Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out these photos from Justine Kish vs. Diana Avsaragova at Bellator 298.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag]’s victory over Diana Avsaragova at Bellator 298 in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)
Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC returns back to its home base in Las Vegas for UFC on ESPN 51.
The event at UFC Apex features a welterweight bout between [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] and former lightweight champion [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag].
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing this week from Aug. 10-12.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
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 or officially announced by a promotion from June 19-25.
Seven-and-a-half years and 10 seasons later, Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza are about to rematch for gold at UFC 274.
A lot can change in seven-and-a-half-years. A lot has changed in seven-and-a-half years. But still, some things stay the same.
[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] and [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] will meet in a rematch for the strawweight championship this Saturday at UFC 274. Their first title fight was the culmination of “The Ultimate Fighter 20” reality series that featured 16 women vying for the inaugural UFC strawweight title. And on Dec. 12, 2014, it was Esparza who submitted Namajunas in the third round to claim gold at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in Las Vegas.
Now, in the rematch, it’ll be Namajunas putting her 115-pound title on the line against Esparza, who marvels at the fact that the two of them get to do this all over again.
“To be fighting the same person for the title, it’s wild,” Esparza said. “Going back to our ‘Ultimate Fighter’ season, a lot of the people from the show – some aren’t even fighting anymore. Some have retired; some are no longer with the UFC. So, it’s crazy that not only are we both still here, we’re fighting for the title. It just brings back a lot of memories from the first time.”
This begs the question: Whatever happened to the ladies featured on “TUF 20”? Below is a quick look at each cast member.
Bellator 279 took place in front of a thunderous Hawaiian crowd, but Justine Kish defeated Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in dominant fashion.
HONOLULU – While there were boos for her and elaborate entrances for her opponent, [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] won Saturday at Bellator 279.
On the main card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Kish (8-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) defeated Hawaiian former Bellator champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), much to the dismay of the home crowd.
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane didn't win at #Bellator279, but is loved by her fellow Hawaiians regardless of result. 💙
Full results: https://t.co/HOfHPCaMHB pic.twitter.com/Yd3i19iN0N
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 24, 2022
The first round took place on the feet, though Macfarlane attempted her fair share of takedowns. Kish denied them and utilized her jab. Both fighters landed here and there. Kish looked comfortable in the moment despite being in enemy territory.
In the second round, Kish took grappling into her own hands when she threatened a standing guillotine. The choke attempt lifted Macfarlane off her feet as she toppled backward. The collapse broke the grip, but Kish remained in a dominant position until Macfarlane threatened a heel hook. The attempt was unsuccessful but did enough to mitigate the threat and raise the fighters to their feet until the end of Round 2.
The third round was more Kish as Macfarlane tried to find her range. Midway through the round, Macfarlane landed a big strike that hurt Kish. However, Kish dragged the fight right to the ground and into side control. Macfarlane threatened a submission, but no dice. The two rolled, and Kish threatened an armbar, but Macfarlane reversed position and ended up on top. Too little too late, however, as the round and fight came to a close.
With the win, Kish snaps a three-fight losing skid and picks up her first Bellator win. Meanwhile, Macfarlane loses for the second time in as many fights and for the first time since she recovered from knee surgery.
Hawaii's Ilima-Lei Macfarlane had a powerful walkout ahead of her return to action tonight at #Bellator279.
Take it all in. 🌸🍍 pic.twitter.com/3nVIZfuStI
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 24, 2022
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 279 results include:
Bellator 279 took place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
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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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Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 279 main card, including champ Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe.
| Cyborg vs. Blencowe |
Archuleta vs. Stots |
Kish vs. Macfarlane |
Horiguchi vs. Mix |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 59-30 |
 Cyborg (83%) |
 Stots (61%) |
 Macfarlane (88%) |
 Horiguchi (65%) |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 59-30 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Horiguchi |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 58-31  2014 Champion |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Horiguchi |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 58-31 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Horiguchi |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 58-31 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Horiguchi |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 58-31 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
 Mix |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 57-32 2018 Champion |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Mix |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 56-33 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Horiguchi |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 55-34 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Horiguchi |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 53-36 2017 Champion |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Mix |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 51-38 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Mix |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 41-48 |
Cyborg |
Stots |
Macfarlane |
Horiguchi |
Bellator is in Hawaii for the first time since late 2019 with back-to-back events – the second of which has the women’s featherweight title on the line, plus two key bantamweight grand prix bouts.
Bellator 279 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. It is the second of back-to-back nights of Bellator events in Hawaii’s capital city. 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, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (25-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) puts her women’s featherweight title on the line in a rematch with [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-4 BMMA), whom she has a win over already. Cyborg, like she usually is when she fights, is a heavy betting favorite. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have her as one of three unanimous picks on the main card at 11-0.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) meets [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) in the opening round of the bantamweight grand prix – and also for the interim bantamweight title. The winner will be interim champ and take that belt into the semifinals. Stots is more than a 3-1 favorite and our second unanimous pick.
Also on the main card, former women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] (7-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Macfarlane is more than a 3-1 favorite and has a shutout in the picks at 11-0.
To open the main card, on the other side of the grand prix bracket, former champion [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] (29-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA). That bout is the only contentious one among our pickers, who have the favored Horiguchi with a 7-4 lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cyborg (83 percent), Stots (61 percent), Macfarlane (88 percent) and Horiguchi (65 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
Bellator is heading back to Hawaii for two events on back-to-back nights, featuring Cris Cyborg and start of the bantamweight grand prix.
Bellator is going back to Hawaii in a big way.
The promotion returns to the islands for a pair of events on back-to-back nights at Neal S. Blaisdell Center for Bellator 278 on April 22 and Bellator 279 on April 23. The events will feature multiple title fights as [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (25-2) is set to face [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (15-8) in a featherweight championship rematch and [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (22-5) takes on [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (17-1) as a part of the $1 million bantamweight grand prix. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following an initial report from KHON2.
Bellator was last in Hawaii in Dec. 2019, when the promotion ran Bellator 235 and Bellator 236 on back-to-back nights.
Although no fights have been announced for Bellator 278, the Bellator 279 card is stacking up with a strong lineup. In addition to the title fights, [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] (29-4) will face [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (15-1) in a first-round bantamweight grand prix match and Hawaii’s own [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-1) returns to action to meet [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] (7-5).
Following preliminary bouts, the main card for Bellator 278 is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET and the main card for Bellator 279 starts at 4:30 p.m. ET. Both events will air live on Showtime.
The lineup of Bellator 279 currently includes:
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One women’s flyweight bout scheduled for Bellator 274 has been exchanged for another.
Bellator 274 has lost a fight and gained another.
The main card bout between [autotag]Veta Arteaga[/autotag] and [autotag]Keri Taylor-Melendez[/autotag] is off for undisclosed reasons, a promotion official recently informed MMA Junkie. However, in its place, a flyweight bout between former UFC fighters [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag] and [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] has been added.
Bellator 274 takes place Feb. 19 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
At Bellator 266 in September, Bennett (11-7-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) rebounded from back-to-back losses when she defeated Alejandra Lara by a largely one-sided unanimous decision in front of her hometown crowd in San Jose, Calif. The win was her first Bellator victory, but Bennett missed weight by 3.2 pounds ahead of the bout.
Kish (7-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) enters Bellator on the heels of a seven-fight UFC tenure during which she went 3-4. She currently is on a two-fight losing skid. Her notable career victories include names like Randa Markos, Ashley Yoder and Lucie Pudilova.
With the changes, the Bellator 274 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)
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Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 22, which saw Robert Whittaker beat Kelvin Gastelum in Las Vegas.
UFC on ESPN 22 took place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it was an oddly historic event.
[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) beat [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event, further pushing him further toward a 185-pound title fight.
Check below for 25 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 22.
