Tag: Mark Lemminger

Bellator 289 post-event facts: Underdogs shine on final card of 2022

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 289, which took place Friday and saw a number of significant betting upsets.

Bellator put on its 17th and final event of the year on Friday with Bellator 289, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Two champions defended their titles at the top of the card. In the main event, [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) edged [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) by split decision in their grudge match to defend interim bantamweight gold and advance to the finals of the promotion’s grand prix.

The co-headliner saw [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) earn a second consecutive win over [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA), this time without controversy as she scored a second-round submission to defend women’s flyweight gold.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 289.

Bellator 289: Best photos from Connecticut

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289 in Uncasville, Conn.

Check out these photos from the fights at Bellator 289, headlined by an interim bantamweight title and grand prix semifinal bout between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Cris Lencioni returns, meets Cody Law at Bellator 289 in December

After three fights outside the promotion this year, Cris Lencioni will return to Bellator in December.

After three fights outside the promotion this year, [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] will return to Bellator in December.

Lencioni (9-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) has signed a new multifight deal with the promotion and will take on [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in a featherweight bout at Bellator 289. A promotion official confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie on Wednesday.

Bellator 289 is set for Dec. 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The card features a women’s flyweight title fight between new champion Liz Carmouche and former champ Juliana Velasquez, plus a pair of bantamweight tournament semifinals that include interim champ Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello.

In addition, a welterweight fight between [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 2-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Michael Lombardo[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) has been added to the lineup.

Lencioni most recently fought for Bellator in August 2020, when he took a unanimous decision from A.J. Agazarm. After that, he competed in many grappling tournaments, then returned to MMA in February with a loss to recent UFC signee Don Shainis. But he bounced back after that with a decision over Drako Rodriguez in April and, most recently, a submission of Talon Hoffman on the regional circuit in August.

Law started his career a perfect 6-0 with five stoppage wins before he was upset by James Gonzalez in June at Bellator 282. The American Top Team-trained wrestling standout will be looking to get back on track against Lencioni.

With the addition, the Bellator 289 lineup now includes:

  • Interim champ Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello – for interim bantamweight title; bantamweight grand prix semifinal
  • Champ Liz Carmouche vs. Juliana Velasquez – for women’s flyweight title
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Patchy Mix – bantamweight grand prix semifinal
  • Cody Law vs. Cris Lencioni
  • Mark Lemminger vs. Michael Lombardo

Bellator 281: Best photos from London

Check out these photos from Bellator 281 which took place at SSE Arena in London.

Check out these photos from Bellator 281 which took place at SEE Arena in London. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Bellator 266 salaries: Yoel Romero leads disclosed payouts despite promotional debut loss

Yoel Romero lost his Bellator debut – but was still compensated the highest amount of anyone on the card.

Bellator 266 is in the books and although [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] was the victorious half of the main event, he didn’t receive the highest disclosed payout according to the event’s commissioning body.

While Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) pocketed a $100,000 flat salary for his three-round split decision, his opponent [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) earned $150,000 in defeat. The fight was Romero’s promotional debut with Bellator and his first bout since his UFC departure in 2020.

MMA Junkie acquired a full list of Bellator 266 payouts Wednesday from California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster. The amounts include win and show purses, but do not account for any discretionary bonuses.

Bellator 266 took place Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out the full list of Bellator 266 payouts below:

Bellator 266 lineup finalized with the addition of four more prelims

The lineup for Bellator return to its Northern California home base is set with the addition of four new fights on the preliminary card.

The lineup for next week’s Bellator return to its Northern California home base is set with the addition of four new fights on the preliminary card.

[autotag]Rhalan Gracie[/autotag] (0-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will return to MMA for the first time since 2007 when he takes on [autotag]Shane Keefe[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight.

Plus, [autotag]Eddie Abasolo[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Art Hernandez[/autotag] (4-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a 160-pound contract weight fight; [autotag]Edwin De Los Santos[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Jon Adams[/autotag] (0-1-1 MMA, 0-1-1 BMMA) at flyweight; and [autotag]Jesse Delgado[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) fights [autotag]Joshua Dillon[/autotag] (1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a 130-pound contract weight bout.

Bellator 266 takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The card will be Bellator’s first in San Jose in more than two years.

In the main event, [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) finally will make his Bellator debut when he takes on former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 9-3 BMMA).

Romero signed with Bellator in December 2020 after a seven-year run with the UFC. He was booked to make his promotional debut against Anthony Johnson to open the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix in May, but was forced to withdraw because of concerns over his eye following a pre-fight medical exam.

Romero, 44, hasn’t fought since March 2020 when he dropped a unanimous decision to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 248, which marked his third consecutive loss. His other two defeats in the skid came against Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Romero hasn’t won since a February 2018 knockout of Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.

Davis is coming off an April unanimous decision loss to champion Vadim Nemkov in the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix, which snapped a three-fight winning streak.

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The Bellator 266 lineup includes:

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

  • Phil Davis vs. Yoel Romero
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag]
  • [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Christian Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ben Parrish[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Anthony Adams[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khalid Murtazaliev[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Albert Gonzales[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Abraham Vaesau[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Socrates Hernandez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pedro Juarez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Erin Hunter[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Seronio III[/autotag]
  • Rhalan Gracie vs. Shane Keefe
  • Eddie Abasolo vs. Art Hernandez
  • Jon Adams vs. Edwin De Los Santos
  • Jesse Delgado vs. Joshua Dillon

Neiman Gracie vs. Mark Lemminger co-headlines Bellator 266 on Sept. 18

Neiman Gracie will look to get back on his path to title contention when he meets Mark Lemminger. 

[autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] will look to get back on his path to title contention when he meets [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag].

Gracie (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) meets Lemminger (12-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 266, which takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., promotion officials announced Thursday. MMA Fighting was first to report the news.

Since getting eliminated by Rory MacDonald in the 2019 Bellator welterweight grand prix, Gracie has split his past two appearances. After submitting former UFC title challenger Jon Fitch in the second round at Bellator 246, Gracie dropped a unanimous decision to Jason Jackson at Bellator 255 in April.

Lemminger was able to snap a two-fight losing skid when he picked up a TKO win over Demarques Jackson at Bellator 260 in June. He will get a big opportunity to crack the top 10 when he meets No. 4 ranked Bellator welterweight Gracie.

The current Bellator 266 lineup includes:

  • Phil Davis vs. Yoel Romero
  • Neiman Gracie vs. Mark Lemminger
  • DeAnna Bennett vs. Alejandra Lara
  • Adam Piccolotti vs. Saul Rogers
  • Grant Neal vs. Alex Polizzi
  • Christian Edwards vs. Ben Parrish
  • Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Travis Davis
  • Abraham Vaesau vs. Albert Gonzales

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Raufeon Stots vs. Keith Lee, ‘Baby Slice’ return among five fights added to Bellator 253

Five fights have been added to next week’s Bellator 253 lineup.

The Bellator 253 lineup is filling out.

On Monday, a promotion official informed MMA Junkie of five fights including [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] and the return of “Baby Slice” [autotag]Kevin Ferguson Jr.[/autotag], son of the late combat sports legend Kimbo Slice.

Bellator 253 takes place Thursday, Nov. 19 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Stots (14-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) vs. Lee (7-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will take place on the main card, after Ferguson (3-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) battles [autotag]Kaheem Murray[/autotag] in a lightweight fight on the prelims. The matchup was first reported by MMA reporter James Lynch on Sunday.

Stots, 31, most recently competed at Bellator 242 in July when he submitted previously-undefeated Cass Bell by third-round rear-naked choke. Seven weeks later at Bellator 245, Lee defeated Vinicius Zani by unanimous decision.

Ferguson and Murray (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) were scheduled to fight at Bellator 241 in March 2020. However, the event was canceled hours prior to its scheduled start time due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Also on the prelims, [autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) fights [autotag]Johnny Soto[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at a 140-pound contract weight, [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) fights [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) at welterweight, and [autotag]Marcus Surin[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ricardo Seixas[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at lightweight.

With the additions, the Bellator 253 lineup includes:

  • Darrion Caldwell vs. A.J. McKee
  • Joey Davis vs. Bobby Lee
  • Keith Lee vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Matt Bessette vs. Jeremy Kennedy
  • Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Shane Krutchen
  • Kevin Ferguson Jr. vs. Kaheem Murray
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Johnny Soto
  • Mark Lemminger vs. Jaleel Willis
  • Ricardo Seixas vs. Marcus Surin

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Bellator 244 adds Yaroslav Amosov vs. Mark Lemminger, loses Mike Kimbel

The Bellator 244 lineup has lost a fight but gained two others.

The Bellator 244 lineup has lost a fight but gained two others.

[autotag]Mike Kimbel[/autotag] will no longer fight [autotag]Chaka Worthy[/autotag] on the Aug. 21 card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., according to a promotion official. A reason for Kimbel’s withdrawal/removal was not given.

The promotion has made two late additions to the preliminary card, including a 175-pound catchweight fight between [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] and [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag].

Amosov (23-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) has defeated Bellator notables Ed Ruth, David Rickels, Erick Silva, and Gerald Harris en route to his Bellator 244 fight.

Lemminger (11-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) competed at Bellator 242 on July 24, the promotion’s first event held post-pandemic. He defeated Jake Smith by ground-and-pound stoppage in Round 2. Lemminger is riding a four-fight winning streak.

Additionally, a 150-pound catchweight fight, [autotag]John de Jesus[/autotag] (12-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Vladyslav Parubchenko[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), has also been added to the prelims.

Bellator 244 takes place Friday, Aug. 21 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card simulcasts on DAZN and Paramount Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the changes, the Bellator 244 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Ryan Bader vs. Vadim Nemkov – for light heavyweight title
  • Julia Budd vs. Jessy Miele
  • Valentin Moldavsky vs. Roy Nelson
  • Andrew Kapel vs. John Salter

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

  • Sidney Outlaw vs. Adam Piccolotti
  • Josh Hill vs. Erik Perez
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Will Smith
  • Chris Gonzalez vs. Vladimir Tokov
  • Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Shane Kruchten
  • Weber Almeida vs. Salim Mukhidinov
  • Yaroslav Amosov vs. Mark Lemminger
  • John de Jesus vs. Vladyslav Parubchenko

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Bellator 242’s Mark Lemminger talks win over Jake Smith, more

Mark Lemminger talks about his big win at Bellator 242 and what might come next.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag] earned an impressive victory Friday night with his second-round TKO win over Jake Smith on the evening’s featured undercard at Bellator 242 in “The Fightsphere.”

After the fight, Lemminger spoke with MMA Junkie about his victory, what the fight means to him, and what he’d like to do next as he makes his way up the Bellator ladder.

Bellator 242 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

Check out the interview with Lemminger in the video above.

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