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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from August 2023.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from August 2023. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for August.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Lucas Brennan was seconds away from his first professional loss, but was able to land an incredible knockout shot out of nowhere at Bellator 298.
[autotag]Lucas Brennan[/autotag] was less than 90 seconds away from his first professional loss, until he connected with a spectacular home run shot.
On the prelims of Bellator 298 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., Brennan (9-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) was dealing with a tough outing against Weber Almeida (7-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA), who was up on all three judges’ scorecards going into Round 3. However, with his back against the wall, Brennan landed a knee that immediately put Almeida out cold at 3:32 to seal an incredible comeback.
Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):
𝗦𝗸𝘆𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗢! 😱
A highlight reel knockout and epic comeback all rolled into one. Lucas Brennan, that was insane!
📺 Watch the #Bellator298 @MonsterEnergy Prelims LIVE ▶️ https://t.co/NxwCKFPRok pic.twitter.com/W3Q1rLJ37t
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 12, 2023
The finish was highlight-reel worthy under any circumstance, but for Brennan, the moment meant a comeback victory and the preservation of his undefeated record. It was only the second time in Brennan’s professional career that he saw a third round, breaking a streak of four consecutive first-round finishes.
For Almeida, the result is a heartbreaking one that halts the momentum of a two-fight winning streak.
Up-to-the-minute results of Bellator 298 include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.
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 May 22-28.
Lucas Brennan stayed unbeaten and won by first-round submission for the fourth straight time when he beat Josh San Diego at Bellator 293.
TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Lucas Brennan[/autotag] beat Josh San Diego with a first-round submission Friday on the preliminary card at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
Take a look inside the fight with Brennan, who stayed unbeaten and won by first-round submission for the fourth straight time.
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.
Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 293.
Check out the disclosed pay for all 30 fighters on Bellator 293, according to the California State Athletic Commission.
Thirty fighters competed Friday at Bellator 293 with [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] leading all disclosed payouts.
California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Friday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.
The main event and co-main event winners were the only two fighters to pocket six-figure disclosed paydays as a result of their performances Friday. Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) earned $100,000 flat for her unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in the co-main event. Then, main event winner James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) earned to $50,000 show and a $50,000 win bonus for his victory over [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).
Scroll below to see what the 30 fighters on Bellator 293 were paid – disclosed amounts only.
No fighter in Bellator history has ever started their tenure with the promotion by earning six straight first-round knockouts.
For the first time since October 2019, Bellator will travel to Temecula, Calif., on Friday with Bellator 293, which takes place at Pechanga Casino Resort with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
A matchup of surging heavyweight contenders will be featured in the main event. [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will put their unbeaten promotional records on the line as they meet in a five-round contest that will elevate the winner into the title conversation.
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 293.
Check out the full lineup for Bellator 293, a 16-fight card filled with various undefeated prospects.
The full fight card for Bellator 293 is locked, pending any unforeseen withdrawals.
As previously announced, the card is headlined by heavyweight contenders [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), and also features a co-main event between [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-4 BMMA). The event airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
On Tuesday, the promotion announced its full 16-fight card for March 31 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. New additions include undefeated top prospects [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), [autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA), [autotag]Lance Gibson Jr.[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), and [autotag]Lucas Brennan[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA).
Additionally, Bellator has signed three-time NCAA Division I All-American [autotag]Bryce Meredith[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) to a multifight deal. He will debut against [autotag]Brandon Carrillo[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).
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Below is the full Bellator 293 lineup:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (7 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
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. 3-9.
A featherweight matchup between undefeated Lucas Brennan and promotional newcomer Benjamin Lugo is the latest addition to Bellator 273.
A featherweight matchup between undefeated prospect [autotag]Lucas Brennan[/autotag] and promotional newcomer [autotag]Benjamin Lugo[/autotag] is the latest addition to Bellator 273.
Promotion officials today announced the new booking. Sherdog first reported the matchup.
Featuring a heavyweight title unification match between reigning champ Ryan Bader and interim titleholder Valentin Moldavsky, Bellator 273 takes place Jan. 29 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
The night’s main card airs live on Showtime following prelims that stream on MMA Junkie.
Brennan (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is unbeaten in the first five bout of his professional career, which have all taken place under the Bellator banner. The 21-year-old “Skywalker” has secured finished in four of those contests, including three via submission.
Meanwhile, Lugo (5-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) returns from a 16-month layoff. He fought most recently in August 2020, suffering a majority decision loss to current UFC featherweight Natan Levy in a bout under the LFA banner.
With the addition to the card, the Bellator 273 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET )
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)
