Tag: Justin Gonzales

Bellator 271 results: Aaron Pico shines all around, beats Justin Gonzales for first career decision

For the first time in a dozen pro fights, Aaron Pico went a full 15 minutes inside the cage and came out victorious.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] had never reached a judges’ decision prior to Friday, but once he did, he was awarded a victory.

A well rounded performance turned in, Pico (8-4 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) defeated [autotag]Justin Gonzales[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) at Bellator 271. The event took place Friday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Pico, 25, who has been highly touted in combat sports since his teenage years, displayed poise, control, calm, and calculation – traits that he’s admitted in the past he needed to improve on.

From the opening bell, the two men slung leather. The first punch of the fight was from Gonzales, and it set the tone. It glanced off the noggin of Pico, who took it and moved forward. In Round 1, both striking and wrestling were on display. The most damage was done by Pico, who landed a pair of violent body punches and a hook that stunned Gonzales. He also scored a takedown to close out the round.

A different tone was set in Round 2 when Pico scored a takedown in the opening minute. It took Gonzales over 90 seconds to get back to his feet. A few punches later, Gonzales was taken down again. Pico mounted Gonzales but ran out of time.

The third round saw more dominant wrestling from Pico, who controlled Gonzales on the canvas. In the final minute, Gonzales rose to his feet and went for broke. He was met by another violent Pico body punch and was unable to muster up much offense before the final buzzer sounded.

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With the victory, Pico extends his unbeaten streak to five. It also includes wins over Aiden Lee, John de Jesus, Solo Hatley Jr., and Daniel Carey. Over the span of his 12-fight professional MMA career, Pico has registered six knockouts or TKOs and two submissions.

The loss for Gonzales is his first as a professional. A former LFA champion, Gonzales made his promotional debut at Bellator 260 in June when he defeated Tywan Claxton by split decision. Friday’s loss snapped a 21-fight winning streak, including amateur bouts.

Updated Bellator 271 results include:

  • Aaron Pico def. Justin Gonzales via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
  • Arlene Blencowe def. Pam Sorenson via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Steve Mowry def. Rakim Cleveland via submission (Kimura) – Round 1, 3:28
  • Bruna Ellen def. Desiree Yanez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Roman Faraldo def. Robert Turnquest via knockout (flying knee) – Round 1, 1:17
  • Cody Law def. Colton Hamm via knockout (elbows) – Round 1, 4:21
  • Valerie Loureda def. Taylor Turner via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Muhammed DeReese via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ethan Hughes def. Mahmoud Sebie TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:05

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Bellator 271 predictions: Is anyone picking against all-time great Cris Cyborg?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 271 main card, featuring Cris Cyborg vs. Sinead Kavanagh.

Cyborg
vs.
Kavanagh		 Fortune
vs.
Vassell		 Gonzales
vs.
Pico		 Blencowe
vs.
Sorenson		 Cleveland
vs.
Mowry
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 190-104		 cyborg2021
Cyborg
(76%)		 fortune2021
Fortune
(73%)		 pico2021
Pico
(76%)		 blencowe2021
Blencowe
(58%)		 mowry2021
Mowry
(83%)
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 194-100		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 188-106		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 gonzales2021
Gonzales		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 184-110
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 182-112
trophy copy 2020 Champion		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 gonzales2021
Gonzales		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 182-112		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 gonzales2021
Gonzales		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 181-113		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 sorenson2021
Sorenson		 mowry2021
Mowry
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 177-117		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 sorenson2021
Sorenson		 mowry2021
Mowry
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 177-117
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 gonzales2021
Gonzales		 sorenson2021
Sorenson		 mowry2021
Mowry
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 172-122		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 sorenson2021
Sorenson		 mowry2021
Mowry
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 171-123
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 gonzales2021
Gonzales		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 cleveland2021
Cleveland
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 169-125		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 169-125		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
2021: 110-68		 cyborg2021
Cyborg		 fortune2021
Fortune		 pico2021
Pico		 blencowe2021
Blencowe		 mowry2021
Mowry

Bellator has set up shop in South Florida this week, and the women’s featherweight title is on the line at the top of the bill.

Bellator 271 takes place Friday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. 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, women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (24-2 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) puts her title up against challenger [autotag]Sinead Kavanagh[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 4-4 BMMA). Cyborg is a massive -5000 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Kavanagh is +1200. Given those odds, it’s not surprising that not a single one of our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers is picking against Cyborg.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 11-1 BMMA) is a -205 favorite in his heavyweight bout against former title challenger [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (21-8 MMA, 9-5 BMMA). Fortune is our other unanimous pick on the main card at 13-0.

Also on the main card, the undefeated [autotag]Justin Gonzales[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] (8-3, 8-3 BMMA) at featherweight. Pico is a big favorite at -370, but he has just a small lead in our staff picks at 8-5.

Former women’s featherweight title challenger [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (14-8 MMA, 7-4 BMMA) is a big -370 favorite against [autotag]Pam Sorenson[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Blencowe has a big 9-4 lead in our picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Steve Mowry[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) puts his unbeaten record up against [autotag]Rakim Cleveland[/autotag] (22-13-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Mowry is a huge 8-1 favorite, and he’s a near unanimous pick from our staff members at 12-1.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cyborg (76 percent), Fortune (73 percent), Pico (76 percent), Blencowe (58 percent) and Mowry (83 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Aaron Pico to fight undefeated Justin Gonzales at Bellator 271

If Aaron Pico’s good times are to continue in Bellator, he’ll have to hand his next opponent his first loss.

If [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]’s good times are to continue in Bellator, he’ll have to hand his next opponent his first loss.

Pico, who’s riding a four-fight winning streak, is set to meet undefeated [autotag]Justin Gonzales[/autotag] in a featherweight bout Nov. 12 at Bellator 271. A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the news to MMA Junkie following an initial report from ESPN on Thursday.

Pico (8-3 MMA, 8-3 BMMA), 25, has been on a tear since back-to-back losses in 2019, earning finishes – two knockouts and two submissions – in all four fights during his winning streak. Pico’s reemergence has coincided with a move to Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M. He most recently dominated Aiden Lee before scoring a third-round submission by anaconda choke this past June at Bellator 260.

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Gonzales, 30, is coming off a successful promotional debut at Bellator 260 where he won a split decision against Tywan Claxton. Gonzales (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) entered Bellator after winning an LFA championship in 2020. He was collegiate wrestling teammates with UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje at the University of Northern Colorado.

Bellator 271 takes place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the addition, the Bellator 271 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Cris Cyborg vs. Sinead Kavanagh – for women’s featherweight title
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Linton Vassell
  • Arlene Blencowe vs. Pam Sorenson
  • Justin Gonzales vs. Aaron Pico

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01eqvpqbw4ymnv0rjh image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Bellator signs LFA featherweight champion Justin Gonzales to multi-fight deal

Undefeated LFA featherweight champ Justin Gonzales is heading to Bellator.

[autotag]Justin Gonzales[/autotag] is the newest member of the Bellator roster.

The current LFA featherweight champion, Gonzales (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion, a Bellator official informed MMA Junkie on Tuesday.

No date or opponent has been booked for Gonzales’ Bellator debut at this time.

Gonzales, 29, has finished five of his 11 wins inside the distance. He has never lost an MMA fight – pro or amateur.

A teammate of Justin Gaethje on the University of Northern Colorado wrestling squad, Gonzales clinched featherweight gold at LFA 84 in July with a fourth-round TKO stoppage victory over Jake Childers.

Prior to his LFA title win, Gonzales appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 3. Although he handily defeated his opponent Zach Zane, Gonzales was not signed by UFC president Dana White.

“I’ve beaten everybody they’ve put in front of me,” Gonzales told MMA Junkie in early July, when voicing his frustration having not been signed to a major promotion. “For the most part, I’ve dominated everyone they’ve put in front of me. You can argue that I may have not even lost a round.

“I’ve done everything I could and dominated everybody they put in front of me. I’m starting to run out of opponents. We’ve had to get people from out of the country to come and fight me. I’m tired of waiting.”

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On The Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC or Bellator with July wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, but few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major-promotion notoriety return to the cage for what could be their stepping stone fights. There are dozens of fighters inches away from making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

This month:

  • A fired-up featherweight who was passed over on DWCS last season looks to change Dana White’s mind by picking up an LFA title
  • An under-the-radar bantamweight with career finishes hopes No. 10 get him signed.
  • A relatively unknown Shogun Fights champion expects to make an impressive UFC-call-worthy debut on the national stage.
  • A 21-year-old flyweight is riding high off a brutal head kick, feeling confident another finish – and a UFC call – is in her future.
  • A seasoned 11-year veteran of MMA thinks he’s closer than ever to finally taking the step up to the UFC – and an LFA title should solidify that.

Scroll through the following pages to see the five fighters who this month find themselves on the doorstep:

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7 fighters who should fill remaining spots on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4 is right around the corner – and its lineup is filling up quickly.

Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4 is right around the corner – and its lineup is filling up quickly.

While many top regional fighters and high-ceiling prospects have been snatched up by the promotion, some very worthy prospects still remain without a contract.

The UFC is working on fights for the first six events but the final four still seem largely open. Here are five of the most deserving candidates to snatch one of the final slots.

Johnny Munoz (Bantamweight, 10-0)

One of the best pound-for-pound prospects in North America, it’s about time for [autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag] to be noticed. One of the faces of King of the Cage for the past five years, Munoz is ready to venture outside the promotion. A versatile, multi-faceted finisher, Munoz presents a puzzle no opponent has been able to figure out yet. He holds an 80 percent finishing rate with five submissions and three knockouts. He currently holds the KOTC bantamweight title. To put it simply, Munoz on DWCS is an absolute no-brainer.

Nikolas Motta (Lightweight, 11-3)

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] first entered the national and international spotlights as a participant on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4.” He went through the proverbial wringer, competing in Shooto Brasil in his native country. All the while, he trained with UFC champs Jose Aldo and Renan Barao. Dedicated to his craft, Motta moved to the United States in order to find fights, where he began training with Eddie Alvarez. He competed for 864 Fighting Championship, then took on a plethora of challenges and won the vacant CFFC title. Sure he’s had a couple losses, but the final product is better because of them. He’s already ready, but if the UFC needs him to prove that one more time on DWCS, so be it.

More fighters on next page:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

LFA returns from coronavirus shutdown with four July events in South Dakota

No one is confusing South Dakota for “Fight Island,” but LFA is kicking back into full gear nonetheless.

It’s not exactly “Fight Island,” but LFA will return to action in July after four months away due to the coronavirus pandemic with a set of shows in South Dakota.

On four consecutive Fridays, from July 10-31, LFA, which last held an event on March 6, will run fights at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Similar to the UFC’s model since returning in May, LFA’s Sioux Falls events, which will air on UFC Fight Pass, will be held behind closed doors and follow strict safety protocols.

“I am excited to announced that LFA will be returning with live weekly MMA events in July,” LFA CEO Ed Soares said in a statement. “We brought the first sanctioned MMA event to the state of South Dakota six summers ago and have a great working relationship with South Dakota Athletic Commission and Sanford Pentagon. This will allow us to set up a safe environment for our fighters and staff, while implementing strict coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and safeguards to control and ensure a healthy LFA residency on our fight campus in Sioux Falls.”

Each event will be headlined by a championship fight:

  • On July 10, [autotag]Justin Gonzales[/autotag] (10-0) meets [autotag]Jake Childers[/autotag] (8-0) for the vacant featherweight title.
  • July 17’s LFA 85 main event is [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag] (4-0) vs. [autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag] (4-1) to crown the company’s inaugural strawweight champ.
  • July 24 sees [autotag]Greg Fischer[/autotag] (10-1) and [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag] (13-5) square off at LFA 86 to fill the flyweight title vacated when Brandon Royval signed with the UFC.
  • The slate closes July 31 with LFA 87, where South Dakota’s own [autotag]Bryce Logan[/autotag] (11-4) and SoCal’s [autotag]Jacob Rosales [/autotag](12-5) fight for the vacant lightweight title, a bout that was scheduled for April 17 and then postponed due to the pandemic.

10 featherweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 featherweights who are candidates to appear on the show.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the featherweights…

* * * *

Image via XFC

Mohammad Alavi

Record: 5-0
Age: 33
Height: 5’8″
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran

It’s hard to build your record when you struggle to find willing opponents. That’s the issue [autotag]Mohammad Alavi[/autotag] has been having lately. At only 5-0, Alavi hasn’t generated much buzz outside of the Australia/New Zealand regional circuit. However, many inside the circuit view him as a force to be reckoned with. He’s finished all of his fights inside the distance, including his 102-second knockout of Jackson Small at XFC 42 in August. With the coronavirus outbreak canceling his March 20 bout for Superfight MMA, Alavi could jump right into DWCS this summer.

Image via RFA

Anthony Avila

Record: 18-5
Age: 31
Height: 5’7″
Birthplace: Lemoore, Calif.

It’s crazy that [autotag]Anthony Avila[/autotag] is only 31 years old considering the amount of experience he’s accumulated over the years. From his Shark Fights and Strikeforce Challengers days early on, to his most recent fights in Combate Americas and Tachi Palace Fights, Gutierrez has been around the block. Over the years, the Team Alpha Male product faced top-tier regional talent. He’s had ups and downs, but now he’s ready. A winner of five of his most recent six outings, Avila has proved he’s made the proper advancements to stay consistent.

More fighters on the next page:

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