Tag: Linton Vassell

Scott Coker reveals next Bellator heavyweight title challenger for Ryan Bader

Following Bellator 293, promotion president Scott Coker revealed whom he is leaning toward fighting Ryan Bader next.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] added a powerful knockout to his highlight reel Friday, but [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] is solidified as the next man up for a crack at gold.

Although James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) knocked out Marcelo Golm with a three-punch combination in Friday’s Bellator 293 main event, the heavyweight title shot for Vassell has been hinted at in multiple recent Bellator broadcasts.

According to promotion president Scott Coker after Bellator 293, Vassell (24-8 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) will be the next challenger for champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (31-7 MMA, 9-2 BMMA).

“The title shot is most likely going to go to Linton Vassell, because he’s been on a tear or two,” Coker said. ” But I think (James) is right up there. We definitely will invite him to come fight (at Bellator 297) in Chicago.”

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Vassell, 39, has won five in a row at heavyweight, with victories over the likes of Valentin Moldavsky, Tim Johnson, Tyrell Fortune, Ronny Markes, and Sergei Kharitonov during that stretch.

The upcoming heavyweight title fight between Bader and Vassell will be a rematch of their November 2017 matchup. Bader defeated Vassell by second-round TKO due to ground-and-pound.

As for James, the aforementioned Bellator 297 card in Chicago takes place June 16 at Wintrust Arena, and according to Coker, he’ll be a part of it. That notion James later affirmed.

“Yeah, my leg will be healed. I heal like a dog,” James said. “My leg will be healed fast, but you can’t have nothing in Chicago without me. People are already buying tickets. … Chicago, they’re waiting on me.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.

Bellator 292 salaries: Five get six-figure paydays, including Benson Henderson in retirement fight

Check out the full list of fighter salaries from this past Friday’s Bellator 292 event in San Jose, Calif.

Twenty fighters competed this past Friday at Bellator 292 with the titleholders leading all disclosed payouts.

California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Thursday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments or discretionary bonuses.

Three of five fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed paydays tied for the top spot on the list with $150,000. Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) submitted Benson Henderson (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA) in the main event, which also was the opening round of Bellator’s lightweight grand prix.

Both Nurmagomedov and Henderson made a disclosed $150,000 flat purse for their fights, win or lose. The other $150,000 recipient was Alexander Shabliy (23-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), who made $75,000 to show and a $75,000 win bonus for his finish of Tofiq Musayev (20-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in the tournament’s opening round.

In addition, Linton Vassell (24-8 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) made a flat $100,000 for his heavyweight knockout of Valentin Moldavsky (11-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) and Michael Page (21-2 MMA, 17-2 BMMA) made a flat $100,000 for his quick injury TKO of Goiti Yamauchi (28-6 MMA, 14-5 BMMA).

Scroll below to see what the 20 fighters on Bellator 292 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Coker: Ryan Bader vs. Linton Vassell title fight is two men better at heavyweight

It’s fair to say Bellator president Scott Coker is reasonably excited about the next heavyweight title fight he’s likely to promote.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It’s fair to say Scott Coker is reasonably excited about the next heavyweight title fight he’s likely to promote.

[autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) had some early issues in his rematch with Valentin Moldavsky (11-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) at Bellator 292 this past Friday in San Jose, Calif. But he worked his way out of trouble and rallied for a big knockout win to avenge a past loss.

The fight was a No. 1 contender fight for a title shot against champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], which will be another rematch for Vassell. He lost a light heavyweight title shot to Bader in November 2017.

Bader has since lost the 205-pound title, but has looked nearly untouchable at heavyweight. And so, too, has Vassell – with five straight wins and five finishes since he entered the division with his loss to Moldavsky. Coker thinks both of them are where they should be now.

“I think both these guys are better at heavyweight than they are at light heavyweight, and for whatever reason, they perform at a higher level when they’re in the heavyweight division,” Coker told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference. “I’m looking forward to it because the Linton I saw (Friday) is not the Linton I’ve ever seen before. Moldavsky is no joke. He is a real solid heavyweight, has great skills all the way around, has had a great training camp, obviously trains with Fedor (Emelianenko) and that whole team, and it seemed like (Vassell) just dominated him and took it to him.”

Coker said the plan is for Vassell to challenge Bader for the heavyweight title. But like everything in MMA, nothing is set in stone. Still, he expects the matchup to happen, and maybe not too far in the future, either.

Bader is coming off a quick finish of Emelianenko to defend the heavyweight belt. Vassell’s time preference is late fall, but he’d no doubt answer the call for a title shot no matter when it is.

“We look forward to promoting that fight,” Coker said. “I think Bader should be the next opponent (for Vassell). We haven’t talked to Ryan yet, so there’s still some things to be discussed. But that’s my goal is to put that fight together as soon as possible.”

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

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With title shot lined up, Linton Vassell awaits another rematch on Bellator revenge tour

With a Bellator heavyweight title shot all but official, Linton Vassell gave credit to his mental game for the biggest win of his career.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – With a heavyweight title shot all but official, [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] gave credit to improvements in his mental game for what he thinks was the biggest win of his career.

Vassell (24-8 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) had some early bumps in the road in his rematch with Valentin Moldavsky (11-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) at Bellator 292 this past Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. But instead of going into panic mode, he stayed calm and rallied for a big knockout win to avenge a past loss.

“It didn’t start the way I expected at all,” Vassell told MMA Junkie at his post-fight news conference. “But like my mind coach said, adversity and game plans, and what can you do when it doesn’t go your way? And I said, ‘Keep calm and get back to work.’ The groundwork didn’t work for me. That’s what usually is my bread and butter. But today, it was the hands. I’m not mad about that at all. Obviously, (I was) wanting to get that revenge back because we’re one apiece now.

“… If this was me, maybe even like six (to) 10 fights ago, I would have panicked. As soon as we got back to our feet, I would’ve done some stupid stuff and probably tried to take him down. (This time), I just composed myself, went back to my hands, and it was funny as I threw, I didn’t even know I’d hurt him until I had my head down and then when I looked up, he was on the floor.”

Vassell’s win over Moldavsky avenged a loss he had when he first moved to heavyweight from light heavyweight, a division in which he lost a title shot to then-champ Ryan Bader in 2017 before he moved up to heavyweight.

But since his move up, he has five straight wins, including four knockouts of Sergei Kharitonov, Ronny Markes, Timothy Johnson, and now Moldavsky. Now he’ll get a chance, Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed, to take Bader’s heavyweight title later this year.

Regardless of when the Bader rematch happens, Vassell said the win over Moldavsky was the biggest of his career so far.

“I’m going to say yes – one, because of the way I did it, and two, it was a very special fight, should I say, because it was a No. 1 contender and it was a rematch,” Vassell said. “So I had those two things on my mind. But to be honest, it wasn’t that that was playing my mind. It was just like, ‘I can’t lose again to him,’ beause I’m 39 now, so it’s not like I’ll get him next time. Probably more like, ‘I won’t get you next time and I won’t fight for the belt’ if I had lost. It was just icing on the cake to get the win, and winning the way I did, as well.”

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

Bellator 292 post-event facts: Michael Page takes sole possession of company knockout record

Check out the numbers to come out of Bellator 292, where Michael “Venom” Page broke a longstanding tie for most KO/TKO wins in history.

Bellator put on its third event of the year Friday with Bellator 292, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

The lightweight grand prix got its start on the card with a pair of quarterfinal matchups. Reigning champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) made his first step in defending through the tournament when he quickly stopped former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA) by first-round submission.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 292.

Bellator 292: Best photos from San Jose

Check out these photos from Bellator 292, which took place at Kia Forum in San Jose, Calif.

Check out these photos from Bellator 292, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Bellator 292 results: Linton Vassell puts Valentin Moldavsky out with hellacious elbows, earns title shot

Linton Vassell smashed the lights out on Valentin Moldavsky with hellacious elbows – and earned a title shot.

Bellator 292 was quite the night for [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag], who got revenge – and a title shot.

Friday, Vassell (23-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) knocked out former Bellator title challenger [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) with big elbows. The heavyweight bout was part of the event’s main card at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

The finishing sequence began with a right hand from Vassell, who pounced on Moldavsky, a Fedor Emelianenko protege. Moldavsky could not regain himself while Vassell poured down heavy strikes. A sequence of bludgeoning elbows by Vassell from mount put Moldavsky out cold.

Following the conclusion of the bout, Bellator confirmed on the broadcast and during the in-cage decision reading that Vassell is next in line for Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader. A date or location for that event was not revealed.

Vassell has won five in a row with four finishes. He’s 5-1 since he moved up from light heavyweight in 2019. His only heavyweight loss came in his divisional debut – against Moldavsky by unanimous decision.

The defeat marked the first time Moldavsky has been finished in his professional career. He is 0-2 with a no contest in his most recent three outings.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 292 results include:

  • Linton Vassell def. Valentin Moldavsky via knockout (elbows) – Round
  • Michael Page def. Goiti Yamauchi via KO (leg kick) – Round 1, 0:26.
  • Enrique Barzola def. Erik Perez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Josh Hill def. Cass Bell via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Khalid Murtazaliev def. Tony Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Julius Anglickas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Laird Anderson def. Rogelio Luna via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2;41.
  • Theo Haig def. Adam Wamsley via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:01.

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

Linton Vassell plans Bellator redemption tour of sorts starting with Valentin Moldavsky

Linton Vassell knew a shot at redemption against Valentin Moldavsky would come some day.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] knew a shot at redemption against Valentin Moldavsky would come some day.

Moldavsky (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) beat Vassell (23-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) with a unanimous decision in March 2019 to extend Vassell’s career-worst slump to three fights on the heels of knockout setbacks to Phil Davis and Ryan Bader at light heavyweight. Vassell moved to heavyweight, and Moldavsky outworked him for a rude welcome to the division.

But then Vassell started going on a tear, and after knockouts of Sergei Kharitonov, Ronny Markes and Timothy Johnson and a decision win over the highly touted Tyrell Fortune, he finds himself on the cusp of a title shot if he can avenge one of his losses at Bellator 292, where he and Moldavsky rematch on the main card.

“I don’t like to lose,” Moldavsky told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day for Bellator 292. “Once I’ve lost against like a person, I put every single thing into the rematch. I try and cover all my mistakes that I did and correct them. I felt like when I lost against Moldavsky the first time, I went back and I changed – the mistakes that I made (were made) just to make myself a better person.

“I knew at some point, I was going to fight him again. So we are here now. It’s time to show what I’ve actually worked on and what I’ve changed, and now what’s going to work in the fight.”

A win over Moldavsky almost certainly would net Vassell a shot at heavyweight champ Bader – which would mean another shot at redemption. Bader beat him in a light heavyweight title bout in 2017.

Vassell said he knows he needs to take one step at a time, but he sees the big picture.

“It’s crazy to think that that’s where we are right now,” Vassell said. Obviously (I have) unfinished business with both of them. That’s the perfect scenario: What I’m planning to do is beat Moldavsky, beat Bader, become world champion.

“But now I’ve just got to go in there and deal with Moldavsky first. I can’t look past him. Then we’ll go to the next one after that.”

Bellator 292 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out Vassell’s full media day interview in the video above.

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

Bellator 292 predictions: Can Benson Henderson upset massive favorite Usman Nurmagomedov?

Check out our staff members’ picks for Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif., featuring the start of the lightweight grand prix.

Nurmagomedov
vs.
Henson		 Musayev
vs.
Shabliy		 Moldavsky
vs.
Vassell		 Page
vs.
Yamauchi
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
23-14		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
(68%)		 shabliy20
Shabliy
(57%)		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky
(69%)		 page2023
Page
(66%)
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
27-13		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 shabliy20
Shabliy		 vassell2023
Vassell		 page2023
Page
Nolan King
@mma_kings
26-14		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page
Matt Erickson
@MattE
26-14		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
26-14		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
25-15
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 shabliy20
Shabliy		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
24-16		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
24-16		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 yamauchi2023
Yamauchi
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
24-16		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 yamauchi2023
Yamauchi
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
23-17
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
22-18
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
22-18		 unurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov		 musayev2023
Musayev		 moldavsky2023
Moldavsky		 page2023
Page

Bellator is back in its Northern California home base this week with a lightweight title fight at the top of the lineup.

Bellator 292 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. 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, lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line for the first time since he won the belt this past November against Patricky Freire. He takes on former UFC and WEC lightweight champ and two-time Bellator title challenger [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in a fight that doubles as a quarterfinal bout in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix.

Nurmagomedov is a massive favorite at -2500 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Henderson is +900. Henderson never has been worse than a +350 underdog in his UFC and Bellator career until now. Given the odds, it’s not surprising our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Nurmagomedov as a unanimous pick at 11-0.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) on the other side of the lightweight grand prix bracket. Shabliy is a slight favorite at the betting window, but our pickers may have taken into account Musayev’s 27-second KO win in his Bellator debut, and they have him with a big 9-2 picks lead.

Also on the main card, former interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) will try to make a case for another shot at champ Ryan Bader when he takes on [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA), who has won four straight. Moldavsky is more than a 3-1 favorite, though, and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 16-2 BMMA) is just a slight betting favorite at -125 in his welterweight bout against [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA). The winner will be in prime position to ask for a title shot. But despite the close numbers from the oddsmakers, our pickers have Page with a big 9-2 lead.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Nurmagomedov (80 percent), Shabliy (57 percent), Moldavsky (69 percent), and Page 66 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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

Bellator 292 pre-event facts: All-time KO leader meets all-time submission leader

Bellator 292 will see the man who holds the most knockout wins in company history share the cage with the promotion’s all-time submission leader.

Bellator returns to its home base of San Jose, Calif., on Friday with Bellator 292, which takes place at SAP Center with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The main event features the start of the promotion’s lightweight grand prix. The title will be on the line in the opening-round matchup, as reigning 155-pound champ [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) will attempt to make his first defense against former UFC and WEC titleholder [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA).

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 292.