Tag: Leandro Higo

Bellator champ Patchy Mix staying active at ADXC 6 ‘does not mean Leandro Higo is off the hook’

Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix still hopes to see Leandro Higo soon.

ABU DHABI – Bellator bantamweight champion [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] still hopes to see [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] soon.

Mix (20-1) was scheduled to defend his title against Higo (23-6) in the Bellator Championship Series: Paris main event on Nov. 16, but the event was canceled. In the meantime, Mix has opted to remain active by competing at ADXC 6 on Friday, where he’ll face former ONE Championship title holder Kairat Akhmetov in a no-gi grappling match.

“I want to stay active, and just because I’m staying active does not mean Leandro Higo is off the hook,” Mix told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “When they rebook this, he will be done in two rounds, and I’m hoping he’s watching me this weekend. … I feel like this fight will be rebooked early next year, and we’ll see how it goes, but I’m ready for it.”

Mix hasn’t gotten official word yet on what’s next but is open to defending his belt against anyone – including Raufeon Stots, who called for a rematch after submitting Marcos Breno this past Saturday at PFL: Battle of the Giants.

“I want them all, every one of them,” Mix said. “I’ve taken out everyone in the top five of my division, I’ve fought Magomedov twice, and it doesn’t matter. I’ve seen Raufeon Stots win. There’s a ton of guys out there, and it doesn’t matter who, it just matters when. You can send anybody, but you can’t send anyone you want back.”

PFL founder Donn Davis alluded to MMA Fighting that the Bellator brand might no longer exist in 2025. When asked his reaction, Mix said he just hopes to keep drawing top-level competition.

“As long as I keep getting these big fights, like there’s humongous names over there at PFL that I personally like,” Mix said. “Brendan Loughnane’s been killing it, he’s in the finale this year, he’s a world champion in the past. There are so many exciting fights, so I haven’t heard that.

“But no matter what it is, I’m just excited for the future. Like I said, I’m in my prime of my career, and I just want to prove to the world what I know, and that’s I’m the best 135-pound bantamweight walking in the world today, right now.”

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Bellator Championship Series: Paris event for Nov. 16 canceled

PFL announces the cancelation of the Bellator Championship Series: Paris event for Nov. 16. The bouts on the card will get rescheduled.

Bellator Championship Series: Paris will not be going down after all.

The Bellator card, which was scheduled to go down on Nov. 16 at ADIDAS Arena in Paris, has been canceled and the fighters who were competing on the event will be rescheduled for other cards. PFL, Bellator’s parent company, announced the news Thursday.

Bellator Championship Series: Paris was supposed to be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] and [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag]. No word yet on when and where that bout will now take place.

No specific reason for the cancelation was given, but PFL did clarify that previously purchased tickets have been refunded. Additionally, purchasers will receive a buy one, get one ticket purchase opportunity for PFL Europe Championship in Lyon, France on Dec. 14.

Outside of the championship, fight, two other bouts were previously reported for the card: [autotag]Baissangour Chamsoudinov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Oliver Enkamp[/autotag], and [autotag]Imamshafi Aliev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Shipman[/autotag]. No details on the new dates for those bouts.

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Bellator Champions Series: Paris headlined by Patchy Mix vs. Leandro Higo bantamweight title fight

Bantamweight champion Patchy Mix will look to make his second title defense in Paris.

Bantamweight champion [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] will look to make his second title defense in Paris.

Mix (20-1) meets [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (23-6) in the main event of Bellator Champions Series: Paris on Nov. 16 at ADIDAS Arena in Paris, the promotion announced Tuesday. The event will be co-headlined by France’s undefeated [autotag]Baissangour Chamsoudinov[/autotag] (8-0), who takes on [autotag]Oliver Enkamp[/autotag] (11-4) in a welterweight bout.

After unifying the bantamweight title with a second-round submission of Sergio Pettis this past November at Bellator 301, Mix notched his first title defense with a split decision win over Magomed Magomedov in May in Paris.

Higo will earn a second shot at the Bellator bantamweight title after back-to-back wins over Nikita Mikhailov and James Gallagher on short notice at featherweight. The 35-year-old Brazilian has won five of his past six.

The Bellator Champions Series: Paris lineup includes:

  • Patchy Mix vs. Leandro Higo – for bantamweight title
  • Baissangour Chamsoudinov vs. Oliver Enkamp

Bellator Champions Series results: Patchy Mix squeaks by Magomed Magomedov to retain title

Bellator champion Patchy Mix retains his title with a win over Magomed Magomedov, but many viewers scored the fight for the challenger.

Everyone who watched seemingly had their own opinion of who should win or why, but the two of the three opinions that mattered leaned toward [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag].

In the Bellator Champions Series: Paris main event at Accor Arena, Mix (20-1) defeated [autotag]Magomedov Magomedov[/autotag] (20-4) by split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47) to retain his bantamweight title.

The decision was debated by many viewers online, who felt Magomedov’s striking accuracy and damage should’ve earned him the nod. Mix was stunned with a pair of punches in Round 1, and then more heavily with a swarm of them in Round 3.

However, Mix’s volume, pressure, and submission attempts likely wooed the judges. He pulled for multiple guillotines including one that appeared tight at prior to the damage sustained in Round 3.

After the victory, Mix called for a fight against [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (23-6), who he said successfully weighed in as a backup fighter during Thursday’s official weigh-ins.

It was a big week for Mix, who proposed to girlfriend and UFC women’s flyweight contender Tatiana Suarez at the Eiffel Tower on Thursday. Less than 24 hours later, he notched his first title defense and seventh-straight victory.

With the defeat, Magomedov loses his first Bellator title shot and moves to 0-2 against Mix. Magomedov was submitted in the first outing in December 2022. Magomedov has only lost to Mix, Raufeon Stots, and Petr Yan through 24 professional fights.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator Champions Series: Paris results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Paris.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast results: Strong third round lifts Leandro Higo past James Gallagher

Leandro Higo and James Gallagher were pretty evenly matched until one of them pulled away late in their Bellator Belfast fight. 

[autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] and [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] were pretty evenly matched until one of them pulled away late in their Bellator Champions Series: Belfast fight.

Higo (23-6 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) used a strong third-round performance to close out a unanimous decision win over Gallagher (12-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) on Friday at SSE Arena. After 15 minutes, all three judges saw the fight 29-28 in Higo’s favor, which was hard to argue.

After a cautious few minutes from both men in Round 1, Higo landed the first big shot when he wobbled Gallagher with a spinning elbow with about 1:45 remaining. Higo pointed at Gallagher and then rushed in to take him down to the mat. Gallagher did his best from bottom position to try for an ankle lock, but Higo punished him with ground-and-pound to ensure the round was his.

Round 2 proved much closer as there wasn’t a ton of action, although Gallagher was beginning to find a rhythm in the striking department before Higo hit him with an inadvertent kick to the groin. After the timeout, Gallagher closed out strong in the standup.

Likely tied one round apiece, the third round was all Higo, who lifted Gallagher off his feet for huge takedown with about 2:20 remaining. From there, he controlled Gallagher on the mat and inflicted damage in the final minute with a lot of strikes. Gallagher didn’t have much of an answer at that point, which proved to be enough for Higo to get the win.

Higo now has won two fights in a row, while Gallagher failed to keep momentum in his favor following a split decision win against James Gonzalez last August.

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Up-to-the-minute BCS: Belfast results include:

  • Leandro Higo def. James Gallagher via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Manoel Sousa def. Tim Wilde via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:48
  • Ciaran Clarke def. Darius Mafi submission (arm-triangle choke)
  • Alfie Davis def. Oscar Ownsworth unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Luke Trainer def. Grant Neal unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Nathan Kelly def. Vikas Singh Ruhil knockout (elbow)
  • Abraham Bably def. Isaiah Pinson unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 26-March 3)

Check out the UFC, PFL and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 26-March 3.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

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.

Bellator 297 loses two bouts including former title challenger

Two fights have been removed from next week’s Bellator 297 card in Chicago, bringing the lineup down to 16 bouts.

Bellator 297 has taken a pair of hits the week prior to the June 16 event at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Former Bellator middleweight title challenger [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) was expected to face [autotag]Imamshafi Aliev[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), but that fight has been canceled for undisclosed reasons.

Additionally, the bantamweight bout between [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Nikita Mikhailov[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is off due to an illness with the former.

The card is set to proceed with 16 bouts including a light heavyweight title fight in the main event, as champion Vadim Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) tries to defend his title against former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA).

In the co-main event, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) looks to become the first fighter to win three divisional titles in the same major promotion when he takes on Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis (22-5 MMA, 9-5 BMMA).

With the cancellations, the Bellator 297 card includes:

  • Champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Freire – for bantamweight title
  • Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis
  • Daniel James vs. Gokhan Saricam
  • David McKinney vs. Max Metzgar
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Gabriel Sayeg
  • Kyle Crutchmer vs. Bobby Nash
  • Pieter Buist vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
  • Ramazan Kurmagomedov vs. Jaleel Willis
  • Mike Hamel vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Norbert Novenyi vs. Kamil Oniszczuk
  • Archie Colgan vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
  • Karl Moore vs. Alex Polizzi
  • Timur Khizriev vs. Richie Smullen
  • Jordan Newman vs. Matthew Perry
  • Edwin Chavez vs. Cody Law

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 1-7)

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 May 1-7.

James Gallagher out of Bellator 292 bout vs. Leandro Higo

For the third time in four bookings, James Gallagher has withdrawn from a scheduled Bellator bout.

For the third time in four bookings, [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] has withdrawn from a fight.

Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) is out of Bellator 292 for undisclosed reasons, and his bout vs. [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) has been scrapped. The bantamweight contenders were expected to throw down March 10 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif..

Promotion officials confirmed the cancellation Thursday to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Severe MMA. Higo will not remain on the card.

Gallagher, 26, has competed once since the end of 2020, a submission loss to Patchy Mix that snapped a three-fight win streak. In between the Mix and Higo matchups, Gallagher was booked to partake in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix. However, a hand injury that required surgery forced him out. Gallagher later withdrew from a Brett Johns matchup scheduled for September.

Higo, 34, competed in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. He was eliminated by Danny Sabatello by unanimous decision in the quarterfinal round. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak.

With the cancellation, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson – grand prix quarterfinal for lightweight title
  • Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
  • Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi

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

  • Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Keri Taylor Melendez
  • Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Shamil Nikaev
  • Tony Johnson vs. Khalid Murtazaliev
  • Julius Anglickas vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Alberto Garcia vs. Bobby Seronio III
  • Laird Anderson vs. Rogelio Luna
  • Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
  • Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley
  • Demetri Georgiades vs. Dupree Stewart

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.