’d never lost consecutive fights. It’s a big moment for his career, and he thinks the move up will pay dividends in turning the tide.

“(I’m now) focusing just on training – you don’t focus a lot on losing the weight,” Lima told MMA Junkie Radio. “It’s been really a good thing. I’ve been training a lot more and focusing more on training and getting better. I always had terrible weight cuts at 170, terrible. And (they) just kept getting worse. And at this age, I think middleweight would be the best thing for me for sure. So I decided to make the move.

“I believe (the move to middleweight is permanent). I don’t think I can make 170 again. I mean I can, but man. I don’t want to go through that process. If I really have to I will, but I’m not thinking about 170 again, man. That was such a terrible weight cut. It’s getting harder as I get older. I’m 35 right now, and I think middleweight is it.”

Given his age, Lima thinks it’s imperative to focus purely on performance in the cage. Fighting at 185 pounds brings a whole new land of opportunity, but Lima isn’t getting ahead of himself. He knows getting his hand raised for the first time since October 2019 is the only thing that matters right now.

“I’m in the position where I can’t call out anybody,” Lima said. “I’m coming off some losses. I’m focusing on this guy first and then we’ll see what happens after. I am fighting a guy that has a win over (Fabian) Edwards, who is fighting (Gegard) Mousasi (at Bellator 296). Whoever wins that is fighting for the title. For me, I don’t think I’m in a position to call out anybody. But get a good win here, we’re definitely going to be asking for fights like that. Right now I’m focusing on him. That’s what I have to take care of now.”

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

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Bellator 283 medical suspensions: Mukhamed Berkhamov out indefinitely after Lorenz Larkin no contest

Check out which fighters are facing indefinite suspensions as a result of Friday’s fights in Tacoma, Wash.

Belaltor 283 took place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. and featured 12 bouts of MMA action.

Atop the card, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] defeated former welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] by unanimous decision. Also, RIZIN tournament champion [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] by first-round knockout, and [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] quickly tapped [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] with a first-round guillotine choke.

As a result of injuries sustained in the bout, each fighter on the card received a medical suspension from the Washington State Department of Licensing. MMA Junkie acquired the list from the commissioning body Tuesday. The list included suspension durations but not medical specifics.

Two fighters received indefinite suspensions, including [autotag]Mukhamed Berkhamov[/autotag], who fought in a no contest against [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag]. The fight was waved off after Larkin unintentionally struck Berkhamov in the back of the head. While Berkhamov said he was dizzy and that’s ultimately why the bout was called, Larkin claimed after the fight his opponent was in the doctor’s room with a knee injury.

[autotag]Roman Faraldo[/autotag], who knocked out [autotag]Luis Iniguez[/autotag], also was handed an indefinite suspension. Faraldo told reporters post-fight he broke his hand on the knockout blow.

Scroll below to see the medical suspensions handed out to each fighter. It’s important to note fighters can return to competition sooner than the allotted suspension if they are cleared by a doctor.