Check out which UFC veterans are in MMA and boxing action across the globe this weekend.
The UFC idle this week after a trip to San Antonio for UFC on ESPN 43, where [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] picked up a big bantamweight win over [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag].
Elsewhere, many other MMA events are taking place, including Bellator and PFL kicking off their 2023 regular season. Those events, and others feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
This week, there are a total of 32 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and boxing this week from March 30-April 1.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 237, which took place Saturday in Saitama, Japan.
The final Bellator event of the year took place Saturday with Bellator 237, which went down at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, with a card that aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN.
In the main event, [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (39-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) knocked out [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] (38-14 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) in the first round of their heavyweight clash. It was the first time “Rampage” has been stopped with strikes since 2005.
Check below for 31 facts coming out of Bellator 237.
* * * *
General
Betting favorites went 5-1 on the main card.
Betting favorites improved to 14-8 (with two no contests and one draw) in Bellator main events this year.
Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 43:56.
Main card
Emelianenko improved to 5-2 since he returned from retirement in December 2015.
Emelianenko improved to 9-2 (with one no contest) when facing former UFC champions.
Emelianenko has earned 31 of his 39 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his Bellator wins.
Emelianenko has earned all three of his Bellator victories by first-round knockout.
Fedor Emelianenko and “Rampage” Jackson at Bellator 237. (Photo courtesy Bellator)
Jackson fell to 4-4 in his career in heavyweight fights.
Jackson has suffered four of his six career stoppage losses by knockout.
Jackson suffered his first knockout loss since Apr. 23, 2005 – a span of 5,362 days (nearly 15 years) and 24 fights.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) has earned 15 of his 20 career victories by stoppage. That includes 12 of his 17 Bellator wins.
Chandler’s 17 victories in Bellator competition are second most in company history behind Patricio Freire (18).
Chandler’s 12 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
[autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) suffered his first knockout loss since Sept. 13, 2014 – a span of 1,932 days (more than five years) and 13 fights.
Outlaw has suffered three of his four career losses by stoppage.
Michael Page at Bellator 237. (Photo courtesy Bellator)
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]’s (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) earned his third victory in a 92-day stretch. He’s finished all of those wins by knockout.
Page’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are fourth most in company history behind Chandler (12), Patricio Freire (11) and A.J. McKee (11).
Page’s nine knockout victories in Bellator competition are tied with Douglas Lima and Patricky Freire for most in company history.
[autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) improved to 7-3 since he dropped to the welterweight division in January 2015.
Larkin’s four-fight Bellator winning streak at welterweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Logan Storley (five) and Joey Davis (five).
Larkin has earned nine of his past 12 victories by decision. That includes all four of his Bellator wins
[autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-11-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has alternated wins and losses over his past 10 fights.
Nakamura has suffered nine of his 11 career losses by decision.
Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 237. (Photo courtesy Bellator)
[autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) improved to 6-1 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in October 2016.
Yamauchi has earned 21 of his 25 career victories by stoppage. That includes nine of his 11 Bellator wins.
Yamauchi’s nine stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied for fifth most in company history behind Chandler (12), Patricio Freire (11), McKee (11) and Page (10).
Yamauchi’s eight submission victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
Yamauchi’s five submission victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied for the most in divisional history.
Yamauchi’s five submission victories by rear-naked choke in Bellator competition are most in company history.
[autotag]Daron Cruickshank[/autotag]’s (22-13 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) three-fight losing skid is tied for the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2018.
Cruickshank has suffered 10 of his 13 career losses by stoppage.
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s Bellator 237 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a Bellator win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
See what the fighters from Bellator 237 went with as their backing tracks in Saitama, Japan.
[autotag]Daron Cruickshank[/autotag]: “Real American” by Rick Derringer
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
At Bellator 237, “Da Monsoon” put on a striking clinic against a fellow former UFC fighter.
SAITAMA, Japan – [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag]’s crisp striking was on full display Saturday night.
At Bellator 237, Larkin (22-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) outpointed [autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] for the majority of three rounds, defeating the Japanese fighter by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26.
For three rounds, the fight was contested on the feet. Like clockwork, Larkin stayed on the outside. Utilizing the distance, Larkin was able to pick apart Nakamura (35-11-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) with leg kicks, jabs, and punches.
[lawrence-related id=475412,475416]
As the fight progressed, the momentum swung further and further toward Larkin. Midway through Round 3, Larkin came close to finishing the fight. As Nakamura shot for a takedown, Larkin landed hard elbows Travis Browne would be proud of. A durable competitor, the bloody Japanese fighter hung tough and survived.
With the win, Larkin extends his winning streak to four. Prior to the Nakamura fight, Larkin defeated Fernando Gonzalez, Ion Pascu, and Andrey Koreshkov en route to Bellator 237.
As for Nakamura, the defeat lands him back in the loss column after a win in his previous fight against Marcos Yoshio de Souza in October. Since his UFC release in mid-2018, Nakamura has gone 1-1.
At Friday morning’s weigh-ins, Larkin exceeded the welterweight limit by 2.5 pounds. The California-based fighter tipped the scales at 173.5 pounds and had to forfeit 20 percent of his purse to his opponent.
The welterweight bout was the thurd bout on the Bellator 237 main card, which took place at Saitama Super Arena. The event aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN.
For the first time, Bellator this week has touched down in “The Land of the Rising Sun” with a pair of heavyweight legends at the top of the ticket.
Bellator 237, the promotion’s debut in Japan, takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) takes on fellow PRIDE veteran [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) in a bout between two fan favorites among the Japanese fans. Emelianenko is a slight favorite at the sports books, but he’s got a heavy lead from our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers at 9-4 in the picks.
In the co-main event, former lightweight champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 16-5 BMMA) takes on short-notice opponent [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who will step in for Benson Henderson. Chandler is a heavy favorite in the 160-pound contract weight bout, and only one of our pickers is going against him.
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 12-1 BMMA) is the biggest favorite on the card at as much as 10-1 n his 173-pound contract weight fight against [autotag]Shinsho Anzai[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). He’s got a heavy 12-1 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) meets [autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight. Larkin is a 5-1 favorite and has a heavy 11-2 picks lead.
Our most competitive fight, picks-wise, is at women’s flyweight between [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (8-0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who is just a slight favorite. Watanabe has the slimmest possible edge in the picks at 7-6.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Daron Cruickshank[/autotag] (22-12 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a heavy underdog against [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 10-3 BMMA), who has a massive 12-1 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Emelianenko (54%), Chandler (83 percent), Page (88 percent), Larkin (88 percent), Watanabe (66 percent) and Yamauchi (57 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 237, which takes place Saturday with a Fedor Emelianenko vs. Quinton Jackson main event.
The final Bellator event of the year takes place Saturday with Bellator 237, which goes down at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, with a main card that airs on Paramount.
A heavyweight showdown between fighters who made the majority of their fame in “The Land of the Rising Sun” is set to serve as the main event. Former PRIDE champ [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) is set to meet former UFC champ [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) in a three-round bout.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 237.
* * * *
Main event
Fedor Emelianenko
Emelianenko, 43, is the oldest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
Emelianenko is 4-2 since he returned from retirement in December 2015.
Emelianenko is 13-4 (with one no contest) when facing former UFC champions or title challengers.
Emelianenko has earned 29 of his 38 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his Bellator wins.
Emelianenko has suffered all six of his career losses by stoppage.
Quinton Jackson
Jackson returns to competition for the first time since Sept. 29, 2018. The 454-day layoff is the longest of his more than 20-year career.
Jackson did not compete in 2019. It’s the first time he hasn’t fought inside a calendar year since making his MMA debut in 1999.
Jackson competes in his eighth career heavyweight bout. He’s 4-3 when competing in the weight class.
Jackson has suffered his past four losses by decision. He hasn’t been stopped since September 2011.
Co-main event
Michael Chandler.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 16-5 BMMA) competes in his 22nd Bellator bout, tied for the second most appearances in company history behind David Rickels (23).
Chandler’s 16 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Patricio Freire for second most in company history behind Patricio Freire (18).
Chandler’s 14 victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied with Patricky Freire for most in divisional history.
Chandler’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied with Freire and A.J. McKee for most in company history.
Chandler’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied for second most in company history behind Goiti Yamauchi (seven).
Chandler’s 11 appearances in Bellator title fights are tied with Freire for most in company history.
Chandler is one of two fighters in Bellator/UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce history with three title reigns in a single weight class. Randy Couture also accomplished the feat.
Chandler’s six victories in Bellator championship fights are second most in company history behind Freire (eight).
Chandler’s five losses in Bellator title fights are the most in company history.
[autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) makes his second Bellator appearance in a 42-day stretch. He was victorious at Bellator 234 on Nov. 15.
Remaining main card
Michael Page
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 12-1 BMMA) becomes the first fighter to make five Bellator appearances in 2019.
Page makes his second Bellator appearance in a 34-day stretch. He was victorious at Bellator Europe 6 on Nov. 23.
Page’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak, snapped in Bellator 221, is tied for the second longest streak in company history behind McKee (16).
Page’s 12 victories in Bellator welterweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Andrey Koreshkov (13) and Douglas Lima (13).
Page’s nine stoppage victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Lima for most in divisional history.
Page’s eight knockout victories in Bellator competition are third most in company history behind Lima (nine) and Patricky Freire (nine).
Page’s eight knockout victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Lima for most in divisional history.
Lorenz Larkin
[autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) is 6-3 since he dropped to the welterweight division in January 2015.
Larkin’s three-fight Bellator winning streak at welterweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Logan Storley (five) and Joey Davis (five).
Larkin has earned eight of his past 11 victories by decision. That includes all three of his Bellator wins.
[autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights. He was victorious in his most recent bout at Rizin FF 19 in October.
[autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), 25, is the youngest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
[autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) is 5-1 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in October 2016.
Yamauchi has earned 20 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 10 Bellator wins.
Yamauchi’s seven submission victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
We want your predictions for Bellator 237 in Japan.
We want your predictions for this week’s Bellator 237 event in Japan.
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 Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 237 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator 237, the promotion’s debut in Japan, takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside.
Multiple new additions have been added to December’s dual Bellator and Rizin FF cards in Japan, including five crossover contests.
Five additional fights have been added to the upcoming Bellator and Rizin FF joint cards being held in Saitama, Japan.
Bellator president Scott Coker shared the news of three crossover bouts that are headed to the Bellator 237 card at Saitama Super Arena, as well as two crossover bouts added to the Rizin FF 20 card also taking place at the same venue, two days later.
On the Bellator card, UFC veterans [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will both make quick turnarounds and square off in a welterweight bout. Since dropping his first two promotional bouts with Bellator, Larkin has won his last three in a row, most recently picking up a split-decision win over Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 229. Nakamura made good in his Rizin debut, scoring a first round finish over Marcos Yoshio de Souza at Rizin FF 19.
Also headed to Bellator 237 is a women’s flyweight bout between [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (8-0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Joanne recently picked up the biggest win of her career, submitting UFC veteran Bec Rawlings in her Bellator debut last month. Joanne, who’s riding a three-fight winning streak, recently called out 125-pound champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, but instead draws Japan’s undefeated Watanabe.
The third bout added to Bellator 237 is a lightweight bout between [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Daron Cruickshank[/autotag] (22-12 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Yamauchi is coming off back-to-back wins that include a decision over Daniel Weichel and a first-round submission over Saad Awad at October’s Bellator 229. Cruickshank, has dropped his last two in a row to Damien Brown and Tofiq Musaev, and he now looks to get back in the win column.
Meanwhile, on the Dec. 31 Rizin card, two bouts will take place under the Japanese promotion’s ruleset. [autotag]Yuki Motoya[/autotag] (23-7) faces undefeated [autotag]Patrick Mix[/autotag] (12-0) in a bantamweight bout, while [autotag]Mikuru Asakura[/autotag] (11-1) will take on [autotag]John Macapa[/autotag] (23-42) in a featherweight clash.
Meanwhile, Rizin officials announced a series of post-lim bouts to take place at Bellator 237, which the Japanese promotion is calling “Bellator Japan powered by RIZIN.”
The matchups include [autotag]Andy Nguyen[/autotag] (6-8) vs. [autotag]Ai Shimizu[/autotag] (5-1), [autotag]Ryuichiro Sumimura[/autotag] (14-7) vs. [autotag]Jon Tuck[/autotag] (10-5), [autotag]Jarred Brooks[/autotag] (15-2) vs. [autotag]Haruo Ochi[/autotag] (19-7-2) and [autotag]Hiroto Uesako[/autotag] (16-8) vs. [autotag]Yusuke Yachi[/autotag] (20-9).
