Tag: Masayuki Kikuiri

Bellator 295 post-event facts: Patchy Mix’s knee knockout caps off epic grand prix run

Patchy Mix is firmly in the Bellator record books after a perfect knee made him $1 million richer at Bellator 295.

Bellator 295 took place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and marked the second night of the promotion’s weekend doubleheader in Hawaii.

The final fight of a loaded week proved to be the most memorable, because [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) scored one of the greatest knockout highlights in company history when he flattened [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) with a picture-perfect knee to the jaw knockout just 80 seconds into their main event. The nasty finish not only won him the interim bantamweight title, but he is the last man standing in the bantamweight grand prix, winning $1 million after completing the eight-man field.

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 295.

Bellator 295 video: Masayuki Kikuiri starches Alexey Shurkevich with massive knockout cross

Alexey Shurkevich’s eyes were eerily open as Masayuki Kikuiri landed a follow-up blow to his unconscious opponent at Bellator 295.

Former Pancrase titleholder [autotag]Masayuki Kikuiri[/autotag] made a powerful promotional debut Saturday at Bellator 295 when he starched [autotag]Alexey Shurkevich[/autotag] with a second-round knockout punch.

The bout took place as part of the event’s prelims at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The stoppage came at 4:33 of Round 2.

Kikuiri (9-2-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) found success with his striking throughout the bout and was always a step ahead of Shurkevich (13-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA).

At impeccable distance, Kikuiri found a home for the right cross, which he blasted Shurkevich with late in Round 2. Upon impact, Shurkevich flew backward to the canvas. When he hit the ground, Shurkevich’s eyes were eerily open as he stared in the opposite direction of the charging Kikuiri. A la Dan Henderson, Kikuiri put the nail in the coffin with a follow-up blow that seemed to knock consciousness back into Shurkevich.

Kikuiri, 27, was the Pancrase interim welterweight champion when he signed with Bellator in September 2022. The win Saturday was his third in as many consecutive outings. Shurkevich, 30, loses for the first time in the Bellator cage and falls into a two-fight skid.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 13-19)

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 March 13-19.