Javy Ayala – Syndication Server

Bellator 239 post-event facts: Yaroslav Amosov extends remarkable streak

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 239, which took place Friday in Thackerville, Okla.

Bellator hosted its second event of the year on Friday with Bellator 239, which took place at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., with a main card that aired on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (23-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) continued the longest MMA winning streak among Bellator fighters when he edged [autotag]Ed Ruth[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) by unanimous decision in the matchup of welterweight contenders.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 25 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 239.

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General

Betting favorites went 3-1 on the main card.

Betting favorites improved to 2-0 in Bellator main events this year.

Total fight time for the four-bout main card was 47:35.

Main card

Amosov’s 23-fight winning streak in MMA competition is the longest among active Bellator fighters.

Amosov has earned three of his four Bellator victories by decision.

Ruth fell to 2-2 in his past four fights after starting his career 6-0.

Ruth fell to 3-2 since he dropped to the Bellator welterweight division in June 2018.

Ruth suffered the first decision loss of his career.

Myles Jury. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)

[autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) snapped his three-fight losing skid for his first victory since December 2017.

Jury improved to 1-1 since he returned to the lightweight division in September.

[autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 8-7 BMMA) fell to 2-5 in his past seven Bellator appearances dating back to November 2016.

Girtz has suffered four of his seven Bellator losses by decision.

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[autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) has earned 10 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMA) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

[autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag]’s (9-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) four-fight Bellator winning streak at heavyweight is the second longest active streak in the division behind Tyrell Fortune (eight).

Moldavsky has earned three of his four Bellator victories by decision.

[autotag]Javy Ayala[/autotag] (11-8 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) fell to 3-5 in his past eight fights dating back to June 2015.

Preliminary card

[autotag]J.W. Kiser[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Denise Kielholtz[/autotag]’s (5-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) five victories in Bellator women’s flyweight competition are tied with Juliana Velasquez for second most in divisional history behind Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (10).

Kielholtz’s three-fight Bellator winning streak at women’s flyweight is the third longest active streak in the division behind Macfarlane (10) and Velasquez (five).

Kielholtz’s four stoppage victories in Bellator women’s flyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Macfarlane (seven).

Kielholtz’s three submission victories in Bellator women’s flyweight competition are tied with Emily Ducote for second most in divisional history behind Macfarlane (six).

[autotag]Kristina Williams[/autotag] (3-3 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) suffered the first submission loss of her career.

[autotag]Shawn Bunch[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) fell to 2-2 since he returned to Bellator for a second stint in November 2018.

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Bellator 239 results: Valentin Moldavsky mauls Javy Ayala to pair of 30-24 scores

Valentin Moldavsky used his grappling to overwhelm Javy Ayala at Bellator 239 and move his record to 4-0 with the promotion.

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] continued the strong start to his Bellator career Friday when he used his grappling to overwhelm [autotag]Javy Ayala[/autotag] en route to a victory at Bellator 239.

Moldavsky (9-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) used a takedown-heavy attack for all three rounds to take the wind and the will out of Ayala (11-8 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) and earn a dominant unanimous decision win by scores of 30-25, 30-24 and 30-24

The heavyweight bout opened up the Bellator 239 main card at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

There was little feeling out process from Moldavsky to start the fight. He immediately initiated a grappling situation and got himself on top of Ayala within the first minute. Ayala found his way back to his feet, but was quickly taken down again. Moldavsky moved to the arm-triangle choke position and nearly finished the fight, but Ayala somehow escaped and got back to his feet. From there, it was a relentless onslaught of trips and takedowns from Moldavsky, who seemingly was willing to let his opponent get up only to slam him back to the ground again. Somehow, though, Ayala lasted the round.

It was more of the same in the second frame. Ayala couldn’t create enough space to keep Moldavsky away from him, and he ended up being tossed to the ground over and over. Ayala tried valiantly to keep his back off the canvas, but his efforts were futile as Moldavsky stayed true to his strategy and dominated in the grappling positions. There was no offense mustered by Ayala, but again, he managed to make it to the end of the round.

In need of a critical swing in momentum to get back in the fight, Ayala came out in the third round as much urgency as he could after getting beaten down for 10 minutes. Moldavsky was having none of it, though, because he tied his opponent up and dragged him down to the canvas. Moldavsky worked for chokes and attacked with ground-and-pound, but Ayala squirmed just enough to avoid getting stopped, surviving until the final bell.

The result at the end was clear, though, and that was a lopsided victory for Moldavsky, who remains unbeaten dating back to his only loss, a split decision against Amir Aliakbari under the Rizin FF banner in December 2016.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 239 results include:

Valentin Moldavsky def. Javy Ayala via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 30-24)
Grant Neal def. Claude Wilcox via TKO (punches) — Round 2, 3:37
Josh Hill def. Vinicius Zani via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Solo Hatley Jr. def. Gaston Bolanos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Denise Kielholtz def. Kristina Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:15
Teejay Britton def. Gabriel Varga via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Keith Lee def. Shawn Bunch via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 39-27)
Christian Edwards def. Marco Hutch via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

Bellator 239 predictions: Three unanimous picks, one contentious fight in Oklahoma

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 239 main card in Oklahoma, featuring Ed Ruth vs. Yaroslav Amosov.

	Ruth vs. Amosov	Girtz vs. Jury	Fortune vs. Johnson	Ayala vs. Moldavsky
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 16-10	Ruth (50.5%)	Jury (71%)	Fortune (90%)	Moldavsky (78%)
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 20-6	Ruth	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 20-6 2017 Champion	Amosov	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 19-7	Amosov	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 19-7	Ruth	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 19-7	Ruth	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 19-7	Amosov	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 19-7	Amosov	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 19-7 2014 Champion	Ruth	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 18-8	Ruth	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 18-8	Amosov	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 18-8 2019 Champion*	Amosov	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 17-9 2018 Champion	Amosov	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 16-10	Ruth	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 12-14	Ruth	Jury	Fortune	Moldavsky

Bellator is back at its regular Oklahoma stomping grounds for the first of its back-to-back shows this week on two continents, and a welterweight showdown tops the bill.

Bellator 239 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, [autotag]Ed Ruth[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) takes on the unbeaten [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (22-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a welterweight fight that will keep one of them in the title picture. Amosov is a slight favorite with the oddsmakers, and the fight has the closest betting odds on the card. Our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have reflected that, as well – they have the fight split right down the middle at 7-7 in the picks.

For the rest of the main card in Thackerville, our pickers are unanimous at 14-0. All three fights have heavy favorites.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) returns for his second Bellator bout looking to rebound from a loss to former UFC and WEC champion Benson Henderson in his promotional debut. He’s nearly a 3-1 favorite against [autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA) and he’s got a 14-0 shutout in the picks.

[autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) is a 7-1 favorite against [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) in their heavyweight bout, and he’s a 14-0 pick. Fortune is looking to stay unbeaten and insert himself into the title picture. He has four straight knockout wins.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) is a 7-1 favorite, as well, and a 14-0 pick at heavyweight against [autotag]Javy Ayala[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA).

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Ruth (50.5 percent), Jury (71 percent), Fortune (90 percent) and Moldavsky (78 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Bellator 239 pre-event facts: Tyrell Fortune stacking heavyweight stats

Check out the key facts and figures heading into Bellator 239, which takes place Friday with a Ed Ruth vs. Yaroslav Amosov main event.

The first Bellator event in nearly one month goes down Friday with Bellator 239, which takes place at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., with a main card that airs on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A matchup of welterweight contenders is featured in the main event. [autotag]Ed Ruth[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) looks for continued success after suffering his first loss when he takes on the riddle that is [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (22-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who has never been beaten.

For more on the numbers, check below for 20 pre-event facts about Bellator 239.

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Main event

Ruth competes in his first Bellator main event.

Ruth is 3-1 since he dropped to the Bellator welterweight division in June 2018.

Ruth has earned six of his eight career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all of those wins by knockout.

Amosov’s 22-fight winning streak in MMA competition is the longest among active Bellator fighters.

Amosov has earned 18 of his 22 career victories by stoppage.

Co-main event

[autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA) five stoppage victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Patricky Freire (nine) and Michael Chandler (nine).

[autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag]’s (17-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2017.

Jury was unsuccessful in his return to the lightweight division at Bellator 227 in September. He hasn’t earned a victory in the weight class since September 2014.

Remaining main card

[autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag]’s (8-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) eight-fight Bellator winning streak at heavyweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Fortune’s eight victories in Bellator heavyweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Cheick Kongo (12).

Fortune’s six stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied for most in divisional history.

Fortune’s five knockout victories in Bellator competition are tied with Vitaly Minakov for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He’s 1-3 in his past four fights and hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.

[autotag]Javy Ayala[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) competes in his 11th Bellator heavyweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Kongo (15).

Ayala’s six victories in Bellator heavyweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Kongo (12) and Fortune (eight).

Ayala has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his Bellator wins.

Ayala’s six stoppage victories in Bellator heavyweight competition are tied with Fortune for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) three-fight Bellator winning streak at heavyweight is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Fortune (eight).

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Javy Ayala dishes on difficult 2019, makes bold Bellator 239 prediction

It’s been a trying 18 months for Bellator heavyweight Javy Ayala, who’s itching to return at Bellator 239.

It’s been a trying 18 months for [autotag]Javy Ayala[/autotag].

During this time, Ayala (11-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) was booked for two fights – both against Vitaly Minakov. However, each bout fell through during fight week. Ayala hopes a third booking against a different opponent will be the charm for his return at Bellator 239, where he takes on Valentin Moldavsky on Saturday.

“I feel good,” Ayala told MMA Junkie. “I’m excited to get back in the cage, finally. It’s been over a year, but I’ve been ready, and I’m excited for it. … It’s been a little frustrating for me, especially with these last two fights. They ended up falling off last minute. It’s been hard staying in fight camp, falling off, and then going right back into fight camp – but I feel like it helped keep me in shape. It helped keep me sharp and ready for this one.”

Although he wishes he had been able to compete sooner, Ayala thinks the layoff had its upside, too. For a year-and-a-half, Ayala has been able to focus on improvement.

“I’m going to look a lot sharper,” Ayala said. “I’ve been able to get a lot more one-on-one time. This layoff, I’ve been able to sharpen and tighten things up with my coaches.”

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Moldavsky (8-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) doesn’t have the name recognition of former Bellator heavyweight champ Minakov. However, Ayala recognizes the challenge the under-the-radar Moldavsky presents. He expects the Russian fighter will look to drag the bout into the later rounds.

“They told me, and I was like, ‘You know what? Yeah, that’s a good matchup,'” Ayala said. “They actually offered me a while back to fight him, and it ended up falling off. I’m happy they’re giving it back to me and giving me the opportunity to step in there with him.

“… Honestly, (the later rounds) is where I feel like he’s going to want to go. I’m comfortable going into the later rounds, like when I fought Roy Nelson. I feel like my cardio is there, and I can still perform in those late rounds.”

When he looks into his crystal ball, Ayala sees his hand being raised at the end of the night. How? Ayala expects to hand Moldavsky the first stoppage loss of his career.

“I see us starting off, we collide, and it’ll become an inside fight,” Ayala said. “I’ll land a lot of bigger elbows and drop him with one of those elbows. I’ll finish the round with ground-and-pound.”

Bellator 239 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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MMA Junkie reader predictions: Make your picks for Bellator 239

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 239 event in Oklahoma.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 239 event in Thackerville, Okla.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesdy at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 239 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 239 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for all four main card fights inside:

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Bellator 239 adds six fights to lineup: Javy Ayala, Christian Edwards, more

The Bellator 239 lineup is growing with the addition of six fights, including Javy Ayala vs. Valentin Moldavsky.

Bellator is bulking up its return to Thackerville, Okla.

The promotion recently added six fights to the Bellator 239 lineup, five of which were initially reported by Sherdog. Among the new additions, heavyweights [autotag]Javy Ayala[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] collide in a main-card bout.

Surging up-and-comers [autotag]Lucas Brennan[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag], and [autotag]Christian Edwards[/autotag] all will look to keep their undefeated records alive, while rising prospect [autotag]Adil Benjilany[/autotag] hopes for a return to the win column.

Bellator also announced former UFC fighter [autotag]Carlo Pedersoli Jr.[/autotag] will make his promotional debut against highly touted prospect [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag].

Bellator 239 takes place Friday, Feb. 21 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Il grande giorno è finalmente arrivato. 🔥 @carlopedersolijr fa il suo debutto in #Bellator! 📱 Non perderti il suo match, venerdì 21 febbraio, sulla nostra app….altrimenti ci arrabbiamo! . . #Bellator239 #BellatorMma #MmaEvent #MmaItalia #ArtiMarzialiMiste #CarloPedersoliJr #AltrimentiCiArrabbiamo #ItalianFighter #ItalianWarrior #WeAreCombatSports

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Check out the six recently-booked fights below:

Heavyweight: Javy Ayala (11-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) vs. Valentin Moldavsky (8-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA)
Featherweight: Lucas Brennan (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Jamese Taylor[/autotag] (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA)
Featherweight: Adil Benjilany (5-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag] (20-12 MMA, 0-1 BMMA)
Lightweight: Chris Gonzalez (3-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Aaron McKenzie[/autotag] (7-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA)
Light heavyweight: Christian Edwards (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Marco Hutch[/autotag] (3-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA)
Welterweight: Carlo Pedersoli Jr. (11-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. Mark Lemminger (10-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA

Bellator 239 is currently headlined by a welterweight bout between Ed Ruth and Yaroslav Amosov. Other fights include Brandon Girtz vs. Myles Jury, Tyrell Fortune vs. Timothy Johnson, Denise Kielholtz vs. Kristina Williams, and Cris Lencioni vs. Salim Mukhidinov.

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