Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 or officially announced by a promotion from May 22-28.
James Gallagher’s Bellator return in South Dakota will come at 145 pounds.
[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag]’s return will come at 145 pounds.
Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) meets [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) at Bellator 298 on Aug. 11 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
A person with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking, but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Severe MMA was first to report the matchup.
Gallagher hasn’t competed since a Round 3 submission loss to new interim champion Patchy Mix in November 2021. The 26-year-old has withdrew from the bantamweight grand prix due to a hand injury that required surgery, as well as bouts against Brett Johns and Leandro Higo. Prior to his loss to Mix, Gallagher was on a four-fight winning streak, including three by submission.
Lencioni is coming off a second-round inverted triangle submission finish of Blake Smith at Bellator 294 in April. “Sunshine” currently is on a four-fight winning streak.
With the addition, the Bellator 298 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.
For the third time in four bookings, James Gallagher has withdrawn from a scheduled Bellator bout.
For the third time in four bookings, [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has withdrawn from a fight.
Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) is out of Bellator 292 for undisclosed reasons, and his bout vs. [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) has been scrapped. The bantamweight contenders were expected to throw down March 10 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif..
Promotion officials confirmed the cancellation Thursday to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Severe MMA. Higo will not remain on the card.
Gallagher, 26, has competed once since the end of 2020, a submission loss to Patchy Mix that snapped a three-fight win streak. In between the Mix and Higo matchups, Gallagher was booked to partake in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix. However, a hand injury that required surgery forced him out. Gallagher later withdrew from a Brett Johns matchup scheduled for September.
Higo, 34, competed in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. He was eliminated by Danny Sabatello by unanimous decision in the quarterfinal round. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak.
With the cancellation, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.
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. 16-22.
A fun bantamweight matchup between James Gallagher and Leandro Higo has been added to Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif.
A fun bantamweight matchup has been added to the upcoming Bellator 292 card.
Wednesday the promotion officially announced [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] will share the Bellator cage with [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] at the event set to take place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. on March 10. The event airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will return to the cage for the first time since a submission loss to Patchy Mix at Bellator 270 in November 2021. Due to injury, he was forced out of last year’s bantamweight grand prix, and later had to pull out of a scheduled fight against Brett Johns at Bellator 285.
Prior to his loss to Mix, Gallagher, 26, ripped through four straight opponents, finishing Steven Graham, Roman Salazar and Cal Ellenor in the first round.
Higo (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) was also set back in his last outing, ending up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Danny Sabatello in the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinals. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak which included second-round submissions of Shawn Bunch and Ricky Bandejas.
The 33-year-old Higo will not only look to get back into the win column, but also stay above .500 in Bellator.
With the addition, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:
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Brett Johns thinks Bellator should rebook his fight against James Gallagher when the promotion returns to Dublin in February.
[autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] thinks Bellator should rebook his fight against [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag].
Johns (19-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was scheduled to face Gallagher at this past Friday’s Bellator 285 card at 3Arena in Dublin, but Gallagher was forced out due to injury. Johns faced Jordan Winski instead and beat him by unanimous decision.
Bellator announcing a return to Dublin for Feb. 24, and Johns wants to face Ireland’s own Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) in the event’s headliner.
“@BellatorMMA I think it makes sense right now to book @StrabanimalMMA and me for February 24th. It’s the fight everyone wants to see end off. The Irish want it and the welsh want it. It’s probably the biggest Bantamweight fight in European MMA history.
“I’m not here to coast by. I’m here to create big fights and slowly start making my way up the rankings. As for James’ skill set I think it’s a tough fight. He’s proven himself at the top of the @BellatorMMA bantamweight division. But mark my words I’ll be coming for his head.
“5 round main event in Dublin 24th February And I’ll take him out in 2.”
@BellatorMMA
I think it makes sense right now to book @StrabanimalMMA and me for February 24th.It’s the fight everyone wants to see end off. The Irish want it and the welsh want it.
It’s probably the biggest Bantamweight fight in European mma history.
— Brett Johns (@36Johns) September 26, 2022
5 round main event in Dublin 24th February
And I’ll take him out in 2 @Bellator_Europe @BellatorPR @BellatorMMA
— Brett Johns (@36Johns) September 26, 2022
Gallagher saw his four-fight winning streak snapped when he was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix at Bellator 270 this past November. He then was selected for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, but withdrew due to injury.
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So much for James Gallagher’s Bellator return at home.
So much for [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag]’s Bellator return at home.
Gallagher has pulled out of his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag], which was scheduled for Bellator 285 on Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. A Bellator official confirmed the news to MMA Junkie on Thursday following an initial report from Severe MMA.
The reason for Gallagher’s withdrawal isn’t know. Bellator is in search of a replacement to fight Johns.
A fan favorite in Dublin, Gallagher, 25, was looking to regain some momentum after a tough stretch. In November, Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix. He then was chosen for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix but withdrew due to injury.
Johns (18-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) signed with Bellator in late 2020 after back-to-back wins finished off his UFC deal. He’s split his first two Bellator fights.
Johns took a thinly veiled shot at Gallagher on Twitter for withdrawing from the fight.
21 professional Bouts.
Fought every single soul that was put forward. Win lose or draw I’m there every time. I’ve fought the who’s who and not once have I “shit it”Unlike some……….
But don’t you lot worry, as always, September 23rd I’LL BE THERE.
— Brett Johns (@36Johns) August 11, 2022
With the change, here’s the Bellator 285 lineup:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12:30 p.m. ET)
In September, James Gallagher will face off with former UFC fighter Brett Johns.
[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has brought the Dublin crowd to its feet on several occasions.
When Bellator returns to Dublin on Sept. 23, Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will have the chance to make that happen once again when he takes on former UFC fighter [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in a bantamweight bout at 3Arena.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Thursday after a tweet from MMA reporter Ariel Helwani. The person asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Gallagher, 25, will look to regain some momentum after a tough stretch. In November, Gallagher was submitted in front of his home crowd by Patchy Mix. He then was chosen for the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, but withdrew due to injury.
Johns signed with Bellator in late 2020 after back-to-back wins finished off his UFC deal. In what was considered a surprise upset to many, Johns lost to short-notice debutant Danny Sabatello in his first Bellator fight. He returned strong in February, however, when he ground-and-pounded his way to a TKO against Khurshed Kakhorov.
With the addition, the Bellator Dublin lineup includes:
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For the second time in the past week, a fighter has withdrawn from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix.
[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] joins champion Sergio Pettis on the list of fighters withdrawn from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix thus far.
On Wednesday, a promotion official confirmed Gallagher’s withdrawal due to an undisclosed injury that required surgery. A replacement is expected to be named in the coming weeks. Sports Illustrated first reported the news.
Gallagher had not yet been paired up for the opening round of the tournament, though sources tell MMA Junkie that he was likely to face Magomed Magomedov.
“I’m gutted to be watching this tournament unfold from the sidelines,” Gallagher told Sports Illustrated. “I will be ready to go later in the year and available to fill in as an alternate if anyone gets hurt.”
With Juan Archuleta replacing the injured Pettis on April 23 against Raufeon Stots at Bellator 279 in Honolulu, that leaves two open slots in the tournament as it nears its launch. An interim Bellator bantamweight title will be implemented in that matchup, and will carry throughout the progression of the tournament.
Alternate Josh Hill is currently slated to fight Enrique Barzola at Bellator 278 on April 22. Archuleta vs. Stots takes place at the same event as Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Patchy Mix, with Magomedov and Higo expected to fight later in the year against yet-to-be-determined opponents.
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The fifth Bellator grand prix of the Scott Coker era is official.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – For months, Bellator president Scott Coker has been peppered with questions about when the promotion’s next grand prix will get underway and which weight class it will be. Those questions were answered Friday.
During the Bellator 272 broadcast, the promotion announced the next tournament will take place in the bantamweight division and feature eight of the promotion’s top fighters at 135 pounds.
The field will consist of champion [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag], who meet in tonight’s Bellator 271 headliner, along with former bantamweight champ [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag], popular Irish fighter [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag], Pitbull Brothers protege [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag], former ACB champion [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag], and rising contender [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag].
The eight tournament fighters are the most recent title fight competitors, as well as the top six contenders from the official Bellator rankings as of Friday.
No matchups or dates were revealed, but a Bellator official told MMA Junkie the promotion is targeting the first quarter of 2022 to begin the tournament.
Since Coker took over as Bellator president in 2014, the promotion has held four grand prixs, making bantamweight the fifth. The Bellator welterweight grand prix was launched first in 2018, followed by heavyweight in 2018, featherweight in 2019, and light heavyweight in 2020, which has reached the final between champion Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson.
Like other grand prixs, the winner of the bantamweight tournament will earn $1 million in addition to the Bellator title.
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