Tag: Linton Vassell

Linton Vassell might get over playoff miss if PFL booked him vs. Ryan Bader

It’s not often an upset win in a nationally televised main event is bittersweet.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It’s not often an upset win in a nationally televised main event is bittersweet, but that’s what it likely felt like for [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] this past Thursday.

Vassell (24-9) outworked Valentin Moldavsky (13-4) in the PFL’s heavyweight headliner for a decision win and 3 points. But because he lost his first fight of the regular season, Vassell fell short of the four-man playoffs – where $1 million is up for grabs.

But Vassell said he’ll stay ready – just in case one of the fighters who did make the postseason cut winds up out come August. Stranger things have happened, particularly at heavyweight, is his theory.

And the icing on the cake was his win over Moldavsky was the rubber match in their trilogy, and he owns a pair of wins.

“We all know what happens. Heavyweights are pulling out left, right and center, aren’t they?” Vassell told MMA Junkie and other reporters after the fight at Mohegan Sun Arena. “I’m gutted that I’m not through (to the playoffs), but I’m more happy that I got the win. I finished the trilogy, so we’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks, I guess.

“I’m going to sit back, obviously enjoy my win for a little bit. I’ll go back to training. I’ve got some friends that are fighting. Muhammad Usman is fighting soon, so I’ll go back and help him. I’ve got Emiliano Sordio fighting as well. So I help my teammates out and maybe get a call from PFL. You know, we’ll see. Maybe get a superfight or something. But I’ll go back and lick my wounds for a bit and then go back to training.”

Vassell thinks if he can’t find his way into the playoffs through the back door in a fluke, the kind of “superfight” he’s thinking could be against Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader, who beat Vassell in a 2017 title fight – but at light heavyweight.

“If I’m not in the tournament, then maybe Ryan comes over to PFL – could do a superfight or something like that,” Vassell said.

Check out Vassell’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 4.

2024 PFL 4 official weigh-ins results: One heavyweight misses the limit

It’s not every day that a heavyweight misses the divisional limit, as one did ahead of PFL’s return Thursday.

The PFL regular season continues Thursday with 2024 PFL 4, and all fights are now locked in after the official weigh-ins where one combatant – a heavyweight – missed the mark.

The event, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., features heavyweights and women’s flyweights in their first fights of the season.

In the main event, former Bellator interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (13-3) fights [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (24-9) for the third time. The co-main event features fast-rising star [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] (11-0) against fellow muay Thai specialist [autotag]Chelsea Hackett[/autotag] (4-2-1).

All fighters except one made weight Thursday, as heavyweight [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] tipped the scale at 268.5 pounds. His opponent, [autotag]Oleg Popov[/autotag] weighed 245 pounds – 23.5 pounds less.

The full 2024 PFL 4 official weigh-ins results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Valentin Moldavsky (243) vs. Linton Vassell (231.5)
  • Dakota Ditcheva (125.5) vs. Chelsea Hackett (125.75)
  • Denis Goltsov (243) vs. Thiago Santos (241)
  • Liz Carmouche (126) vs. Kana Watanabe (125.75)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Jena Bishop (125) vs. Taila Santos (125.75)
  • Davion Franklin (268.5)* vs. Oleg Popov (245)
  • Tyrell Fortune (253) vs. Marcelo Golm (266)
  • Ilara Joanne (125.5) vs. Shanna Young (126)
  • Tim Johnson (266) vs. Danilo Marques (248.25)
  • Lisa Mauldin (125.5) vs. Juliana Velasquez (125.5)
  • Sumiko Inaba (125) vs. Saray Orozco (125.5)

* = Franklin missed heavyweight limit by 2.5 pounds

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 4.

Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell headlines 2024 PFL 4 at Mohegan Sun

The second half of the PFL’s 2024 season starts in mid-June with heavyweights and women’s flyweights on the card in Connecticut.

The second half of the PFL’s 2024 season starts in mid-June with heavyweights and women’s flyweights on the card in Connecticut.

For the first time, the promotion will touch town at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. That venue was the East Coast home for Bellator for years before the PFL purchased it this past fall. PFL 2024, Week 4 is set for June 13.

Former Bellator standouts [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (13-3) and [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (24-9) will meet in the heavyweight main event, the promotion announced Monday. Moldavsky is at the top of the standings after a first-round knockout of Ante Delija earlier this month. Vassell was stopped by Denis Goltsov in the third round.

Because only four fighters make the playoffs and the top four at heavyweight all have 4 pints or more, Vassell will need a finish of Moldavsky if he wants a shot at making the postseason.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] (11-0) takes on [autotag]Chelsea Hackett[/autotag] (4-2-1). Ditcheva is one of three fighters with 6 points atop the women’s 125-pound standings after her first-round knockout of Lisa Mauldin in San Antonio. Hackett was submitted by Jena Bishop, so like Vassell finds herself in position to need a stoppage to have a realistic shot at the postseason.

Although there will be four other matchups in each of those divisions, those two matchups are the only ones the promotion announced Monday. The other fights are expected to be announced in the coming days.

After PFL 4 in Connecticut, the promotion heads to Salt Lake City for light heavyweights and lightweights June 21, then Sioux Falls, S.D., for welterweights and featherweights June 28.

“The PFL’s season format is the toughest test in MMA with the addition of elite athletes from Bellator, returning to Mohegan Sun, and PFL Europe looking to clinch a position in the 2024 PFL Playoffs,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a news release. “The PFL is excited to bring our brand of MMA to Connecticut, as well as our fans from 160 countries around the globe.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 3.

Linton Vassell on entering 2024 PFL season: ‘I can’t be waiting around’ for Ryan Bader

Linton Vassell expected Ryan Bader next but explains why he ended up entering the 2024 PFL season instead.

[autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] expected [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] next but ended up entering the 2024 PFL season instead.

Vassell (24-8) was scheduled to challenge Bellator heavyweight champion Bader (31-8) this past October but withdrew due to lingering effects of COVID. In the meantime, Bader faced 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira in February but was knocked out in just 21 seconds.

Vassell still thought he’d get to run things back with Bader but ended up accepting an offer to join the 2024 PFL season when he was told Bader isn’t ready yet.

“I was supposed to fight Bader, which didn’t happen,” Vassell told MMA Junkie Radio. “I got sick in October. So, me and my manager were saying I’m going to fight him depending on what happens with him and Ferreira. Obviously he lost the fight, so I’m expecting I’m going to fight Ryan next. I get a phone call saying that fight is not happening. ‘Do you want to go into the PFL tournament?’

“This was about maybe four weeks ago. That’s exactly what happened. I didn’t even get a chance to really decide what I wanted to do, but I wanted to fight. I’ve been training, so I thought why not? It’s a year pretty much when I fought (Valentin) Moldavsky. I can’t be waiting around for Ryan or whatever fight could be lined up later.”

Vassell meets Denis Goltsov in Thursday’s 2024 PFL 1 (ESPN2, ESPN+) co-main event, which takes place at Boeing Center in San Antonio. The 40-year-old is enjoying his best career run having won five straight, and despite his age, is ready for the strenuous tournament format.

“I know what I’ve put myself into,” Vassell said. “How would I know unless I tried? I could always be like, ‘Oh, I’m not ready,’ but I could be like, ‘I’m 40 now, I’m not going to fight,’ but I feel I’m at my best right now. I’ve won my last five fights. It’s not like I’m winning and it’s going the distance. Out of five fights, one fight went the distance, and I’ve beaten the top guys.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030792]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 1.

Video: Which champions retain (if any) at Bellator 300?

The tricentennial Bellator event takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego and features three title fights.

Bellator 300 is just days away – a milestone event for the promotion that will transpire in its most uncertain of times.

While it’s unclear how long Bellator will be around for, it’s tricentennial event features three title fights after a fourth, Ryan Bader vs. Linton Vassell was canceled Tuesday. The remaining title fights include [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag], and [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag].

The event takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego with a main card on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Which champions will retain (if any)? Which will lose (if any)?

MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom, and Danny Segura joined host George Garcia to break it all down.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full “Spinning Back Clique” episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Linton Vassell withdraws from Bellator 300 title fight vs. Ryan Bader

An undisclosed illness has forced Linton Vassell to pull out of Bellator 300 just five days from the historic event.

Bellator 300 is down one of its title fights.

Just five days from the historic event, [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] has withdrawn from his heavyweight title fight against champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] because of an undisclosed illness. As a result, the bout has been scrapped altogether. Bellator 300, which takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, will proceed with a three-title-fight main card.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the news Monday. Bellator later made an announcement.

Bader (31-7 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) vs. Vassell (24-8 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) would have been a rematch of a November 2017 light heavyweight title fight in which Bader made his first successful title defense by second-round TKO at Bellator 186.

Bader vs. Vassell was one of four scheduled title fights at Bellator 300, along with Cris Cyborg vs. Cat Zingano at women’s featherweight; Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Brent Primus at lightweight; and Liz Carmouche vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane at women’s flyweight.

With the cancellation, here is the updated Bellator 300 lineup:

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

  • Champ Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Brent Primus – for lightweight title; lightweight grand prix semifinal
  • Champ Cris Cyborg vs. Cat Zingano – for women’s featherweight title
  • Champ Liz Carmouche vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane – for women’s flyweight title

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6:30 p.m. ET)

  • Davion Franklin vs. Slim Trabelsi
  • Henry Corrales vs. Kai Kamaka
  • Leah McCourt vs. Sara McMann
  • Jena Bishop vs. Ilara Joanne
  • Alberto Garcia vs. Bobby Seronio III
  • Romero Cotton vs. Grant Neal
  • Sergio Cossio vs. Jesse Roberts
  • Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Herman Terrado
  • Maciej Rozanski vs. Doveltdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Dmytrii Hrytsenko vs. Justin Montalvo
  • Bryce Meredith vs. Miguel Peimbert
  • Jackie Cataline vs. Lorrany Santos
  • Josh Hokit vs. Spencer Smith

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 7-13)

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 Aug. 7-13.

Bellator 300: Historic event set for Oct. 7 in San Diego with 4 title fights

Bellator 300 finally has a date and location, as well as a historic main card with four title fights.

Bellator 300 finally has a date and location, as well as a historic main card.

The event is set for Oct. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego and will feature four title fights. The promotion is saying Bellator 300 will have four main events, but atop the card will be heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] against challenger [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag].

In addition, women’s featherweight champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] takes on challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag], lightweight titleholder [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] meets former champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], and in a long-discussed matchup, women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] will put her title on the line against her good friend, training partner and former champ, [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag].

Bellator officials announced the card Wednesday. The event date, location and lightweight title fight first were reported by BJPenn.com. The additional three title fights were announced on “The MMA Hour” ahead of a Bellator news release. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

“When I first joined Bellator, we set out to sign and develop the best available talent in the world and produce events for massive audiences,” Bellator president Scott Coker said in a press release. “Our first tentpole event was Bellator 131 in San Diego, and we couldn’t be more excited to return to that very same arena for this monumental Bellator 300 event.

“We wanted to give the fans and supporters an epic night of fights and there is no better way to do that than showcasing these four incredible champions all putting their belts on the line. I’m proud of the all the work we have done to grow this brand and its athletes since I came on board. I can’t wait for Bellator 300, which is going to be the biggest event in the history of Bellator MMA.”

Former two-division champ Bader (31-7 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) lost the light heavyweight title in 2020, but has held onto the heavyweight belt. After he was knocked out by Corey Anderson in the 205-pound tournament in 2021, he has three straight heavyweight title wins over Valentin Moldavsky, Cheick Kongo and Fedor Emelianenko.

The fight against Vassell will be a rematch of a Bader win at Bellator 186 in November 2017, which Bader won with a second-round TKO to defend his light heavyweight title. Now Vassell will try again, but a weight class up.

Vassell, who is all of four days older than Bader, lost his first fight at heavyweight in 2019, but has been on a tear since then with five straight wins and four stoppages in the division. In March, he knocked out Moldavsky in the first round.

Cyborg (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) re-signed with Bellator earlier this year after she tested the free agency market. Ultimately, she decided to stay put, but stayed at least a busy boxing. But now she’ll have a grudge match with Zingano. Cyborg is considered one of the best women’s fighters in history and has held titles for Bellator, the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta.

Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) has been waiting for a shot at Cyborg since she signed with Bellator after a lengthy run in the UFC. She’s been perfect out of the gate and now will get her first shot at a title since she challenged Ronda Rousey at UFC 184 in 2015. Her resume already includes wins over Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate, and a win over Cyborg would be a legacy-defining moment.

Nurmagomedov, a cousin over former UFC lightweight champion Khabib, won the title in November 2022 against then-champ Patricky Freire. In March, he submitted former UFC and WEC champ Benson Henderson for his first successful title defense in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Primus (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) was on the outside looking in when the tournament started, but stepped in as a late replacement alternate. Then he silenced the crowd in Paris with a unanimous decision over local French fan favorite Mansour Barnaoui at Bellator 296. He beat Michael Chandler for the title in 2017, and an upset of Nurmagomedov would give him the belt back and put him in a $1 million title defense in the final.

And finally, Carmouche (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and Macfarlane (13-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) get their dream matchup. Macfarlane has said she wants to win back the flyweight belt she used to hold, then retire. To do it, it’ll have to come against her good friend and longtime training partner.

Carmouche defended the title against DeAnna Bennett in the Bellator 294 main event in April in Honolulu. The next night, Macfarlane took a split decision from Kana Watanabe in front of her home fans to set up the fight between the two. Carmouche has been unstoppable since she signed with Bellator. Macfarlane has bounced back from the first two losses of her career with wins over Bruna Ellen and Watanabe.

There have been reports that Bellator may be on the cusp of being acquired from Paramount, and the strongest rumored bidder has been the PFL. Further speculation has been that Bellator 300 could be the promotion’s final event before a merger.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month for March: ‘MVP’ delivers another one-shot finish

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from March 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from March 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for March.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

Nominees