Tag: Douglas Lima

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.

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.

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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		 mousasi2023
Mousasi
(77%)		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui
(56%)		 lima2023
Lima
(60%)		 gouti2023
Gouti
(67%)
Matt Erickson
@MattE
75-40		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 lima2023
Lima		 mousah2023
Mousah
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
73-42		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 vansteenis2023
Van Steenis		 mousah2023
Mousah
Nolan King
@mma_kings
71-44		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 vansteenis2023
Van Steenis		 mousah2023
Mousah
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
70-45		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 primus2023
Primus		 lima2023
Lima		 mousah2023
Mousah
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
70-45		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 primus2023
Primus		 vansteenis2023
Van Steenis		 mousah2023
Mousah
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
68-47
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 lima2023
Lima		 mousah2023
Mousah
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
-65-50
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 lima2023
Lima		 gouti2023
Gouti
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
65-50		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 vansteenis2023
Van Steenis		 mousah2023
Mousah
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
63-52		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 vansteenis2023
Van Steenis		 gouti2023
Gouti
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
62-53		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 lima2023
Lima		 mousah2023
Mousah
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
62-53
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 mousasi2023
Mousasi		 barnaoui2023
Barnaoui		 lima2023
Lima		 mousah2023
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.

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.

Bellator 283 salaries: Jason Jackson pockets $191,000 for win over Douglas Lima

Four fighters walked away with six-figure paydays as a result of Friday’s card in Tacoma, Wash.

Bellator 283 took place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. and featured 12 bouts including two potential title eliminator fights.

Atop the card, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] in a dominant, five-round unanimous decision. The two main event participants were two of four fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed purses from the event, according to a list MMA Junkie acquired Tuesday from the Washington State Department of Licensing, the commissioning body that oversaw the card.

Jackson pocketed a total of $191,000 for his win over former champion Lima, who took home a flat payout of $100,000. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] ($100,000) and [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] ($125,000) were the other two fighters to hit the six-figure mark.

Scroll below to see the rest of the Bellator 283 salaries below. It’s important to note these figures do not include any potential locker room bonuses, sponsor payouts, or streaming points.

Bellator 283 results: Jason Jackson sweeps scorecards vs. Douglas Lima in uneventful main event

The Bellator 283 main event consisted largely of Jason Jackson in Douglas Lima’s guard.

It wasn’t the most rock ’em, sock ’em fight in Bellator history, but a win is a win for [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag]’s record.

In the Bellator 283 main event Friday, Jackson (16-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) defeated former welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-11 MMA, 14-7 UFC) via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to solidify his place as a top contender in the division.

Bellator 283 took place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash.

Much of the first two rounds were spent in the same position. After Lima fired some leg kicks, he was taken down early by Jackson. One on the canvas, Jackson wasn’t successful in positional advancement but did just enough to keep Lima there. In Round 2, Jackson secured another takedown. Lima briefly showed signs of life when he connected with a stunning upkick on Jackson, who survived and remained on top.

In Round 3, Jackson took Lima down again. Lima eventually reversed position – only to have his reversal reversed. The crowd booed as the championship rounds began. Lima tried to go back to his leg kicks, but Jackson took him down – again. That is where they stayed.

In Round 5, seemingly everyone knew what was coming and it still happened. Jackson took Lima down immediately and drained out the clock.

With the victory, Jackson may have clinched a title shot. The welterweight division is currently log-jammed with undisputed titleholder Yaroslav Amosov returning from military service in Ukraine, and interim champion Logan Storley awaiting a unification bout.

Jackson, 31, has not lost in the promotion, since a debut defeat to Ed Ruth. Since then, Jackson defeated Kiichi Kunimoto, Jordan Mein, Benson Henderson, Neiman Gracie, Paul Daley, and now, Lima.

As for Lima, his struggles to get into the win column continue. Largely dominant through the first nine years of his Bellator tenure, which included three runs as welterweight champion, Lima has now lost four fights in a row. After an unsuccessful title challenge at middleweight against Gegard Mousasi, Lima lost his welterweight title to Yaroslav Amosov. He returned to lose a controversial split decision to Michael Page in October, and now has a defeat to Jackson, too.

Lima missed weight for the Bellator 283 headliner, as he tipped the scales at 172.8 – 1.8 pounds over the welterweight limit.

The full Bellator 283 results include:

  • Jason Jackson def. Douglas Lima via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
  • Tofiq Musayev def. Sidney Outlaw via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:27
  • Usman Nurmagomedov def. Chris Gonzalez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:54
  • Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Lorenz Larkin results in a no contest (unintentional illegal elbow) – Round 1, 2:52
  • Marcelo Golm def. Davion Franklin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:36
  • Dalton Rosta def. Romero Cotton via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:38
  • Veta Arteaga def. Vanessa Porto via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:47
  • Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Bobby King via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Akhmed Magomedov def. Kevin Boehm via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:16
  • Roman Faraldo def. Luis Iniguez via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:42
  • Jaylon Bates def. Mark Coates via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Archie Colgan def. Bryan Nuro via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:15

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Bellator 283 official weigh-in results: Headliner Douglas Lima among three to miss weight

Ahead of Bellator 283, three fighters came in heavy, including former welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who headlines the event.

Three fighters including one main event participant have missed weight ahead of Bellator 283.

The official weigh-ins, which took place Thursday at Emerald Queen Casino Hotel in Tacoma, Wash., featured 24 fighters total. Among them was former Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag], who came in 1.8 pounds heavy for his headlining bout vs. [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag].

Lima (32-10 MMA, 14-6 BMMA) elected not to step on the scale a second time after his first attempt. His opponent Jackson (15-4 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) made weight at 171 pounds.

The other two fighters who missed weight were both from the preliminary portion of the card. [autotag]Kevin Boehm[/autotag] weighed 1.6 pounds over limit for his featherweight bout vs. [autotag]Akhmed Magomedov[/autotag]. Bantamweight [autotag]Mark Coates[/autotag] weighed 1.8 pounds over limit for his bantamweight bout vs. [autotag]Jaylon Bates[/autotag].

Bellator 283 takes place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out the full weigh-in results below:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Douglas Lima (172.8)* vs. Jason Jackson (171)
  • Tofiq Musayev (155) vs. Sidney Outlaw (155.4)
  • Chris Gonzalez (156) vs. Usman Nurmagomedov (155.2)
  • Mukhamed Berkhamov (171) vs. Lorenz Larkin (170.8)
  • Davion Franklin (264.2) vs. Marcelo Golm (257.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Romero Cotton (185.6) vs. Dalton Rosta (185.4)
  • Veta Arteaga (125.8) vs. Vanessa Porto (125.8)
  • Kevin Boehm (147.6)** vs. Akhmed Magomedov (144.6)
  • Bobby King (155.4) vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (154.4)
  • Roman Faraldo (170.6) vs. Luis Iniguez (170.8)
  • Jaylon Bates (136) vs. Mark Coates (137.8)***
  • Archie Colgan (159.6) vs. Bryan Nuro (159.2) – 160-pound contract weight

* = Lima missed welterweight limit by 1.8 pounds.
** = Boehm missed featherweight limit by 1.6 pounds.
*** = Coates missed the bantamweight limit by 1.8 pounds.

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