Tag: Magomed Magomedov

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Edwards vs. Muhammad, Aspinall to defend interim belt, UFC & Bellator results, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses the announced matchups for UFC 304, Lerone Murphy’s big win over Edson Barboza, UFC 302, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Farah Hannoun and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC 304 is stacking up. The promotion announced several key matchups for its July 27 return to Manchester, England. The announcement included two title fights in [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] for the undisputed welterweight title and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight belt. Additionally, [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]’s return was revealed to be against veteran [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]. Tons to digest.
  • UFC Fight Night 241 is in the books. In the main event of the card, [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] had a breakout performance, defeating veteran [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] in dominant fashion. Murphy, who’s undefeated in his MMA career, called for a top-10 opponent after the win. Who should Murphy fight next? Where does Barboza go from here? We break it all down.
  • PFL held yet another of their new Bellator Championship Series events, this time in Paris. In the main event of Bellator Champions Series: Paris, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] defended his bantamweight title in a close split decision win over [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag]. The co-main event saw French star [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] make quick work of Jaleel Willis. Two big results for Bellator. So what’s next for both these fighters? We discuss.
  • “Spinning Back Clique” will be off on Memorial Day, but don’t worry, we got you covered with a UFC 302 preview. This week, we’ll take a look at the UFC’s next pay-per-view event, which features a UFC lightweight title bout between [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]. We analyze what’s likely going to be Poirier’s final tine shot, along with the co-main event middleweight bout between [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

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Patchy Mix def. Magomed Magomedov at Bellator Champions Series: Paris: Best photos

Check out these photos from Patch Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov 2 at Bellator Champions Series: Paris.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] to retain his bantamweight title at Bellator Champions Series: Paris, which took place at Accor Arena in Paris, France. (Photos courtesy of PFL/Bellator)

 

Video: Is Patchy Mix’s Bellator title defense the best fight of the weekend?

Who has the better main event of the weekend, UFC or Bellator? We discuss on the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique.”

The UFC and PFL are hosting events this weekend, with Bellator Champions Series: Paris going down on Friday and UFC Fight Night 241 following on Saturday.

Both cards host very compelling main events with [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] vs.[autotag] Lerone Murphy[/autotag] headlining the UFC card, and [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag]’s title defense against [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] being the top bill for Bellator.

Which promotion has the best MMA fight of the weekend?

MMA Junkie’s Matthew Wells, Dan Tom, Mike Bohn, and host Danny Segura unanimously agree its Mix’s return to the cage.

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

https://youtube.com/live/kCQzad3LuR0

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Video: Bellator Champions Series: Paris ceremonial weigh-ins, faceoffs live stream

Watch a live stream of the Bellator Champions Series: Paris ceremonial fighter weigh-ins Thursday.

Bellator Champions Series: Paris ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Thursday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place at Accor Arena in Paris, which hosts Friday’s event (Max, MMA Junkie).

A bantamweight championship fight headlines the event as [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (19-1) will look to notch his first title defense in a rematch against [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (20-3). In the co-main event, French superstar [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] (5-1) takes on [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (16-5).

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

Bellator Champions Series: Paris weigh-in results: Title fight official, one fighter misses weight

Check out the results from the official Bellator Champions Series: Paris fighter weigh-ins in France.

The official weigh-ins for Bellator Champions Series: Paris are in the books, and all but one fighter hit their marks.

In the main event, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (19-1) defends his bantamweight title in a rematch against [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (20-3). Both fighters made championship weight at 135 pounds.

In the co-headliner, French superstar [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] (5-1) takes on [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (16-5) in a 175-pound catchweight bout. Doumbe weighed in at 175.5, whereas Willis came slightly under at 174.6.

[autotag]Thibault Gouti[/autotag] (17-6) was the only fighter who missed weight. Gouti takes on [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] (9-0) at lightweight, but weighed in at 157.7 pounds and will be fined a percentage of his purse. Colgan was on weight at 154.9.

The weigh-ins took place at the Bellator host hotel. Accor Arena in Paris hosts Friday’s event (Max, MMA Junkie).

The full Bellator Champions Series: Paris weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Max, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Patchy Mix (135) vs. Magomed Magomedov (135) – for bantamweight title
  • Cedric Doumbe (175.5) vs. Jaleel Willis (174.6)
  • Gregory Babene (185.7) vs. Costello van Steenis (185.8)
  • Jonas Bilharinho (145.9) vs. Yves Landu (145.4)
  • Archie Colgan (154.9) vs. Thibault Gouti (157.7)*
  • Louis Sutherland (265.9) vs. Slim Trabelsi (239.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Max, noon ET)

  • Mansour Barnaoui (153.7) vs. Yusuke Yachi (155.3)
  • Steven Hill (184.3) vs. Mike Shipman (185.9)
  • Aspen Ladd (145.8) vs. Katerina Shakalova (144.2)
  • Asael Adjoudj (145.9) vs. Bruno Fontes (145.4)

*Gouti missed the lightweight limit and will be fined a percentage of his purse.

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

Magomed Magomedov plots ‘Year of Revenge’ with first stop Patchy Mix: ‘With one shot I can kill both rabbits

Magomed Magomedov plans to kill two birds with one stone, or as they apparently say in Russia, kill two rabbits with one shot.

[autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] came up short the first time, but as he sees it, things have changed.

Second chances don’t always come, but Friday at Bellator Champions Series: Paris, Magomedov (20-3) will get one as he rematches bantamweight champion [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (19-1) at Accor Arena in Paris.

“Honestly, this is perfect scenario for me, so with one shot I can kill both rabbits, right?” Magomedov told reporters through an interpreter at a virtual news conference Tuesday. “I can get my revenge and also get the Bellator title, the one that all the fighters are looking at.”

The double opportunity Magomedov sees is half-title shot and half-vengeance. Magomedov and Mix fought in a non-title grand prix bout in December 2022. Mix put Magomedov to sleep with a guillotine choke in Round 2.

This time, Magomedov predicts a different outcome. He thinks he himself has improved, while Mix has remained the same.

“The whole preparation and training camp was totally different, rather than the first one. One thing I can gaurantee is that in the cage you’ll see another tiger, not the one you saw before with Patchy Mix. This, I can promise.”

“I think you will see a more aggressive Magomed who will push the pace and move forward. I have tuned myself for the five-round fight. It’s actually not going to be a fight. It’s going to be a brawl.”

“After our last fight, he made two more wins. I’m sure he’ll get more confident. On the mental side, he’s more confident. Stylistically and technical-wise, I believe he’s the same. Nothing much has changed for him.”

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Should he walk away from Friday’s bout with championship gold, Magomedov hopes the stars align to keep the revenge tour going. Top contender [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (20-2) is the other man to hold a Bellator win over Magomedov, who hopes to make it two-for-two in rematches under the promotion’s banner.

“Well, if everything went perfect in this fight, I would love to have my first title defense with Raufeon, as you mentioned,” Magomedov said. “The same thing. I have to defend my title, but if the title defense is going to be a fight that I can avenge my loss, that’ll be ideal. Let’s say 2024 I’m setting the goal that it will be the ‘Year of Revenge.'”

“… I think (a title fight) is the last step on the ladder that I’m walking on. It’s kind of like winning an Olympic game to get this title. This is the goal of professional athletes and professional fighters. This night and this belt will be the thrill of my career.”

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

Magomed Magomedov wants Bellator bantamweight title shot with Sergio Pettis-Patchy Mix winner

Magomed Magomedov hopes he earned a bantamweight title shot after Bellator X Rizin 2.

[autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] hopes he earned a title shot after Bellator X Rizin 2.

Magomedov (20-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) submitted Danny Sabatello (14-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) by first-round guillotine choke this past Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo.

Prior to that, Magomedov was eliminated by Patchy Mix in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix semifinal. Now that he’s rebounded, he hopes to have reinserted himself in the title picture and get a shot at the winner of bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis vs. grand prix winner and interim champ Patchy Mix.

“I hope so – obviously that’s the goal,” Magomedov said through an interpreter at the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 post-fight press conference. “If Bellator sees fit, I would love to fight the winner of Pettis and Mix. If it’s Mix, I would love to run it back.

“I got caught in his trap (and) kind of started fighting really late. I would love to get a rematch. And if it’s Pettis, I never fought him before, so that would be great. I’ve been in this sport for a long time. I feel like I really need to get to this title and win the title. It would be a big deal.”

Sabatello was oozing confidence heading into his matchup with Magomedov, but “Tiger” submitted him early. He expected Sabatello to be more physically imposing as a grappler than he thought he was in the fight.

“Just like I expected, he’s a very skilled wrestler and a good fighter,” Magomedov said. “The only thing that surprised me was I thought he was a little stronger, but he did not feel very strong.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Danny Sabatello: Magomed Magomedov ‘sucks,’ but win should lead to Bellator title shot vs. ‘p*ssy’ Pettis or Mix

Danny Sabatello is not sold on Magomed Magomedov, but sees him as his ticket to a Bellator bantamweight title shot.

[autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] is not sold on [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag], but sees him as his ticket to a title shot.

Sabatello (14-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) meets Magomedov (19-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) on Saturday’s Bellator X Rizin 2 main card, which takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET.

Winner of eight of his past nine, Sabatello is expecting a title shot with a win over Magomedov. But with bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis’ title unification bout with interim champ Patchy Mix yet to be booked, Sabatello will stay active if he has to.

“There’s a reason why I called out for this fight against Magomed,” Sabatello told reporters at a Bellator X Rizin 2 news conference Thursday. “First off, a lot of people think he’s good. He’s got a big name. I personally think he sucks. The good thing about this fight is that he’s one notch above me in the rankings, so I think after I get this win, I should be fighting for the belt.

“But one thing I do is I fight, and I don’t like sitting on my ass. I know Patchy and Pettis are not scheduled to fight yet. That’s probably because Pettis is milking some bullsh*t injury like he always f*cking does because he doesn’t like to fight because he’s a p*ssy. So if that fight does get booked soon, then I think I should be next in line for the title. But I am going to fight after this fight before getting that title shot if that fight doesn’t come to fruition for a while. I do like this fight. I think it catapults me to a title fight, barring Pettis being a p*ssy.”

While Sabatello would love a quick finish, he plans on dragging Magomedov to deep waters.

“I want to torture him first,” Sabatello said. “I always say that in all my fights.  I don’t want to give my opponents the easy way out. Especially if they’ve been talking a little bit of trash, I need to punish them for that. I also want to put on a very good show for Tokyo.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 5-11)

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 5-11.

Bellator X RIZIN 2 adds Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin, Magomed Magomedov vs. Danny Sabtello

The Bellator x RIZIN 2 card continues to fill as Lorenz Larkin enters a fight with high violence potential and Danny Sabatello returns.

Two main card bouts have been added to the upcoming Bellator x RIZIN show this summer.

At Bellator x RIZIN 2, welterweight strikers [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag] (26-4 MMA, 15-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) will collide, before bantamweight contenders [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) later on the July 30 card (July 29 in the United States) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Promotion officials announced the bookings Wednesday.

Koreshkov, 32, has won four straight fights. Over that stretch, he’s alternated fights in and outside of Bellator, as the promotion has allowed him to take bouts outside the promotion. Koreshkov most recently competed at Shlemenko FC 4 in June and won by TKO.

Larkin, 36, has not lost in eight straight appearances and has bounced between middleweight and welterweight. In February, Larkin landed one of the most violent knockouts of 2023 when he put Mukhamed Berkhamov to sleep with a standing elbow in February.

Magomedov, 31, looks to get back in the win column after a submission loss to Patchy Mix in December. The bout was a bantamweight grand prix semifinal, which Magomedov advanced into after a quarterfinal win over Enrique Barzola.

Sabatello, 30, bounced back in April from a bantamweight grand prix semifinal loss of his own vs. Raufeon Stots. Sabatello defeated rising prospect Marcos Breno by second-round submission.

With the additions, the Bellator x RIZIN 2 lineup includes:

  • A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Freire – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu – for inaugural flyweight title
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Danny Sabatello
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin