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Check out these photos from Invicta FC 49 at Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, Okla.
Check out these photos from Invicta FC 49 at Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, Okla. which featured an atomweight title fight between Jillian DeCoursey and Jessica Delboni. (Photos by Dave Mandel, Invicta FC)
Check out these photos from the Invicta FC 49 weigh-ins.
Check out these photos from the Invicta FC 49 official weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs in Hinton, Okla. (Photos courtesy of Dave Mandel, Invicta FC)
Hannah Guy brought the fight to Valerie Loureda, nearly finished her twice, and came away the victor at Bellator 259.
[autotag]Hannah Guy[/autotag] threw caution to the wind against [autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag], and it paid off Friday night at Bellator 259.
Guy withstood some initial adversity but rebounded in a big way to hand Loureda her first defeat in a scrappy fight, as Guy earned unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 from the judges at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Given how the fight unfolded, it’s hard to believe Guy didn’t come away with a submission as she had Loureda in trouble on two occasions.
Guy (3-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) came out as the aggressor in Round 1, but she paid for it when Loureda (3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) landed a 2-3 combo and dropped her with a left hook. Loureda rushed in for the finish, but when she realized she couldn’t get it, she decided to let Guy up. Loureda’s standup continued to look good as Guy marched forward, but then Guy changed levels and secured a takedown. Guy transitioned to an armbar, and had it locked in tight, but Loureda managed to escape and get back to her feet. Between Loureda’s knockout and Guy’s threatened submission, it was a close round for the judges to score.
Early knockdown for @valerielouredaa 🔥
Watch #Bellator259 LIVE on @SHOSports👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/Avzwezk8bf
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 22, 2021
Check out the final minute of round 1️⃣ between @ValerieLouredaa and Hannah Guy.
The #Bellator259 main card is LIVE on @SHOSports. Tune in NOW to catch round 2️⃣.
👀 https://t.co/RNtauZGbbQ #MMA pic.twitter.com/dlmetDR89O— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 22, 2021
Round 2, however, was a different story, after Guy changed levels in the early going. Loureda initially stuffed the takedown and ended on top, but Guy reversed the position and secured full mount with 3:30 remaining. Loureda was in serious danger as Guy secured an S-mount with Loureda’s arm trapped and eating punches and elbows. The referee appeared close to stopping the fight until Loureda’s toughness shined through again, and she somehow managed to escape a dire situation.
“I thought I was gonna finish with the triangle honestly,” Guy said. “She just slipped right out of there, so that was awesome of her. Her defense was really good. I was really impressed by that actually. I didn’t know what her ground game was, but it was a lot better than I thought. No offense to her.”
Hannah Guy keeps working for the sub!
A real tense fight here at Mohegan Sun 🔥
Catch all the action LIVE on #Bellator’s new home @SHOSports 👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/TtmSj2RK75
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 22, 2021
In Round 3, Guy wasted no time trying to get the fight to the mat by jumping for a guillotine. Loureda escaped and smartly backtracked to stand up, but she was visibly exhausted, while Guy marched forward. Loureda abandoned her basics and instead threw flashy strikes that didn’t connect and only left her in bad positions. Guy secured a takedown in the final minute and ended in dominant position to secure the round and victory.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 259 results include:
Check out the ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs ahead of Bellator 259 at Mohegan Sun.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday and the women’s featherweight title will be on the line.
Bellator 259 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. Atop the bill is [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who defends her title against [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (12-8-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in the main event. The fight is a rematch of the two fighters’ 2016 bout, which Cyborg won by first-round TKO.
The co-main event also features a rematch. Former Bellator bantamweight champion [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) returns to the division he once sat upon the throne of. He faces [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 3-3 BMMA), who missed weight by 1.5 pounds ahead of the bout.
Following Thursday’s official Bellator 259 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.
Check out the faceoffs below, including Cyborg vs. Smith, Caldwell vs. Higo, [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag], [autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hannah Guy[/autotag], and more.
With Christian Edwards’ fight off, Valerie Loureda has been bumped up.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Widely regarded as one of Bellator’s top up-and-comers, [autotag]Christian Edwards[/autotag] will have to wait a little longer to step back inside the cage.
Following the Bellator 259 weigh-ins Thursday at Mohegan Sun, in which he came in underweight, Edwards (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) did not clear pre-fight medicals. With Edwards deemed medically unfit to compete, his fight against [autotag]Ben Parrish[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was removed from Friday’s main card.
Promotion officials announced the news in between the official and ceremonial weigh-ins.
BREAKING: The light heavyweight bout between Christian Edwards and Ben Parrish has been cancelled. Christian Edwards was not cleared by the commission to compete. #BELLATOR259
— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) May 20, 2021
Despite the cancellation, Bellator 259 will still have a five-fight main card. Rising sensation [autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has been elevated from the prelims and will take on [autotag]Hannah Guy[/autotag] (2-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a strawweight matchup.
BREAKING: @valerielouredaa vs. Hannah Guy has been elevated to the main card of #Bellator259, which airs tomorrow night on @SHOsports at 9 p.m. ET
— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) May 20, 2021
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 5:30 p.m. ET)
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Rising star Valerie Loureda is back.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag] has her next fight booked.
A popular flyweight up-and-comer, Loureda (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) will fight [autotag]Hannah Guy[/autotag] at Bellator 258 on May 7, a promotion official Thursday confirmed to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Maxim.
Loureda, 22, most recently competed Aug. 7 at Bellator 243, when she scored the second TKO victory of her professional career, a second-round stoppage of Tara Graff. After the win, Loureda took exception with Graff’s pre-fight comments that criticized her Instagram and TikTok success. In response, Loureda put on a dancing display that went viral.
“Of course it made it personal,” Loureda told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after the fight. “I just didn’t answer her. I didn’t lower myself to her. I waited for the chance I got to fight when I was healthy so I could shut her mouth.”
Prior to that result, Loureda won a unanimous decision over Larkyn Dasch and scored a first-round TKO of Colby Fletcher in her first two pro fights.
Bellator 258 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
With the addition, the Bellator 258 lineup includes:
