Tag: Islam Mamedov

Bellator 273 pre-event facts: Can Benson Henderson snap career-worst skid?

Former UFC and WEC champ Benson Henderson enters Saturday’s Bellator 273 on the worst losing skid of his career.

Bellator kicks off its 2022 schedule on Saturday with Bellator 273, which takes place at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

A heavyweight championship unification fight is featured in the main event. Reigning divisional kingpin [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) will face interim titleholder [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) atop the card.

For more on the numbers, check below for 20 pre-event facts about Bellator 273.

Bellator 263 post-event facts: A.J. McKee lights up record books with title win

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 263, which saw A.J. McKee become an undefeated champion with a main event win.

Arguably the biggest event in Bellator history went down Saturday with Bellator 263, which took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and saw a title change hands in the main event.

The promotion’s 16-man featherweight grand prix came to a conclusion in the headliner when [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) dethroned champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-5 MMA, 20-5 BMMA) by first-round submission to start a new era in the division and take home a $1 million prize.

For more on the numbers behind McKee’s title win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 263.

Bellator 263 results: Islam Mamedov grinds out split decision over Brent Primus to win debut

On the main card of Bellator 263, Islam Mamedov won his promotional debut in a close contest against Brent Primus.

[autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] has arrived in the Bellator lightweight division.

With former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner, Mamedov (20-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) had a wealth of knowledge at his disposal should he need it.

The bout took place on the main card of Bellator 263 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and aired on Showtime.

After a touch of gloves, the pair felt each other out in the center of the cage, with each fighter offering range-finding strikes. The striking volume began to increase as they put together combinations, but Mamedov initiated a clinch and brought the fight to the canvas. Primus (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) however, was more active on the ground, where the two would remain until the round ended.

A majority of the second round was spent in the clinch, as both fighters jockeyed for position while standing. Mamedov brought the fight to the canvas again, but Primus remained active, offering submission attempts from his back while Mamedov tried to improve positioning. Primus’ activity prevented Mamedov from causing any damage on the canvas.

The final round started with a Mamedov landing a kick that swept Primus off his feet. As he closed in to take top position, Primus immediately offered a submission attempt in response, halting Mamedov’s advances.

While fans grew restless at the lack of action as the two remained on the mat, both fighters were actively looking to improve their positions. Mamedov eventually transitioned to half-guard, but Primus continued to search for an omoplata that never materialized.

The fight concluded with Mamedov on top, leaving it up to the scorecards to determine the winner of the contest.

The judges were split in their decision, with two of the judges favoring Mamedov with scores of 29-28, while the dissenting judge saw the bout for Primus with a score of 29-28.

Mamedov walks away from his Bellator debut with his hand raised, keeping his lengthy streak of 19 wins without a loss going, while Primus’ two-fight win streak was snapped.

Up-to-the-minute results of Bellator 263 include:

  • Islam Mamedov def. Brent Primus via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Goiti Yamauchi def. Chris Gonzalez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:03
  • Vanessa Porto def. Ilara Joanne via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Daniel Carey via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:57
  • Khasan Magomedsharipov def. Jonathan Quiroz via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 4:21
  • Joshua Jones def. Johnny Cisneros via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 4:15
  • Georgi Karakhanyan def. Kiefer Crosbie via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:25
  • Brian Moore def. Jordan Winski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

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Bellator 263 salaries: Patricio Freire, A.J. McKee to pocket $1.4 million combined

The California State Athletic Commission released a full list of disclosed Bellator 263 fighter payouts to MMA Junkie ahead of the event.

LOS ANGELES – The Bellator 263 main event loser will take home a six-figure payday with the winner earning seven figures.

Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] is set to make $250,000 in disclosed show money while [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] will pocket $150,000 in disclosed show pay. The winner will be awarded an additional $1,000,000 – the prize that comes with winning the promotion’s 145-pound grand prix.

Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Following the conclusion of Friday’s official weigh-ins at the host hotel, MMA Junkie acquired a list of disclosed payouts from the California State Athletic Commission. It is important to note the amounts do not include discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings.

The full list of Bellator 263 disclosed payouts (show/win) include:

MAIN CARD (10 p.m. E.T., Showtime)

  • Patricio Freire: ($250,000/$1,000,000) vs. A.J. McKee ($150,000/$1,000,000)
  • [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] ($26,000/$26,000) vs. [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] ($61,000/$61,000)
  • [autotag]Manny Muro[/autotag] ($26,000/$0) vs. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] ($30,000/$30,000)
  • [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000) vs. [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] ($50,000/$0)
  • [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] ($31,000/$31,000) vs. [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] ($32,000/$32,000)

PRELIMS (7 p.m. E.T., MMA Junkie)

  • [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] ($13,000/$13,000) vs. [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] ($15,000/$15,000)
  • [autotag]Daniel Carey[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000) vs. [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] ($25,000/$25,000)
  • [autotag]Khasan Magomedsharipov[/autotag] ($25,000/$0) vs. [autotag]Jonathan Quiroz[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000)
  • [autotag]Johnny Cisneros[/autotag] ($4,000/$4,000) vs. [autotag]Joshua Jones[/autotag] ($4,000/$4,000)
  • [autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/autotag] ($50,000/$0) vs. [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] ($70,000/$0)
  • [autotag]Brian Moore[/autotag] ($25,000/$25,000) vs. [autotag]Jordan Winski[/autotag] ($10,000/$10,000)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXNByfW9aZw

 

Bellator 263 predictions: Who’s picking A.J. McKee to take Patricio Freire’s title?

Check out our staff members’ picks for Bellator 263, featuring a featherweight title fight between champ Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee.

Freire
vs.
McKee		 Burnell
vs.
Sanchez		 Muro
vs.
Nurmagomedov		 Mamedov
vs.
Primus		 Gonzalez
vs.
Yamauchi
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 111-66		 mckee2021
McKee
(64%)		 burnell2021
Burnell
(52%)		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov
(96%)		 mamedov2021
Mamedov
(65%)		 yamauchi2021
Yamauchi
(74%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 112-65
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 mckee2021
McKee		 sanchez2021
Sanchez		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 109-68		 mckee2021
McKee		 burnell2021
Burnell		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 109-68		 freire2021
Freire		 burnell2021
Burnell		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 108-69
trophy copy 2020 Champion		 freire2021
Freire		 burnell2021
Burnell		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 107-70
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 mckee2021
McKee		 sanchez2021
Sanchez		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 106-71		 mckee2021
McKee		 sanchez2021
Sanchez		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 106-71		 freire2021
Freire		 burnell2021
Burnell		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 105-72		 mckee2021
McKee		 sanchez2021
Sanchez		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 primus2021
Primus		 yamauchi2021
Yamauchi
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 105-72
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 freire2021
Freire		 sanchez2021
Sanchez		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 primus2021
Primus		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 104-73		 freire2021
Freire		 sanchez2021
Sanchez		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 yamauchi2021
Yamauchi
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 103-74		 freire2021
Freire		 burnell2021
Burnell		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 100-77		 freire2021
Freire		 burnell2021
Burnell		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
2021: 36-25		 mckee2021
McKee		 burnell2021
Burnell		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 mamedov2021
Mamedov		 gonzalez2021
Gonzalez
BetMGM
Betting Favorites		 freire2021
Freire -115		 burnell2021
Burnell -125		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov -1100		 mamedov2021
Mamedov -200		 yamauchi2021
Yamauchi -165

Bellator makes its long-awaited return to the road this week with the featherweight title on the line at the top of the bill.

Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. 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, lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) puts his 145-pound title on the line against [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 17-0 BMMA) in a fight that doubles as the featherweight grand prix final. It’s nearly a pick’em fight at the betting window, where Freire is at -115 at BetMGM with the comeback on McKee at -105. Not surprisingly, our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are torn in their picks, too – Freire has the smallest possible edge at 7-6.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) is a slight favorite at -125 against two-time featherweight title challenger [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA). And like the close picks in the main event, it’s tight here, too. Burnell has a 7-6 lead from our pickers.

Our lone unanimous pick should come as little surprise. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is a massive 11-1 favorite against [autotag]Manny Muro[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), and he’s got a 13-0 shutout in the picks.

[autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] (19-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a 2-1 favorite against former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA), and he’s got a big 11-2 picks lead.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) at lightweight. Yamauchi is the betting favorite at -165, but Gonzalez bucked the trend with our pickers at 11-2.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, McKee (64 percent), Burnell (52 percent), Nurmagomedov (96 percent), Mamedov (65 percent) and Yamauchi (62 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Bellator 263 media day faceoffs video: Things get testy in one fight

Check out the four fights that were featured to faceoff at Bellator 263 media day in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES – Bellator 263 media day took place Wednesday at the host hotel, and MMA Junkie was on the scene for the festivities. After fielding questions from reporters, the fighters came together for faceoffs.

Featured on the dais were [autotag]Manny Muro[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] vs. former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag], and [autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag].

You can watch watch the highlights of those faceoffs in the video above.

Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 July 19-25:

Bellator 263 adds three fights including Brent Primus vs. Islam Mamedov, loses ranked bantamweight bout

Three fights have been added to the undercard of the Patricio Freire vs. A.J. McKee event July 31 in Los Angeles.

With less than two weeks before what some are calling the biggest fight in Bellator history, the promotion continues to add the finishing touches to its next event.

Bellator 263 takes place July 31 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

On Monday, promotion officials announced the addition of a main card fight between former Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and Russian standout [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] (19-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). The fight was first reported by TASS.

Additionally, a women’s flyweight bout between [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Vanessa Porto (22-9 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), as well as a 150-pound contract-weight fight between [autotag]Daniel Carey[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] (15-4-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has been added to the prelims.

A bantamweight bout between contenders [autotag]Magomed Magmedov[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) has been removed from the card, MMA Junkie confirmed with a Bellator official. No reason for the cancellation was given.

Primus, 36, has not competed since February 2020. He rides a two-fight winning streak into the bout with back-to-back first-round submissions over Tim Wilde and Chris Bungard. In 11 pro fights, Primus’ lone loss came via unanimous decision when he lost the title to Michael Chandler in December 2018.

Mamedov, 31, makes his promotional debut riding a 19-fight unbeaten streak. Regarded by some as one of the best lightweights in the world, Mamedov nine times for WSOF/PFL where he compiled an 8-0-1 record including wins over Natan Schulte and Thiago Tavares among others.

With the additions, the Bellator 263 lineup includes:

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

  • Champion Patricio Freire vs. A.J. McKee – for the featherweight title
  • Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Mads Burnell
  • Manny Muro vs. Usman Nurmagomedov
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Brent Primus

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

  • Chris Gonzalez vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Ilara Joanne vs. Vanessa Porto
  • Daniel Carey vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
  • Kiefer Crosbie vs. Georgi Karakanyan
  • Brian Moore vs. Jared Scoggins
  • Johnny Cisneros vs. Joshua Jones

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Khabib Nurmagomedov says Islam Mamedov has signed with Bellator, targeting July debut

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is moving into the breaking news game.

Former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is moving into the breaking news game.

Nurmagomedov on Thursday told MMA Junkie that Bellator has inked PFL and WSOF veteran [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] (19-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) to a multi-fight deal, a signing Bellator officials subsequently confirmed.

Nurmagomedov also said Mamedov is targeting a July debut for the promotion, fighting on the same card as Usman Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s cousin who debuted for Bellator earlier this month.

Bellator officials declined to comment on that possibility.

Mamedov, unbeaten in his last 19 fights, is a longtime training partner of Nurmagomedov who first fought in the U.S. under the WSOF banner, where he posted a perfect 4-0 mark, including a win over future two-time PFL lightweight champ Natan Schulte.

Mamedov also fought for the PFL. He earned his way to the playoff semifinals in 2018 but was unable to continue competing following a quarterfinal win over Thiago Tavares and was replaced in the bracket. He qualified again for the playoffs in 2019 but fought to a two-round majority draw with Loik Radzhabov and saw his opponent advance to the semifinals via judges’ tiebreaker.

Nurmagomedov has taken over the role of coach from his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, following his death in 2020, and will be in Mamedov’s corner for his Bellator debut.

“I hope we’ll have fans again in the building in July,” Nurmagomedov stated. “I look forward to meeting the Bellator fans there and supporting Usman and Islam.”