Tag: Janay Harding

Bellator 291 post-event facts: Yaroslav Amosov’s incredible streak hits 27 fights

The longest active winning streak in MMA still belongs to Yaroslav Amosov after a dominant win to defend gold at Bellator 291.

Bellator returned to 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday with Bellator 291, and with 18 fights on the docket, it played out as one of the longest events in company history.

The card closed on a high note, however, when Ukraine welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov (27-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) retuned to competition with a dominant unanimous decision win over Logan Storley (14-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) to move to 2-0 in their head-to-head series.

Amosov is proving to be one of the best in the world at 170 pounds, and his flawless record is there to back up that notion. For more on the numbers behind his fight, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 291.

Bellator 291 predictions: Who’s picking Logan Storley to upset Yaroslav Amosov?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 291 main card in Dublin, featuring Yaroslav Amosov vs. Logan Storley.

Amosov
vs.
Storley		 Carvalho
vs.
Kennedy		 Logan
vs.
Queally		 Harding
vs.
Kavanagh		 Clarke
vs.
Sinis
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
15-11		 amosov2023
Amosov
(73%)		 kennedy2023
Kennedy
(80%)		 queally2023
Queally
(83%)		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh
(77%)		 clarke2023
Clarke
(90%)
Matt Erickson
18-8		 storley2023
Storley		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 harding2023
Harding		 clarke2023
Clarke
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
17-9		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
17-9		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
16-10
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
16-10		 amosov2023
Amosov		 carvalho2023
Carvalho		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Nolan King
@mma_kings
15-11/em>		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
15-11
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 storley2023
Storley		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
14-12		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
14-12		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
12-14		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
12-14
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke

Bellator 291 predictions: Who’s picking Logan Storley to upset Yaroslav Amosov?

Bellator is in Ireland with one of the most dominant fighters in MMA at the top of the bill.

Bellator 291 takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. 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, welterweight champion [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (26-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) meets interim champ [autotag]Logan Storley[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) in a title unification bout. The two fought in late 2020, when Amosov took a split decision. He won the title his next time out.

Amosov is slight favorite at -165 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Storley is +130. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are siding with Amosov, who has MMA’s longest active winning streak, at a big 9-2 clip.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at featherweight. Kennedy nearly is a 3-1 favorite, and he’s a near-unanimous pick at 10-1 from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-7-1 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) is just a -150 favorite at lightweight in front of his home fans against [autotag]Bryce Logan[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 0-4 BMMA), but Queally is one of our two unanimous picks on the main card at 11-0.

[autotag]Janay Harding[/autotag] (6-6 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Sinead Kavanagh[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) meet in a women’s featherweight fight, and each is hoping a win will lead to a title shot. Kavanagh is more than a 2-1 favorite on her home turf, and she has a near-unanimous edge in the picks at 10-1.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Ciaran Clarke[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) takes on late-notice replacement and promotional newcomer [autotag]Leonardo Sinis[/autotag] (11-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at featherweight. Clarke is the biggest favorite on the main card at more than 4-1, and not surprisingly is our other unanimous pick.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Amosov (73 percent), Kennedy (80 percent), Queally (83 percent), Kavanagh (77 percent) and Clarke (90 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.

Janay Harding: Cris Cyborg title fight ‘would be the top tier’ after Bellator 291

It should come as little surprise, but Bellator’s women’s featherweights, including Janay Harding, are gunning for the champ.

DUBLIN – It should come as little surprise, but Bellator’s women’s featherweights are gunning for the champ.

Cris Cyborg rules the roost atop Bellator’s women’s 145-pound division, but it’s been 10 months since her most recent title defense – a decision over Arlene Blencowe in a rematch in Hawaii. It was the first time Cyborg had to go to a decision under the Bellator banner after four straight finishes in title fights.

Saturday in Dublin, [autotag]Janay Harding[/autotag] (6-6 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) takes on Sinead Kavanagh (8-5 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) on the Bellator 291 main card at 3Arena. Both fighters said they want to be in the title picture with a win. And for Kavanagh, it would be her second shot at it.

Check out Harding’s full pre-fight media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 7-13)

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. 7-13.

Bellator 279 ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs video: Title fights, grand prix bouts, and more

The event in Honolulu features Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe, Juan Archuleta vs. Raufeon Stots, Patchy Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi, and more.

HONOLULU – The pre-fight necessities are in the books for the second of two Bellator events this week, and all that’s left to do is fight.

The Bellator 279 fighters got face to face for the first and only time, officially at least, at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins. Included in that mix were headliners [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (25-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-4 BMMA), who fight for Cyborg’s women’s featherweight title.

A few quick words were exchanged, though seemingly nothing personal. Cyborg sported artistically-worked facepaint of the Brazilian flag.

The most intense faceoff was between co-main eventers [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), who compete in an interim bantamweight title fight that doubles as a grand prix quarterfinal. The other quarterfinalists competing Saturday, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] (29-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) had a lighter mood as the two flexed and shook hands.

Former women’s flyweight champion and Hawaii native [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) showed a sign of respect to opponent [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] (7-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) when she presented her with a lei.

Saturday’s card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu is the second of back-to-back Bellator events in Hawaii’s capital city. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. Check out all the faceoffs for Bellator 279 in the video above.

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Leah McCourt turns tables with upkick, submits Janay Harding in wild Bellator 259 finish

The finishing sequence started with a heel to the face and ended with a tight squeeze.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – When [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] stepped into the cage Friday night at Bellator 259, it was her first MMA competition in 15 months.

In case she escaped anyone’s mind during her time off, McCourt (5-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) pushed her way into the spotlight when she added another highlight to her reel against [autotag]Janay Harding[/autotag] (6-5 MMA, 3-3 BMMA). McCourt finished the fight at 2:42 with a triangle choke, which followed a rocking upkick that turned the tide dramatically.

In Round 1, McCourt appeared to be the stronger fighter with better grappling. However, at the start of Round 2, Harding appeared to take over. After a few exchanges on the feet, Harding landed on top of McCourt in a scramble. McCourt, who looked tired, managed to shove Harding back up.

When Harding tried to pass guard and land a standing blow, she was met by McCourt’s foot. Stunned, Harding fell onto McCourt’s chest. Off her back, McCourt maneuvered her legs upward and around the head of Harding. From there, the squeeze was locked in and the tap came.

With the victory, McCourt, who was three pounds heavy for the fight, has won five straight since a loss in her professional debut. As for Harding, she drops to 1-2 in her most recent three outings.

Bellator 259 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Janay Harding motivated by big-name Bellator women’s featherweight signings

MMA Junkie catches up with Janay Harding ahead of her Bellator 251 bout vs. Jessy Miele.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Ahead of Bellator 251, [autotag]Janay Harding[/autotag] spoke to MMA Junkie on Tuesday.

Harding (8-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) discussed her women’s featherweight bout against Jessy Miele, her time off during the pandemic, working in Bose ad campaigns, the state of Bellator women’s featherweight division, and much more.

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

Bellator 251 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena with a main card that airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

Leah McCourt booked to fight Janay Harding in May at Bellator Europe 8

Not even two weeks removed from her last win, Leah McCourt is ready to get back in the cage again.

Northern Ireland’s [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] is all set to make a quick turnaround.

McCourt (4-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) will take on [autotag]Janay Harding[/autotag] on May 16 at Bellator Europe 8 from London’s SSE Arena, the promotion announced Friday morning.

The fight is expected to be featured on the main card below the main event between James Gallagher and Cal Ellenor.

McCourt picked up a unanimous decision win over Judith Ruis in the Bellator Europe 7 headliner last month to claim her third straight victory under the Bellator banner.

New Zealand’s Harding (5-4 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) is coming off a third-round TKO loss to Amanda Bell at Bellator 233. She competed in a boxing match just two weeks later, but suffered another stoppage loss. Harding holds a win over McCourt’s SBG teammate, Sinead Kavanagh.

The event will be streamed live on Bellator’s official YouTube channel at 5 p.m. ET, with the action being broadcast live in the U.K. on Channel 5 at 10 p.m. BST.

With the addition, the current Bellator Europe 8 lineup includes:

  • Cal Ellenor vs. James Gallagher
  • Fabian Edwards vs. Costello van Steenis
  • James Haskell vs. TBA
  • Janay Harding vs. Leah McCourt

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