Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 Jan. 16-22.
A fun bantamweight matchup between James Gallagher and Leandro Higo has been added to Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif.
A fun bantamweight matchup has been added to the upcoming Bellator 292 card.
Wednesday the promotion officially announced [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] will share the Bellator cage with [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] at the event set to take place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. on March 10. The event airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Gallagher (11-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will return to the cage for the first time since a submission loss to Patchy Mix at Bellator 270 in November 2021. Due to injury, he was forced out of last year’s bantamweight grand prix, and later had to pull out of a scheduled fight against Brett Johns at Bellator 285.
Prior to his loss to Mix, Gallagher, 26, ripped through four straight opponents, finishing Steven Graham, Roman Salazar and Cal Ellenor in the first round.
Higo (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) was also set back in his last outing, ending up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Danny Sabatello in the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinals. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak which included second-round submissions of Shawn Bunch and Ricky Bandejas.
The 33-year-old Higo will not only look to get back into the win column, but also stay above .500 in Bellator.
With the addition, the Bellator 292 lineup includes:
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Danny Sabatello egged on the crowd all the way through the Bellator 282 post-fight interview, until Raufeon Stots changed the mood.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] might not make it look pretty, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Through the boos and jeers, Sabatello (13-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) remained consistently dominant against [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) and cruised to a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the Bellator 282 co-main event Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Sabatello wasted no time. Like he’s done in his other Bellator appearances, Sabatello dragged Higo to the canvas and showed heavy control skills on the back. Sabatello coasted much of the rest of the round in this position – and returned to it again in Round 2. However, this time Higo reversed position and snatched Sabatello’s back – where he rode out the round.
In Round 3, there were some brief striking exchanges before the inevitable occurred. The fight hit the canvas again. This time, it was Sabatello in control. The boo birds showed up quite a bit and Round 3 was no different. Referee Dan Miragliotta saw enough in his estimation, as Sabatello was allowed to ride out the round on top. Sabatello taunted the crowd after the end-of-round horn.
In the championship rounds, Sabatello shot again. He got the takedown and entered guard after Higo briefly threatened an arm-in guillotine choke. Sabatello wet-blanketed Higo some more. Higo continuously got to his feet, only to be dragged back down again. Sabatello separated with 10 seconds left, got wild, and ate a spinning backfist before the round.
The final round was more of the same. Sabatello grappled more. Higo struggled more. The crowd booed more. Sabatello cruised to a decision as he avoided brief submission attempts and made sure to mouth off more after the final horn.
With the win, Sabatello advances to the Bellator bantamweight grand prix semifinal round where he’ll face interim champion Raufeon Stots later this year. Widely regarded as one of Bellator’s budding stars, Sabatello has not only looked dominant inside the cage – but also has built himself with his mic skills outside of it. His two other wins in Bellator include Jornel Lugo and Brett Johns.
Meanwhile, Higo has a three-fight winning streak snapped. The most recent time he lost prior to Friday was a September 2018 knockout defeat against Aaron Pico.
The full Bellator 282 results include:
Check out the Bellator 282 ceremonial faceoffs which featured Gegard Mousasi, Cat Zingano, and Danny Sabatello vs. Leandro Higo.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Bellator 282 ceremonial faceoffs took place Thursday outside Mohegan Sun Arena box office where MMA Junkie reported live.
Among those partaking in the ceremonial event was champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (49-7-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA), who will fight in the main event Friday at the same casino.
Also on the card, heated rivals and grand prix quarterfinal opponents [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) locked eyes and pressed faces as the theme of trash talk boiled over into their faceoff. Their fellow tournament participants [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] (18-5-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) kept their hands to themself, though words were exchanged.
None of these were as heated as [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (16-10 MMA, 5-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Maycon Mendonca[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), however who were restrained after a physical altercation on stage – then were separated backstage, too.
Also on the card, former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) squared off with [autotag]Pam Sorenson[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA).
Check out the full Bellator 282 ceremonial faceoffs in the video above.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 282 main card, featuring middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi vs. challenger Johnny Eblen.
| Mousasi vs. Eblen |
Higo vs. Sabatello |
Barzola vs. Magomedov |
Kayne vs. Ward |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 95-54 |
 Mousasi (82%) |
 Sabatello (76%) |
 Magomedov (83%) |
 Ward (87%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 100-54  2018 Champion |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
 Barzola |
Ward |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 98-56 2014 Champion |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Magomedov |
Ward |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 97-57 |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Magomedov |
Ward |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 97-57 |
 Eblen |
Sabatello |
Barzola |
Ward |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 97-57 |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Magomedov |
Ward |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 96-58 |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Magomedov |
Ward |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 92-62 2017 Champion |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Barzola |
Ward |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 91-63 |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Magomedov |
Ward |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 90-64 |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Magomedov |
Ward |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 84-70 |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Magomedov |
Ward |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 75-79 |
Mousasi |
Sabatello |
Barzola |
Ward |
Bellator returns to Connecticut this week with the middleweight title on the line at the top of the bill.
Bellator 282 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. 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, middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (49-7-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) takes on unbeaten challenger [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA). Mousasi is a -250 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook, and only one of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers is picking against him.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in a quarterfinal fight in the bantamweight grand prix. Sabatello is the biggest favorite on the main card at -600 and is one of two unanimous picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] (18-5-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in another quarterfinal bantamweight tournament bout. Magomedov is a slight favorite at -155 and has a 7-4 lead in the picks in the only contentious fight among our staff members.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Kassius Kayne[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a +210 underdog against -280 favorite [autotag]Brennan Ward[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 10-6 BMMA). Ward is our other unanimous pick at 11-0.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Mousassi (82 percent), Sabatello (76 percent), Magomedov (83 percent) and Ward (87 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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Ahead of Bellator 282, Gegard Mousasi, Johnny Eblen, and 26 other fighters will take to the scales to weigh in for their fights.
NORWICH, Conn. – Bellator 282 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and features 14 bouts including a middleweight title fight and two bantamweight grand prix tournament bouts.
Atop the card, middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (49-7-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) defends his title against undefeated American Top Team product [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA). In the co-main event, bad blood boils over as bitter rivals [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) finally will get their hands on one another in a grand prix quarterfinal. Also part of the tournament, Enrique Barzola (18-5-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on Magomed Magomedov (18-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA).
The 28 fighters competing on the card are set to tip the scales Thursday at the host hotel. MMA Junkie will be on scene live and reporting from the venue over the course of the one-hour weigh-in window. Check out the results below.
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)
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All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.
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 April 18-May 1.
Danny Sabatello gave an expletive-filled explanation as to why he’ll win the bantamweight grand prix after his Bellator 278 win.
HONOLULU – [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] punched his ticket into the eight-man Bellator bantamweight grand prix on Friday, and he’s extremely confident he’ll go through the field to win it at all.
Sabatello (12-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) punched his ticket into the tournament with a one-way beatdown of Jornel Lugo at Bellator 278, using a relentless grappling approach to win a unanimous decision in a wild card matchup that placed him into the semifinal round, where he’ll take on [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag].
After producing a stellar performance against Lugo, there’s no doubt in Sabatello’s mind he’s going to keep the momentum going against Higo (21-5 MMA, 3-4 BMMA), who he views as a very favorable matchup.
“There’s no way there’s a guy out there that can beat me right now,” Sabatello told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at Bellator 278. “If I can do that to a guy that’s a stud like Jornel Lugo, 8-0, undefeated, really f*cking talented and skillful fighter, than I can beat anybody. And now Leandro Higo is f*cking next. If you think I dominated Lugo, just wait and see what I do to Higo.
“Leandro, you’re a f*cking great matchup for me because you suck and I’m good. This is going to be a poetic performance for me.”
The bracket – #Bellator278 pic.twitter.com/l1IMeq0GS3
— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) April 23, 2022
Sabatello, who trains out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., said his grand prix quarterfinal with Higo is scheduled for June 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. He plans to take or two days to celebrate his win over Lugo before jumping back into training camp, where he intends to build on his skillset even further.
At just 29, Sabatello is confident he’s merely scratching the surface of his capabilities, and he expects only better from himself as he attempts to come out of the grand prix with the interim 135-pound title and a $1 million prize.
“You can’t really mimic (my style),” Sabatello said. “Nobody out there has my type of pressure. I guess you could put a 7,000-ton bolder on you and say, ‘This is Sabatello,’ but I don’t even think that would do justice. There’s no one out there that mimics my style and has my skills and my capabilities. I’m only getting f*cking better from here.”
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The fifth Bellator grand prix of the Scott Coker era is official.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – For months, Bellator president Scott Coker has been peppered with questions about when the promotion’s next grand prix will get underway and which weight class it will be. Those questions were answered Friday.
During the Bellator 272 broadcast, the promotion announced the next tournament will take place in the bantamweight division and feature eight of the promotion’s top fighters at 135 pounds.
The field will consist of champion [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag], who meet in tonight’s Bellator 271 headliner, along with former bantamweight champ [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag], popular Irish fighter [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag], Pitbull Brothers protege [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag], former ACB champion [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag], and rising contender [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag].
The eight tournament fighters are the most recent title fight competitors, as well as the top six contenders from the official Bellator rankings as of Friday.
No matchups or dates were revealed, but a Bellator official told MMA Junkie the promotion is targeting the first quarter of 2022 to begin the tournament.
Since Coker took over as Bellator president in 2014, the promotion has held four grand prixs, making bantamweight the fifth. The Bellator welterweight grand prix was launched first in 2018, followed by heavyweight in 2018, featherweight in 2019, and light heavyweight in 2020, which has reached the final between champion Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson.
Like other grand prixs, the winner of the bantamweight tournament will earn $1 million in addition to the Bellator title.
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Check out the ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs ahead of Bellator 259 at Mohegan Sun.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday and the women’s featherweight title will be on the line.
Bellator 259 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. Atop the bill is [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who defends her title against [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (12-8-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in the main event. The fight is a rematch of the two fighters’ 2016 bout, which Cyborg won by first-round TKO.
The co-main event also features a rematch. Former Bellator bantamweight champion [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) returns to the division he once sat upon the throne of. He faces [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 3-3 BMMA), who missed weight by 1.5 pounds ahead of the bout.
Following Thursday’s official Bellator 259 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.
Check out the faceoffs below, including Cyborg vs. Smith, Caldwell vs. Higo, [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag], [autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hannah Guy[/autotag], and more.
