Tag: Josh Hill

Bellator adds two wild card bouts, four fighters to bantamweight grand prix

Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix has been altered in the wake of Sergio Pettis and James Gallagher withdrawing.

The Bellator bantamweight grand prix took two big hits this week, leaving the promotion to scramble for a solution that has been found. The original eight-man tournament has become a 10-man tournament.

Thursday, Bellator announced two “wild card” bouts that feature four new fighters, which will take place April 22 at Bellator 278 in Honolulu. In one wild-card matchup, [autotag]Jornel Lugo[/autotag] meets [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag]. On the other side of the bracket, a previously booked matchup between [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] becomes a wild-card bout. The winner of each fight will advance to the quarterfinals.

The winner of Lugo (8-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) vs. Sabatello (11-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will move on to fight Leandro Higo, while the winner of Barzola (17-5-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Hill (21-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) will advance to face Magomed Magomedov.

The tournament shakeup comes on the heels of injury withdrawals from champion Sergio Pettis and James Gallagher earlier this week. Pettis had been booked to defend his title against Raufeon Stots, who now will meet former champ Juan Archuleta April 23 at Bellator 279. Gallagher had yet to be officially booked but was expected to be paired with Magomedov in a quarterfinal matchup.

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With the tournament additions, here is the latest Bellator 278 lineup:

  • Champ Juliana Velasquez vs. Liz Carmouche – for women’s flyweight title
  • Jornel Lugo vs. Danny Sabatello – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Josh Hill – bantamweight grand prix wild card
  • Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Jared Scoggins

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Josh Hill, who beat Brooks Koepka at 15, signs with Tennessee

Tennessee men’s golf head coach Brennan Webb announced the signing of Josh Hill with the Vols. At 15 years old, Hill beat Brooks Koepka in a practice match.

Tennessee men’s golf head coach Brennan Webb announced the signing of Josh Hill on Monday.

“We are extremely excited to add one of the best young players in the world to our 2022 recruiting class,” Webb said in a UT press release. “Josh has demonstrated the ability to compete with the best in the world at the junior, amateur and professional levels all before his 18th birthday.

“His wealth of experience competing around the world will be a tremendous asset as he begins his career at the University of Tennessee this fall.”

At 15 years old, Hill beat Brooks Koepka in a practice match.

UT press release:

A native of Dubai, Hill is currently ranked the No. 68 amateur golfer in the world by World Amateur Golf Ranking. He is the third-highest ranked player under 18 years old.

Though just 17 years old, Hill already boasts a full resume. As a 15-year-old in October 2019, Hill became the youngest player to ever win a professional golf tournament that awards Official World Golf Ranking points—claiming the title at the Al Ain Open on the MENA Tour.

A few months later prior to the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Hill defeated four-time Major champion Brooks Koepka in a nine-hole practice round.

Earlier this year in January, Hill continued to bolster his amateur resume by making the cut in back-to-back weeks on the European Tour at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Dubai Desert Classic.

Hill’s other amateur highlights include a fourth-place finish at the 2021 St. Andrews Links Trophy—where he finished just one stroke shy of a playoff—and advancing to the round of 32 at the 126th British Amateur Championship last June.

Hill joins a 2022 class for Tennessee that already includes Caleb Surratt, Bruce Murphy and Evan Woosley-Reed. Prior to the addition of Hill, Tennessee’s 2022 class was ranked No. 5 in the nation by Golf Channel.

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Bellator 278 adds Enrique Barzola vs. Josh Hill to lineup for Hawaii

It’ll be Peru vs. Canada in Hawaii, one day before the Bellator bantamweight grand prix officially kicks off.

Bellator bantamweight grand prix alternate [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] is booked for the same weekend the bracket kicks off.

At Bellator 278, Hill (21-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) will face former UFC fighter [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] (17-5-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a three-round bantamweight bout. The event takes place April 22 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

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

Hill (21-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) earned his spot as an alternate in December when he knocked out Jared Scoggins in violent fashion at Bellator 272. The win made Hill victorious in five of his most recent six, with his only loss coming against the next bantamweight title challenger, Raufeon Stots.

In his first bout since his UFC departure, Barzola promotionally debuted at Bellator 273 in January when he became the first man to stop former Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell with strikes.

Bellator 278 takes place one night before Bellator 279, set for the same location and venue. The two-event doubleheader is Bellator’s first in Hawaii since December 2019, and its third overall.

With the addition, the Bellator 278 lineup includes:

  • Enrique Barzola vs. Josh Hill
  • Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Jared Scoggins

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Josh Hill feels snubbed as Bellator bantamweight grand prix alternate: ‘I want in that sh*t’

After a thunderous one-punch knockout at Bellator 272, Josh Hill will stay ready in case he’s needed for the bantamweight tournament.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Just prior to [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag]’s fight Friday night, Bellator announced its tournament field for a bantamweight grand prix that will commence early next year. Excluded from the field of eight 135 pounders was Hill.

So what’d he do about that? He went out and delivered a thunderous one-punch knockout against Jared Scoggins at Bellator 272. Afterward, “Big” John McCarthy revealed that Hill will serve as a tournament alternate. In truth, Hill found out the day before, and he wasn’t pleased.

“I found that sh*t out yesterday,” Hill told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Mohegan Sun Arena. “Sitting down talking with (Raufeon) Stots, and he told me. I was like, ‘Eh, we should do a 16-man tournament.’ With (Kyoji) Horiguchi coming back, it kind of pushed me out of the tournament. I’m the next guy, according to the rankings. So, that sucks. But I want in that sh*t. If anybody drops out or injuries, I’m the guy.”

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Hill (21-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA), 35, has a recent body of work worthy of inclusion, having won five of his past six. He had a four-fight winning streak snapped in May after losing a unanimous decision to Stots.

Does he feel snubbed by his exclusion?

“Yeah, I do,” Hill said. “It’ a stacked division, so I get it. I mean, I don’t know how (James) Gallagher got in before me. That’s my gripe right there. It is what it is, everybody’s good, it’s a deep division, and if it wasn’t so deep I’d be in there for sure.”

As it stands, Hill is out of the mix. He said he’s “always training and always in good shape,” which is what he’ll continue to do in the event he’s needed. Regardless, he’s looking forward to the tournament.

“I’m gonna be tuning in because this division is stacked,” Hill said. “I think it’s the best division in the sport right now and the best one in Bellator. I’ll be ready.”

You can watch Hill’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

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Bellator 272 video: Josh Hill clocks Jared Scoggins for one-punch knockout

The fight came to a sudden end early in Round 2 after Josh Hill delivered the boom.

[autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] punched his ticket Friday to become a Bellator bantamweight grand prix alternate – literally.

Hill scored a one-punch knockout win over [autotag]Jared Scoggins[/autotag] at Bellator 272 from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The finish came suddenly within the first minute of Round 2 after Scoggins hesitated when closing the distance. At that moment, Hill (21-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) made Scoggins (10-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) pay with a huge right hand that put him to sleep.

Check out the finish below (via Twitter):

Prior to the fight, Bellator announced that an eight-man $1 million bantamweight tournament will commence in early 2022, but Hill was not included in the field. During his post-fight interview, cageside announcer “Big” John McCarthy informed Hill that Bellator president Scott Coker said his performance earned him a spot as an alternate should somebody have to withdraw.

Hill, 35, has won five of his past six bouts and rebounded from a loss to tournament competitor Raufeon Stots this past May.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 18-24)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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. 18-24.

Saints training camp: Long shots, roster locks, and tight ends on the bubble

Adam Trautman may be the Big Fish in New Orleans, but the thin depth at tight end around him might raise some concerns:

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Few positions saw as much turnover this offseason for the New Orleans Saints as tight end. Both of the team’s co-starters — Jared Cook and Josh Hill — were released as salary cap cuts earlier this year, opening up a combined 825 snaps on offense and 70 targets in the passing game. That’s a huge void to fill, and while the Saints like their options as-is, they’re making a big bet on an unproven second-year pro to accomplish their goals. Here is how the depth chart shakes out going into training camp:

Saints great Craig ‘Ironhead’ Heyward ranked high among best NFL nicknames ever

Saints great Craig “Ironhead” Heyward recognized on list of NFL’s best-ever nicknames

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A lot of players have left their mark on the NFL, and many of them left with great nicknames. But who owns the best? And which New Orleans Saints legends would you rank highest?

Thomas Neumann put together an expansive list over at Touchdown Wire, making his picks for the 101 greatest nicknames in NFL history. And just one Saints player made his list: Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, at No. 20. Here’s what Neumann wrote of Heyward:

Not only did longtime NFL running back Craig Heyward have a terrific nickname, but there also was an awesome backstory behind it. One of Heyward’s sons, current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, relayed the story in a 2016 article. It seems young Craig got into a scuffle, and an antagonist broke a pool cue over his head. Unfazed, he didn’t flinch, which led Craig’s mother to dub him Ironhead. After rushing for 3,086 yards in three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, Craig was drafted No. 24 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 1988. He went on to record 5,860 yards from scrimmage and 34 total touchdowns in 11 pro seasons with the Saints, Bears, Falcons, Rams and Colts.

Heyward is well remembered among Saints fans even to this day, but he isn’t the only member of the black and good to rock a great nickname. What about the “Quiet Storm” Marques Colston, one of the most underrated receivers to ever play the game? He who let his play speak for itself and who caught more passes for more yards than Donald Driver in 2007 and scored almost six times as many touchdowns as the big-name Packers wideout, only to be overlooked in that year’s Pro Bowl voting?

Some Saints diehards still remember Super Bowl XLIV champion blocking tight end and part-time fullback David Thomas, nicknamed “Wendy’s” in honor of the fast food chain’s founder, Dave Thomas. Or Mike “The Predator” McKenzie, whose signature hairstyle and fiery playstyle invoked the sci-fi alien’s dreadlocks? And who can forget Josh “Playoffs” Hill, who doubled his receiving yards-per-game average in the postseason?

To say nothing of Alex Anzalone, whose last name was (affectionately?) spun off as “Autozone,” “Calzone,” and some profane variants we can’t put in print here, depending on how well he was playing at the time. “Thor” would have been the easy pick given his luscious blond locks, but Saints fans are (sometimes) too creative to take such low-hanging fruit.

In any case, there are more great nicknames in Saints history than we have time to recount. So which ones stand out to you? Who will you remember to tell your grandkids about someday?

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Bellator 258 post-event facts: Michael Page is the new Bellator knockout king

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 258, including Michael Page’s takeover of the company KO record.

Bellator saw its first title change of the year happen on Friday in the Bellator 258 headliner.

[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) claimed the bantamweight title from [autotag]Juan Archuleta [/autotag](25-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) in their main event clash, taking a unanimous decision at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

For more on the numbers, check below for 20 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 258.

Lions sign TE Darren Fells after Josh Hill retires

Fells played for the Lions in 2017 and thrived with the Texans the last two seasons

The Detroit Lions have signed veteran tight end Darren Fells after holding a free agent visit with the former Lion.

Fells returns to Detroit, where he played in the 2017 season. The move took on some urgency when projected No. 2 tight end Josh Hill unexpectedly revealed he was retiring this week.

The 35-year-old Fells played well in his one season in Detroit, primarily serving as an in-line blocking tight end. A former college basketball player, Fells emerged as a great red zone threat as well in the last two seasons with the Houston Texans. He caught 11 touchdown passes in 2019-2020 for Houston.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press was the first to break the news of Fells’ signing with the Lions.

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