Bellator 289 post-event facts: Underdogs shine on final card of 2022

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 289, which took place Friday and saw a number of significant betting upsets.

Bellator put on its 17th and final event of the year on Friday with Bellator 289, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Two champions defended their titles at the top of the card. In the main event, [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) edged [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) by split decision in their grudge match to defend interim bantamweight gold and advance to the finals of the promotion’s grand prix.

The co-headliner saw [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) earn a second consecutive win over [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA), this time without controversy as she scored a second-round submission to defend women’s flyweight gold.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 289.

Bellator 289: Best photos from Connecticut

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289 in Uncasville, Conn.

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289, headlined by an interim bantamweight title and grand prix semifinal bout between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 17-23)

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. 17-23.

Four fights added to Bellator 289, including return of Dalton Rosta

Bellator 289 takes place Dec. 9 and is headlined by two title fights, including the Danny Sabatello vs. Raufeon Stots grudge match.

Bellator has added four new fights to its final event of 2022.

Scheduled for Dec. 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Bellator 289 already featured two bantamweight grand prix fights and a women’s flyweight title fight. Now, its undercard is filling up, too.

Most notably, a middleweight bout between rising contender [autotag]Dalton Rosta[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Anthony Adams[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will take place.

Rosta, 26, is undefeated as a professional. In his most recent outing, Rosta dominated blue-chip wrestling prospect Romero Cotton en route to a third-round knockout. Meanwhile, Adams upset former UFC fighter Khalid Murtazaliev via unanimous decision in his Bellator debut in September 2021 and has not competed since.

A promotion official recently notified MMA Junkie of the addition, as well as [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Shamil Nikaev[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at lightweight, [autotag]Cass Bell[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Jared Scoggins[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at bantamweight, and [autotag]Kevin Boehm[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Kai Kamaka[/autotag] (9-5-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA).

The Boehm vs. Kamaka bout was first reported by BellatorZone.

With the additions, the Bellator 289 lineup includes:

  • Champion Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello – bantamweight grand prix semifinal for interim title
  • Champion Liz Carmouche vs. Juliana Velasquez – for women’s flyweight title
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Patchy Mix – bantamweight grand prix semifinal
  • Anthony Adams vs. Dalton Rosta
  • Chris Gonzalez vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Cody Law vs. Cris Lencioni
  • Cass Bell vs. Jared Scoggings
  • Mark Lemminger vs. Michael Lombardo
  • Kevin Boehm vs. Kai Kamaka
  • Theo Haig vs. Kareem Kline

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Bellator 283 medical suspensions: Mukhamed Berkhamov out indefinitely after Lorenz Larkin no contest

Check out which fighters are facing indefinite suspensions as a result of Friday’s fights in Tacoma, Wash.

Belaltor 283 took place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. and featured 12 bouts of MMA action.

Atop the card, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] defeated former welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] by unanimous decision. Also, RIZIN tournament champion [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] by first-round knockout, and [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] quickly tapped [autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] with a first-round guillotine choke.

As a result of injuries sustained in the bout, each fighter on the card received a medical suspension from the Washington State Department of Licensing. MMA Junkie acquired the list from the commissioning body Tuesday. The list included suspension durations but not medical specifics.

Two fighters received indefinite suspensions, including [autotag]Mukhamed Berkhamov[/autotag], who fought in a no contest against [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag]. The fight was waved off after Larkin unintentionally struck Berkhamov in the back of the head. While Berkhamov said he was dizzy and that’s ultimately why the bout was called, Larkin claimed after the fight his opponent was in the doctor’s room with a knee injury.

[autotag]Roman Faraldo[/autotag], who knocked out [autotag]Luis Iniguez[/autotag], also was handed an indefinite suspension. Faraldo told reporters post-fight he broke his hand on the knockout blow.

Scroll below to see the medical suspensions handed out to each fighter. It’s important to note fighters can return to competition sooner than the allotted suspension if they are cleared by a doctor.

Bellator 283 salaries: Jason Jackson pockets $191,000 for win over Douglas Lima

Four fighters walked away with six-figure paydays as a result of Friday’s card in Tacoma, Wash.

Bellator 283 took place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. and featured 12 bouts including two potential title eliminator fights.

Atop the card, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] in a dominant, five-round unanimous decision. The two main event participants were two of four fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed purses from the event, according to a list MMA Junkie acquired Tuesday from the Washington State Department of Licensing, the commissioning body that oversaw the card.

Jackson pocketed a total of $191,000 for his win over former champion Lima, who took home a flat payout of $100,000. [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] ($100,000) and [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] ($125,000) were the other two fighters to hit the six-figure mark.

Scroll below to see the rest of the Bellator 283 salaries below. It’s important to note these figures do not include any potential locker room bonuses, sponsor payouts, or streaming points.

Bellator 283 official weigh-in results: Headliner Douglas Lima among three to miss weight

Ahead of Bellator 283, three fighters came in heavy, including former welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who headlines the event.

Three fighters including one main event participant have missed weight ahead of Bellator 283.

The official weigh-ins, which took place Thursday at Emerald Queen Casino Hotel in Tacoma, Wash., featured 24 fighters total. Among them was former Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag], who came in 1.8 pounds heavy for his headlining bout vs. [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag].

Lima (32-10 MMA, 14-6 BMMA) elected not to step on the scale a second time after his first attempt. His opponent Jackson (15-4 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) made weight at 171 pounds.

The other two fighters who missed weight were both from the preliminary portion of the card. [autotag]Kevin Boehm[/autotag] weighed 1.6 pounds over limit for his featherweight bout vs. [autotag]Akhmed Magomedov[/autotag]. Bantamweight [autotag]Mark Coates[/autotag] weighed 1.8 pounds over limit for his bantamweight bout vs. [autotag]Jaylon Bates[/autotag].

Bellator 283 takes place Friday at Emerald Queen Casino with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out the full weigh-in results below:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Douglas Lima (172.8)* vs. Jason Jackson (171)
  • Tofiq Musayev (155) vs. Sidney Outlaw (155.4)
  • Chris Gonzalez (156) vs. Usman Nurmagomedov (155.2)
  • Mukhamed Berkhamov (171) vs. Lorenz Larkin (170.8)
  • Davion Franklin (264.2) vs. Marcelo Golm (257.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Romero Cotton (185.6) vs. Dalton Rosta (185.4)
  • Veta Arteaga (125.8) vs. Vanessa Porto (125.8)
  • Kevin Boehm (147.6)** vs. Akhmed Magomedov (144.6)
  • Bobby King (155.4) vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (154.4)
  • Roman Faraldo (170.6) vs. Luis Iniguez (170.8)
  • Jaylon Bates (136) vs. Mark Coates (137.8)***
  • Archie Colgan (159.6) vs. Bryan Nuro (159.2) – 160-pound contract weight

* = Lima missed welterweight limit by 1.8 pounds.
** = Boehm missed featherweight limit by 1.6 pounds.
*** = Coates missed the bantamweight limit by 1.8 pounds.

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