Ethan Hughes – Syndication Server

Bellator 290 gains: What all 28 fighters weighed on fight night

Find out how much weight all 28 fighters at Bellator 290 gained from the Friday morning official weigh-ins to Saturday night’s fights.

At Bellator 290 on Feb. 4 in Inglewood, Calif., 16 of the 28 fighters on the card gained more than 10 percent of their weight back. Two of those 16 exceeded the 15 percent threshold.

MMA Junkie obtained a list of fight-night weights Monday from California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster.

In California, fighters have their weights checked on fight day – not solely when they have to hit their marks on the scale. The extra procedure was instituted in 2017 as part of the commission’s efforts to cut back on excessive weight cutting. Within those rules was a cap on how much a fighter could gain from the official weigh-ins to the fight.

If a fighter gains more than 10 percent back before the bout, the commission can make a recommendation they move to a higher weight class. If a fighter gains more than 15 percent, the commission can potentially cancel their fight.

Check out the weight gains and percentages for all 28 fighters on the card at Kia Forum.

Bellator 290 post-event facts: Ryan Bader keeps perfect rematch record

The attention was on Fedor Emelianenko after Bellator 290, but Ryan Bader continued to show he’s elite in a rematch setting.

The first Bellator event of 2023, Bellator 290, went down Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and it marked a monumental occasion for both the promotion and the sport.

In addition to being the organization’s debut showcase on CBS, the card marked the retirement fight of legendary former PRIDE champion [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (40-7 MMA, 4-3 BMMA), who suffered a first-round TKO loss to heavyweight titleholder [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (31-7 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in their main event rematch.

The co-headliner saw middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen [/autotag](13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) remain undefeated with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (31-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) for his first title defense.

For more on the numbers behind the title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 290.

Bellator 290 salaries: Ryan Bader, Johnny Eblen lead disclosed purses

Check out the disclosed pay for all 28 fighters on Bellator 290, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Twenty-eight fighters competed Saturday at Bellator 290 with the titleholders leading all disclosed payouts.

California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Saturday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.

One of five fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed paydays, [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] topped the list with $150,000. Legendary MMA fighter [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] and welterweight Sabah Homasi each made $100,000, despite losses.

Scroll below to see what the 28 fighters on Bellator 290 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Knockout artists Sabah Homasi, Brennan Ward set to fight at Bellator 290

Bellator 290 adds a fight between Sabah Homasi and Brennan Ward, two of the most violent strikers in the promotion’s welterweight history.

Two of the most violent finishers in Bellator welterweight history have been booked to fight each other.

[autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] and [autotag]Brennan Ward[/autotag] in recent weeks advocated to square off, and the promotion obliged as they’ve been booked to fight Feb. 4 at Bellator 290. Three people, including a Bellator official, informed MMA Junkie of the booking.

Bellator 290 takes place at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with the main card on CBS after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Reinvented under the Bellator banner, Homasi (17-10 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) has won six of his past eight bouts and is on a two-fight winning streak. Both of the back-to-back victories came by first-round stoppage. In 17 wins, Homasi has 14 finishes.

Ward (16-6 MMA, 11-6 BMMA) returned in February after nearly five years away from MMA competition due to an ongoing battle with drug addiction. At Bellator 274, Ward was successful in his comeback bout when he defeated Brandon Bell by second-round TKO. In June, he defeated Kassius Kayne by second-round TKO at Bellator 282.

In addition, a welterweight bout between [autotag]Ethan Hughes[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Yusuf Karakaya[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has been added to the prelims. Hughes signed a multifight deal with Bellator in 2021 after he pulled off one of the biggest betting upsets of the year when he defeated former Olympian Mahmoud Sebie by TKO at Bellator 271.

With the additions, the Bellator 290 lineup includes:

Champion Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko – for heavyweight title
Champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – for light heavyweight title
Sabah Homasi vs. Brennan Ward
Ethan Hughes vs. Yusuf Karakaya

Defying the odds: The 10 biggest MMA betting upsets of 2021

Check out the biggest upsets of 2021, according to the oddsmakers.

Who doesn’t love a good upset?

In 2021, MMA saw its fair share of underdogs who defied the odds – in the UFC, Bellator and beyond. While everyone has an opinion of who should win and who should lose, the oddsmakers largely get the final say on what history reflects.

This year, with the help of MMA database Tapology, MMA Junkie has compiled the top 10 betting upsets of 2021. Fights that were eligible were those which numerous major online sports books recognized, and which Tapology recorded prior to line close.

Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2021 below, per Tapology. Note that only major MMA promotions were included in the tally.

Bellator 271 post-event facts: Cris Cyborg leads Bellator champs in defenses

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 271, which took place Friday and saw Cris Cyborg defend her title in 92 seconds.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] continued her reign of terror on Friday with another dominant title defense against [autotag]Sinead Kavanagh[/autotag] in the Bellator 271 main event.

Cyborg (25-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) recorded her third consecutive defense when she stopped Kavanagh (7-5 MMA, 4-5 BMMA) by knockout just 92 seconds into the headliner, which took place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 271.