Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the UFC, PFL and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 26-March 3.
What’s up with Jordan Newman’s intense demeanor? Well, it’s part focus and part genetic.
CHICAGO – [autotag]Jordan Newman[/autotag] admits he’s not a smiley guy.
Following his Bellator 297 submission win Friday over Matthew Perry (5-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at Winstar Arena, Newman (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) roared and spit in celebration. There was no visible sense of elation, though intensity was aplenty.
That’s just who he is and how he operates, Newman explained afterward.
“I’m in here and I want to hurt somebody,” Newman told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a post-fight news conference. “I want to go home and see my bulldogs, see my family. I’m just here to prove to myself why I’m here and – this sounds bad – hurt people. I don’t know. I’ve got something inside of me, and it’s good to give it to someone else for a few minutes.”
While his inherently fired-up nature is undeniable, Newman said it may be amplified by his genetics. That, he can’t be blamed for.
“‘Big’ John (McCarthy) told me yesterday before the weigh-ins. He’s like, ‘Jordan, smile. You know you can smile, right?’ I’ve been told that since I was a little kid,” Newman said – then cracked a rare grin. “I don’t know. I think it’s just my face.”
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Stone-cold killer demeanor aside, Newman is racking up win after win as he ascends up the Bellator middleweight hierarchy. Although he is yet to fight a fellow member of the promotion’s long-term roster, Newman appears ready to take a crack at some ranked talent next.
“Look at my record,” Newman said. “I’m 6-0. I think it’s time I start getting pushed up. You look at the rankings and who’s ahead of me, I think there’s some winnable fights. We’re going to see where that takes me. So far, my competition has been decent. I just want to keep getting better and better competition (and) keep improving myself, improving myself, improving myself – and to everybody else while I’m here.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
Check out all the facts from Bellator 297, where Vadim Nemkov took another step toward arguably the greatest resume in Bellator history.
Bellator’s lone event of the month went down Friday with Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, and it was arguably the promotion’s biggest show of the year thus far.
Two championship bouts topped the card, and both men who entered the cage with belts, lefts with them, too. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) handily defeated [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) by unanimous decision in the headliner to retain the light heavyweight strap, while [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) kept hold of bantamweight gold with a unanimous decision over [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-6 MMA, 22-6 BMMA).
For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 297.
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At Bellator 297, Ben Askren protege Jordan Newman once again impressed as he made quick work of Matthew Perry (not the one from “Friends”).
CHICAGO – [autotag]Jordan Newman[/autotag] keeps rolling.
At Bellator 297, Newman (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) made quick work of opponent [autotag]Matthew Perry[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) when he submitted “The Care Bear” with a nasty Americana at 4:20 of Round 1. The event took place Friday at Wintrust Arena.
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Newman, 27, is a protege of former UFC fighter and Bellator champion Ben Askren. He trains out of Roufusport in Milwaukee under Duke Roufus.
A Division III All-American at The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Newman once again showed his grappling prowess when he took down Perry after a few striking exchanges.
Once on top, Newman was in complete control. He remained heavy and brutalized Perry with ground-and-pound shots. Eventually, Perry faced up with Newman in mount. Newman grabbed hold of an Americana, cranked, and got the submission.
SUBMISSION! 🔥
Jordan Newman remains undefeated inside the Bellator cage following his Americana tap over @CareBearMMA.
📺 #Bellator297 @MonsterEnergy Prelims fueled by @superiorgrocers LIVE NOW pic.twitter.com/I9y6YDmmZT
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 16, 2023
Newman remains undefeated as a professional and balances out his resume with his second career submission, which compliments two knockouts and two decisions.
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 297 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
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 May 1-7.
Jordan Newman is so comfortable with his wrestling ability that he put that skill on the backburner while prepping for his most recent fight.
CHICAGO – [autotag]Jordan Newman[/autotag] is so comfortable with his wrestling ability that he put that skill on the backburner while prepping for his most recent fight.
This past Friday on the Bellator 288 preliminary card at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Newman (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) stayed perfect with a second-round rear-naked choke submission of Jayden Taulker (2-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in their middleweight fight.
Newman, who wrestled collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, said he did very little wrestling in his training camp at Roufusport in Milwaukee – knowing if he needed that skill, it already was something he excels at.
Check out Newman’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.
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Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 288, which saw Usman Nurmagomedov move to 16-0 while claiming gold.
The penultimate Bellator event of 2022 went down Saturday with Bellator 288 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
With two title fights on the card, one champ defended while another belt changed hands.
[autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) earned a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) to defend light heavyweight gold in the main event, while [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) outpointed [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) on the scorecards to claim the lightweight strap.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 288.
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 Oct. 3-9.
Valerie Loureda will look to rebound from the first loss of her career when she competes at home.
Bellator 271 is less than one month away, and the card is quickly filling up.
On Wednesday, promotion officials announced the addition of five preliminary card matchups, each of which features at least one multifight-rostered up-and-comer.
The event takes place Nov. 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Among the names included are highly touted prospects Valerie Loureda, Roman Faraldo, Desiree Yanez, Cody Law, and Jordan Newman. Scroll below to check out who each fighter is facing.
On Friday, Bellator returns with it’s first event of 2021 – and its Showtime debut.
Barring any unforeseen fight week cancellations, the Bellator 255 lineup is set.
Tuesday, promotion officials announced the finalized 13-fight card and bout order, which includes a five-fight main card and eight prelims. Bellator 255 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
The event is headlined by Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (31-4 MMA, 19-4 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) who will face off in a grand prix semifinal fight.
In the co-main event, welterweight contenders [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) will face off in a fight that could have potential title shot implications for the winner.
Rounding out the main card is a heavyweight rematch between [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), the promotional debut of [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) as he takes on [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at lightweight, and a women’s flyweight fight between [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (9-0-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).
The finalized Bellator 255 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)
