Tag: Goiti Yamauchi

Michael Page: ‘100 percent’ win over Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 292 leads to title shot

Michael Page expects to be right back in title contention with a win at Bellator 292.

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] expects to be right back in title contention with a win at Bellator 292.

Page (20-2 MMA, 16-2 BMMA) faces [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) on Friday’s main card opener at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

“MVP” is coming off a split decision loss to Logan Storley for the interim welterweight title at Bellator 281 last May, and sees a win over submission specialist Yamauchi as enough for another crack at the title. However, Page knows there’s one fighter ahead of him in the pecking order.

“100 percent, for me it’s a case of title fight,” Page told MMA Junkie Radio. “The next in line and I kind of know that is Jason Jackson, simply because there were talks of me and him fighting, and the reason why it didn’t land is because he genuinely believes he’s next in line.

“So, there obviously was a conversation that happened that made him feel that, and he’s like, ‘If I’m next in line, I prefer to wait’ instead of risk having to fight and potentially not succeed in that fight and getting pushed further back away from the title fight, which is why this fight ended up landing. I think he’s next and I’m definitely the one after. So, that’s 100 percent what it does.”

If a title shot doesn’t materialize for Page next, he’s willing to compete once more either in MMA, or bare-knuckle boxing – like he did in his most recent outing when he was edged out by UFC alum Mike Perry at BKFC 27 this past August.

“It potentially could be a long time so it just depends on when things are gonna happen,” Page said. “So, potentially I’ll just do another one. I don’t care that much. I’ll just do another one to stay active, stay fresh, but I still just want to be ready to jump in and go.”

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 6-12)

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 Feb. 6-12.

Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi among new additions to Bellator 292 in San Jose

At Bellator 292, the lightweight grand prix kicks off, a heavyweight title eliminator takes place, and now MVP returns.

After dipping his fists in the world of bareknuckle boxing, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] is putting the gloves back on.

At Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif., Page (20-2 MMA, 16-2 BMMA) will return against fellow welterweight contender [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA), the promotion announced Wednesday as part of a full lineup reveal. The event takes place March 10 at SAP Center with the main card on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Page, 35, returns to MMA after a one-off bareknuckle boxing loss to Mike Perry at BKFC 27 this past August. Bellator permitted Page to take the fight, and though he brought Perry to a tiebreaker round, he lost a majority decision. Prior to that, Page lost an interim title bout against Logan Storley by split decision, a controversial result in the eyes of some viewers.

Yamauchi, 30, comes into the bout off a scintillating knockout victory over Neiman Gracie at Bellator 284 in August. The victory extended his winning streak to three, all finishes.

With the addition, the full Bellator 292 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – grand prix quarterfinal for lightweight title
  • Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
  • Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi

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

  • James Gallagher vs. Leandro Higo
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Keri Taylor Melendez
  • Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Tony Johnson vs. Khalid Murtazaliev
  • Julius Anglickas vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Alberto Garcia vs. Bobby Seronio III
  • Laird Anderson vs. Rogelio Luna
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
  • Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley
  • Demetri Georgiades vs. Dupree Stewart

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Bellator in 2022: A robust look at the stats, streaks, skids, and records

A full recap of Bellator’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, fights and individual performances of 2022.

Another year is in the books for Bellator.

The promotion hosted 17 fight cards to maintain its status among the top dogs in the MMA space. During that time, many records were set and a host of historic moments were produced.

Now that the year has come to a close, here are some of 2022’s most significant fights and individual performances.

Goiti Yamauchi looking for shot at interim champ Storley after Bellator 284 KO

After arguably the biggest win of his career, when the spotlight was on him the brightest, Goiti Yamauchi says he’s ready for a title shot.

After arguably the biggest win of his career, when the spotlight was on him the brightest, [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] says he’s ready for a Bellator title shot.

Yamauchi (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) became the first person to finish Neiman Gracie (11-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) when he knocked him out in the second round of their Bellator 284 main event in Sioux Falls, S.D. The win was Yamauchi’s third straight, all by finish, and second straight since he moved up to welterweight from lightweight earlier this year.

“It feels amazing,” Yamauchi said at his post-fight news conference. “It’s a product of hard work, courage and a lot of dedication – not just for this camp, but for my entire life, I’ve been working to have this moment. This moment, I consider the beginning of an era – my era, the best time of my life.”

Yamauchi is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout, just like Gracie. In his 28 career wins, a whopping 75 percent of them – 21 in total – have been by submission. He holds the Bellator record for most career submission wins.

So for him to put Gracie out with a punch the way he did might have even come as a surprise to him. When he shut down Chris Gonzalez with his hands in July 2021, hit was his first knockout in nearly eight years. Now he has KOs in two of his past three fights.

“”I don’t know what happened. I went beast mode,” Yamauchi said. “I just wanted to take some shots and make the fight dramatic – big drama show. I went for it in this fight, and it worked.”

“I watched (Gracie’s) fight (with champ Logan Storley) and saw I could make Neiman make some mistakes, and I exploited them. … We go to autopilot mode when we’re fighting – we just want to finish the fight as fast as possible. In the first round, I got him with the good left hand, but it was just a knockdown and I couldn’t finish. But when I threw the uppercut (in the second), I knew he was done. His body just dropped too fast, and I knew that was the end of the fight.”

Yamauchi has only been at welterweight for two fights now, but after a high-profile win over Gracie in his first Bellator main event in nearly eight years with the company, he’s shooting his shot for a booking with interim welterweight champ Storley, who beat Michael Page in May for that belt.

In his 18 Bellator fights, Yamauchi never has lost two straight and now is on his fourth three-fight winning streak. He’s also put together streaks at featherweight, lightweight and now welterweight.

“That’s one of the most important days of my life. It’s very meaningful beating such a hell of a fighter,” Yamauchi said. “… I’ve moved up twice here in my Bellator career, from 145 to 155, and now to welterweight. They’re both good and exciting weight classes. There’s a lot of top fighters. I think the best fighters are probably at lightweight and welterweight. I’m excited.

“This is my real weight class. I feel strong, powerful, and with a lot of energy. Hopefully, I fight all of the top fighters in front of me. … It would be amazing to fight with Storley. I love his style – he’s a hell of a grappler, and it looks like he has a gas tank, so it would be a war. It would be an honor for me to fight the champ, Storley.”

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Goiti Yamauchi def. Neiman Gracie at Bellator 284: Best photos

Check out these photos from the Bellator 284 main event between Goiti Yamauchi and Neiman Gracie.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag]’s knockout victory over Neiman Gracie in the main event of Bellator 284 in Sioux Falls, S. D. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Bellator 284 results: Goiti Yamauchi folds Neiman Gracie with vicious uppercut knockout

Neiman Gracie had never been knocked out – prior to Bellator 284 and his fight vs. Goiti Yamauchi.

[autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] has long been a member of the Bellator roster, but perhaps never closer to a title opportunity than now.

At Bellator 284, Yamauchi (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) stopped [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) with punches at 3:58 of Round 2. The bout headlined the event Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The knockout topped off a dominant performance for Yamauchi, who stunned Gracie early in Round 1 before he resorted to his grappling. In Round 2, Yamauchi appeared a step ahead as well. He threatened both striking and grappling, a two-pronged attack Gracie struggled to figure out.

The knockout sequence began with a hard uppercut. As Gracie toppled to the canvas, a few follow-up shots rained down from Yamauchi, though the damage was done.

Yamauchi, who made his promotional debut at Bellator 99 in September 2013, becomes the first to stop Neiman Gracie. He extends his winning streak to three and has won back-to-back fights at welterweight. Meanwhile, Gracie has lost back-to-back fights and three of his most recent four outings.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 284 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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Photos: Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins

Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and the final faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Check out these photos of the main card fighters on the scale and the final pre-fight faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Bellator 284 predictions: Who are our two unanimous picks in Sioux Falls?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 284 main card in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Gracie
vs.
Yamauchi		 Moldavsky
vs.
Mowry		 Ellen
vs.
Macfarlane		 Saricam
vs.
Sowma		 Jeffery
vs.
Vanderford
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
131-79		 yamauchi2022
Yamauchi
(58%)		 mowry2022
Mowry
(61%)		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane
(79%)		 saricam2022
Saricam
(62%)		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
(68%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
143-72
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
139-76		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
137-78
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
135-80		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
132-83		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
131-84		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
130-85		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 sowma2022
Sowma		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Nolan King
@mma_kings
127-88		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 ellen2022
Ellen		 sowma2022
Sowma		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
126-89
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
117-98		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
104-111		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford

Bellator returns to South Dakota this week with a welterweight bout atop the card, plus two former champions and a recent title challenger on the bill.

Bellator 284 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. 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, [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) takes on first-time Bellator headliner [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) at welterweight. Gracie is a -200 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Yamauchi is +150. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Gracie as one of two unanimous picks on the main card – but in a rarity, our readers disagree and are backing Yamauchi at a big 58 percent clip.

In the co-feature, former interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) takes on unbeaten up-and-comer [autotag]Steve Mowry[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA). Moldavsky is more than a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, but he has the narrowest possible edge over Mowry in the picks at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) takes on former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA), who is fighting outside her native Hawaii or homebase of California for just the second time in nearly five years. Macfarlane is a slight favorite at -135, but is a near-unanimous pick with our staff members at 10-1. (It should be noted Macfarlane missed weight for for the first time in her MMA career. She came in at 129 pounds at Thursday’s weigh-ins.)

[autotag]Gokhan Saricam[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is a 2-1 favorite in his heavyweight bout against [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), and he’s got a blowout from our pickers at 9-2.

And to open the main card, our second unanimous pick is recent middleweight title challenger [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA), who is a -200 favorite against late replacement opponent [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Vanderford has an 11-0 shutout from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Yamauchi (58 percent), Mowry (61 percent), Macfarlane (79 percent), Saricam (62 percent) and Vanderford (68 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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Goiti Yamauchi honored to fight a Gracie, headline first Bellator event: ‘There’s something meaningful in this fight’

Goiti Yamauchi sees Bellator 284 as a special moment in his career.

[autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag]’s return to the cage holds plenty of significance.

Despite having over 30 fights logged as a professional and being one of the most experienced fighters on the Bellator roster, Yamauchi (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) sees Friday’s Bellator 284 bout as a unique and special moment in his career.

Bellator 284 will be Yamauchi’s first main event bout in his nine years with the promotion and he’ll also be fighting Neiman Gracie, a member of the legendary Gracie family.

“First of all, I’m fighting in my first main event, my first five rounds – that’s really meaningful,” Yamauchi said during Wednesday’s pre-fight media day. “Everybody that gets a main event in a big promotion, that’s a special moment.

“But what really makes it important and meaningful, is fighting against a guy who comes from the family that made this work here. Gracie family, they’re so important to me. Not just for me, but for all the fight community. There’s something meaningful in this fight.”

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The Gracie family is responsible for the creation of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. And it’s no secret Gracie (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) follows the tradition, given he’s one of the most talented grapples in Bellator.

Twenty-one of the 27 victories Yamauchi has as a professional have come by submission. He, too, is a standout grappler in the promotion. The 29-year-old would like to measure his grappling skills against a Gracie, but it’s definitely not something he’s going to force.

“I would love to,” Yamauchi explained. “… I never see the fight game as, ‘I want to test myself.’ That would be too stupid if I just do it for my ego. Like I said before, I’m going to win the fight.

“If I have to fight five rounds on the ground, I’m good. If I have to go five rounds in the striking, I’m also pretty good and comfortable. It’s all about taking the right opportunities and not making many mistakes.”

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