Mandel Nallo – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Bellator 255’s Mandel Nallo not fazed by the odd circumstances surrounding his fights

Ahead of Bellator 255, Mandel Nallo discussed his fight at Wednesday’s media day in Uncasville, Conn.

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator returns to action Friday for the first time in 2021.

Bellator 255 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime – the promotion’s debut on the cable network – and MMA Junkie following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Ahead of the event, [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) discussed his fight at Wednesday’s media day. Nallo talked about his fight against Ricardo Seixas Filho (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), his preparations for the bout, the strange circumstances surrounding some of his fights, and more.

Check out Nallo’s full interview in the video above.

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Bellator 255 lineup finalized; Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez tops 13-fight card

On Friday, Bellator returns with it’s first event of 2021 – and its Showtime debut.

Barring any unforeseen fight week cancellations, the Bellator 255 lineup is set.

Tuesday, promotion officials announced the finalized 13-fight card and bout order, which includes a five-fight main card and eight prelims. Bellator 255 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

The event is headlined by Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (31-4 MMA, 19-4 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) who will face off in a grand prix semifinal fight.

In the co-main event, welterweight contenders [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) will face off in a fight that could have potential title shot implications for the winner.

Rounding out the main card is a heavyweight rematch between [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), the promotional debut of [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) as he takes on [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at lightweight, and a women’s flyweight fight between [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (9-0-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

The finalized Bellator 255 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

Champion Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez – for Bellator featherweight title, grand prix semifinal
Neiman Gracie vs. Jason Jackson
Tyrell Fortune vs. Jack May
Mike Hamel vs. Usman Nurmagomedov
Alejandra Lara vs. Kana Watanabe

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

[autotag]Cee Jay Hamilton[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag]
[autotag]Mukhamad Berkhamov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Herman Terrado[/autotag]
[autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricardo Seixas[/autotag]
[autotag]Fabio Aguiar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khalid Murtazaliev[/autotag]
[autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Roger Huerta[/autotag]
[autotag]Jose Augusto[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jonathan Wilson[/autotag]
[autotag]Roman Faraldo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Trevor Gudde[/autotag]
[autotag]Branko Busick[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jordan Newman[/autotag]

Bellator 255: Make your predictions for Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez 2

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 255 event in Connecticut.

We want your predictions for Fridady’s Bellator 255 event in Connecticut.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 255 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 255 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Keoni Diggs out of Bellator 255; Mandel Nallo needs new opponent

Bellator 255 is down a man after Keoni Diggs withdrew.

[autotag]Keoni Diggs[/autotag] won’t be making his return at Bellator 255 after all.

The Hawaiian lightweight is out of his matchup against [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] for undisclosed reasons, a Bellator official told MMA Junkie on Monday. The promotion is actively seeking a replacement.

Bellator 255 takes place April 2 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and airs on Showtime.

Diggs (9-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has won both of his Bellator appearances inside the distance. After he won his promotional debut against Scotty Hao by second-round submission in December 2019, Diggs choked Derek Campos unconscious in the final second of their three-round fight in September 2020. Diggs missed weight by one pound for the Campos fight.

Nallo (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) most recently competed at Bellator 249 in October. In the opening minutes of Round 1, Nallo accidentally struck opponent Saad Awad in the groin. The blow was hard enough that Awad could not continue and the bout was ruled a no contest.

With the change, the Bellator 255 lineup now includes:

Champion Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez – for Bellator featherweight title, grand prix semifinal
Mike Hamel vs. Usman Nurmagomedov
Neiman Gracie vs. Jason Jackson
Tyrell Fortune vs. Matt Mitrione
Magomed Magomedov vs. Jared Scoggins
Alejandra Lara vs. Kana Watanabe
Manel Nallo vs. TBA
Mads Burnell vs. Saul Rogers
Chris Gonzalez vs. Roger Huerta

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Top 10 Bellator dark horses to watch in 2021

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a look at his top 10 Bellator dark horses to watch in 2021.

Despite being held to just 18 events in 2020 due to the global pandemic, Bellator was able to keep the proverbial ball rolling in regards to fostering new names and cultivating homegrown talent.

Sure, it’s been easy to get excited about big-name signings like Yoel Romero or Anthony Johnson, but I think the promotion carries a quiet value with the offerings that are often found on their undercards. So, with that in mind, I decided to steer away from mainstream names or past grand prix competitors in order to focus on the dark horses whom I see either making their marks or (in some cases) taking a stab at a title in 2021.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 dark horses that I think you need to be familiar with this year.

Bellator 249 predictions: Who’s picking Arlene Blencowe to upset Cris Cyborg?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 249 main card in Connecticut.

	Cyborg vs. Blencowe	Freire vs. Willis	Bandejas vs. Higo	Awad vs. Nallo
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 120-76	Cyborg (68%)	Freire (72%)	Bandejas (68%)	Nallo (51%)
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 130-66	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 130-66	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 129-67	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Awad
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 128-68	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Awad
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 127-69	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 126-70 2014 Champion	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 126-70 2017 Champion	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 125-71 2019 Champion*	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 124-72	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 121-75	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Awad
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 121-75 2018 Champion	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Awad
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 118-78	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 117-79	Cyborg	Freire	Bandejas	Nallo
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 79-117	Blencowe	Willis	Higo	Awad

Bellator is back Stateside this week for a Thursday event – which will be the promotion’s new normal – with the women’s featherweight title on the line.

Bellator 249 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, women’s 145-pound champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) puts her title on the line against Australian challenger [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-3 BMMA). Cyborg is a heavy 9-1 favorite in the fight, and just one of our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts is picking Blencowe in an upset.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 14-7 BMMA), brother of Bellator featherweight and lightweight dual champ Patricio Freire, takes on [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Only one of our staff members is taking Willis, who is making his return to Bellator on the heels of an LFA welterweight title win in August.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) meets [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) in a bantamweight bout. Just like the top two bouts, only one picker is taking Higo to win.

And to open the main card, we have our most contentious fight from a picking standpoint. [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] (23-13 MMA, 11-10 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) at lightweight. Awad has some picking support, but Nallo still has a sizable 9-5 lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cyborg (68 percent), Freire (72 percent), Bandejas (68 percent) and Nallo (51 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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First loss changed Mandel Nallo’s perspective going into Bellator 249

Mandel Nallo doesn’t feel any less pressure to win now that his undefeated record is gone.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] spoke to MMA Junkie on Tuesday ahead of his fight with Saad Awad at Bellator 249.

Nallo (7-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) discussed his lightweight bout with Awad (23-13 MMA, 11-10 BMMA), rebounding from his first career loss, how the layoff from the coronavirus pandemic didn’t negatively impact him, and more.

Watch the complete interview in the video above.

Bellator 249 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Bellator 249’s Mandel Nallo on first loss lessons and fan-friendly matchups

Ricky Bandejas vs. Leandro Higo, Saad Awad vs. Mandel Nallo round out Bellator 249 main card

The Bellator 249 main card is set with four fights.

The Bellator 249 four-fight main card has been finalized.

[autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] and [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] will round out the Bellator 249 main card.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation recently confirmed the bookings to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It streams on CBS Sports Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Bandejas (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) returns to action looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Sergio Pettis in July at Bellator 242. Prior to the defeat, Bandejas had won back-to-back fights against Frans Mlambo and Ahmet Kayretli.

Higo (19-5 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) has gone 2-2 in his most recent four outings. At Bellator 228 in September 2019, Higo snapped a two-fight skid with a second-round submission win over Shawn Bunch. He joins teammate Patricky Freire on the card.

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Awad (23-13 MMA, 11-10 BMMA) is currently on a four-fight losing streak. The skid followed a four-fight winning streak Awad went on from April 2017 to October 2018. In his most recent fight at Bellator 232 in October 2019, Awad was finished with punches by Paul Daley.

Nallo (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) is coming off the first loss of his professional career. After ending his first two Bellator outings against Alec Williams and Carrington Banks with violent knockout strikes, Nallo was finished with leg kicks by Killys Mota at Bellator 231 in October 2019.

With the addition, the Bellator 249 lineup includes:

Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe – for Bellator women’s featherweight title
Patricky Freire vs. Jaleel Willis
Ricky Bandejas vs. Leandro Higo
Saad Awad vs. Mandel Nallo

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