Bellator 293 weigh-in results: One main card bout canceled but all others on weight

Check out the results from the official Bellator 293 fighter weigh-ins in Temecula, Calif.

Official weigh-ins for Bellator 293 took place Thursday at the Bellator host hotel.

The nearby Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

All fighters who actually made it to the scale Thursday made weight.

Among those who weighed in were [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who meet in the heavyweight main event, and [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who fight in the women’s featherweight contenders bout co-feature.

A welterweight fight between [autotag]Rustam Khabilov[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) was canceled minutes before weigh-ins. Willis’ manager Matt Weibel, of First Round Management, tweeted the cancellation was due to an issue on Khabilov’s side.

As a result of the cancellation, [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Justin Montalvo[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has been elevated to the main card.

The full Bellator 293 weigh-in results include:

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

  • Marcelo Golm (257.6) vs. Daniel James (265.4)
  • Leah McCourt (145.4) vs. Cat Zingano (145.2)
  • Aaron Jeffery (185.2) vs. John Salter (185.8)
  • Sullivan Cauley (205.8) vs. Luke Trainer (205.2)
  • Archie Colgan (155.4) vs. Justin Montalvo (154.4)

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

  • Mandel Nallo (154.8) vs. Adam Piccolotti (156)
  • Jeff Creighton (169.8) vs. Joey Davis (169.2)
  • Lucas Brennan (145.4) vs. Josh San Diego (146)
  • Lance Gibson Jr. (156) vs. Vladimir Tokov (155.2)
  • Sara Collins (145.8) vs. Pam Sorenson (145.2)
  • Rakim Cleveland (240.4) vs. Christian Edwards (237.8)
  • Nick Browne (155.6) vs. Mike Hamel (155.6)
  • Ashley Cummins (119.2) vs. Randi Field (120) – 120-pound contract weight
  • Brandon Carrillo (135.4) vs. Bryce Meredith (135.6)
  • Maria Henderson (115.4) vs. Mackenzie Stiller (115.4)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 23-29)

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. 23-29.

Jaleel Willis says welterweights better be prepared for him after Bellator 289

After back-to-back losses, former LFA champion Jaleel Willis was worried that another loss might have him on the outs with Bellator.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After back-to-back losses, former LFA champion [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] was worried that another loss might have him on the outs with Bellator.

“This whole camp, this whole year I’ve been thinking I’ve been underperforming in my contract,” Willis told MMA Junkie after Bellator 289 on Friday. “I’ve got to get back with it. Scott Coker doesn’t have me here to be losing and stuff like that. I had to make sure I put a big stamp (on my performance), or at least go out and die trying.”

The stamp for Willis (16-4 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) was a dominant win over Kyle Crutchmer (9-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) in Uncasville, Conn. Crutchmer was roughly a 3-1 favorite in the fight, but Willis outstruck him by a factor of nearly 4-1 and stuffed all 12 of the standout wrestler’s takedown attempts.

“I think I respected his power a little too much and waited on the wrestling a little too much, but once that second round came along, I started feeling good,” Willis said. “… I knew I was going to stuff some takedowns, but I didn’t think I was going to stuff all of them. My coaches, they believed in me and let me know: ‘He’s going to shoot 10 times, and we’re going to stuff 11.'”

To hear Willis talk about his win over Crutchmer, his preparation for it and what he wants next, check out the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 289.

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Bellator 289 post-event facts: Underdogs shine on final card of 2022

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 289, which took place Friday and saw a number of significant betting upsets.

Bellator put on its 17th and final event of the year on Friday with Bellator 289, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Two champions defended their titles at the top of the card. In the main event, [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) edged [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) by split decision in their grudge match to defend interim bantamweight gold and advance to the finals of the promotion’s grand prix.

The co-headliner saw [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) earn a second consecutive win over [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA), this time without controversy as she scored a second-round submission to defend women’s flyweight gold.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 289.

Bellator 289: Best photos from Connecticut

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289 in Uncasville, Conn.

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289, headlined by an interim bantamweight title and grand prix semifinal bout between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 21-27)

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 Nov. 21-27.

Bellator 273 predictions: Who’s picking champ Ryan Bader to upset Valentin Moldavsky?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 273 main card with heavyweight champ Ryan Bader vs. interim champ Valentin Moldavsky.

Bader
vs.
Moldavsky
Henderson
vs.
Mamedov
Corrales
vs.
Lee
Homasi
vs.
Willis
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
6-5
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
(65%)
mamedov2022
Mamedov
(80%)
corrales2022
Corrales
(71%)
willis2022
Willis
(75%)
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
9-2
trophy copy 2021 Champion
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
7-4
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
7-4
bader2022
Bader
henderson2022
Henderson
lee2022
Lee
homasi2022
Homasi
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
7-4
bader2022
Bader
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
6-5
trophy copy 2014 Champion
bader2022
Bader
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
6-5
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
homasi2022
Homasi
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
6-5
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
lee2022
Lee
willis2022
Willis
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
6-5
trophy copy 2018 Champion
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
6-5
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
homasi2022
Homasi
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
5-6
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
5-6
trophy copy 2017 Champion
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis
Nolan King
@mma_kings
5-6
moldavsky2022
Moldavsky
mamedov2022
Mamedov
corrales2022
Corrales
willis2022
Willis

Bellator is back for the first time in 2022, and there’s a heavyweight title unification bout at the top of the lineup.

Bellator 273 takes place Saturday at Footprint Center in Phoenix. 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, heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) takes on interim champ [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), in a title unification fight. Moldavsky is a sizable -260 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Bader is +195. Our 12 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are backing Moldavsky fairly heavily at a 9-3 clip.

In the co-feature, former UFC and WEC lightweight champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-11 MMA, 5-6 BMMA) will try to snap a three-fight slide against [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] (20-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Mamedov is a big -475 favorite, and he’s got a huge 11-1 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Henry Corrales[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Aiden Lee[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) in a featherweight fight. And though Lee is a -125 favorite in a close fight at the betting window, our staff members are going with Corrales with a big 10-2 margin.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is a -230 favorite at welterweight against [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (15-10 MMA, 4-4 BMMA). Willis, like Corrales, has a hefty 10-2 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Moldavsky (65 percent), Mamedov (80 percent), Corrales (71 percent) and Willis (75 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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[listicle id=2049578]

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Bellator 273 adds Sabah Homasi vs. Jaleel Willis to lineup in Phoenix

Bellator is headed to Phoenix for the second time in four months and it’s bringing a welterweight bout with it.

A welterweight fight is headed to Phoenix.

[autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] have been matched up and will square off Jan. 29 at Bellator 273. The event takes place at Footprint Center in Phoenix with the main card streaming on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Homasi (15-10 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) will look to rebound from back-to-back losses against Andrey Koreshkov and Paul Daley. Prior to his current losing skid, Homasi won four-straight fights with three knockouts in that stretch.

Willis (15-3 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), meanwhile, looks to rebound from an October loss at Bellator 268, in which he was submitted by Mukhamed Berkhamov. The defeat snapped a six-fight winning streak for the former LFA welterweight champion.

With the addition, the Bellator 273 lineup includes:

  • Champ Ryan Bader vs. interim champ Valentin Moldavsky – for the Bellator heavyweight title
  • Darrion Caldwell vs. Enrique Barzola
  • Sabah Homasi vs. Jaleel Willis

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Bellator 268 salaries: Vadim Nemkov, Corey Anderson among five six-figure paydays

Five fighters pocketed more than $100,000 at Bellator 268 in Phoenix, according to documents obtained by MMA Junkie.

Bellator 268 featured two light heavyweight grand prix matchups, and the fighters involved were four of the five highest-paid athletes on the card.

Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] and fellow grand prix finalist [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] led all paydays, as they pocketed six figures as a result of their wins Oct. 16 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

Grand prix participants [autotag]Julius Anglickas[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], who lost in the semfinals, and former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], also took home six figures.

On Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of Bellator 268 salaries from the Arizona Department of Gaming, which oversaw the event.

Check out a full list below.

Bellator 259 predictions: What are our three unanimous picks on the main card?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 259 main card, featuring Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith.

Cyborg
vs.
Smith
Caldwell
vs.
Higo
Edwards
vs.
Vanderford
Mandonca
vs.
Willis
Edwards
vs.
Parrish
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 66-45
cyborg2021
Cyborg
(86%)
caldwell2021
Caldwell
(77%)
vanderford2021
Vanderford
(70%)
willis2021
Willis
(85%)
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
(83%)
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 68-43
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 68-43
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 66-45
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
mendonca2021
Mendonca
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 66-45
trophy copy 2018 Champion
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
fedwards2021
F. Edwards
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 65-46
trophy copy 2014 Champion
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 65-46
trophy copy 2017 Champion
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 65-46
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 65-46
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 63-48
trophy copy 2020 Champion
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 62-49
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 61-50
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
fedwards2021
F. Edwards
willis2021
Willis
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 60-51
cyborg2021
Cyborg
caldwell2021
Caldwell
vanderford2021
Vanderford
mendonca2021
Mendonca
cedwards2021
C. Edwards
BetMGM
Betting Favorites
cyborg2021
Cyborg -1400
caldwell2021
Caldwell -350
vanderford2021
Vanderford -225
mendonca2021
Mendonca -125
cedwards2021
C. Edwards -650

Bellator is back this week with a title fight at the top of the card.

Bellator 259 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. 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, women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) puts her title on the line in a rematch with challenger [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (12-8-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA). Cyborg is a huge favorite at -1400 at BetMGM, so it’s no surprise she’s one of three unanimous picks on the main card from our editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.

In the co-feature, former bantamweight champ [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 3-3 BMMA). Caldwell is a -350 favorite, and he’s a 12-0 unanimous pick from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in a middleweight bout. Vanderford is a -225 favorite, but two of our pickers are taking Edwards in an upset.

[autotag]Maycon Mendonca[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a slight favorite at -125 in his welterweight bout against [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA). But it’s Willis with a big 10-2 picks lead.

Unfortunately, the bout expected to open the main card, which saw [autotag]Christian Edwards[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) as a big -650 favorite at light heavyweight against [autotag]Ben Parrish[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), was called off following the day’s official weigh-ins. Edwards was our third unanimous pick.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cyborg (86 percent), Caldwell (77 percent), Vanderford (70 percent), Willis (85 percent) and Christian Edwards (83 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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