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On this week’s episode of Spinning Back Clique, host John Morgan is joined by Simon Samano, Danny Segura and “Gorgeous” George Garcia to recap the key storylines from the week and discuss the biggest matchup looking ahead into 2021.
On this week’s episode of Spinning Back Clique, host John Morgan is joined by Simon Samano, Danny Segura and “Gorgeous” George Garcia to recap the key storylines from the week and discuss the biggest matchup looking ahead into 2021.
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 243, which took place Friday in Uncasville, Conn.
Bellator’s second event since returning from a hiatus brought on by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic took place on Friday with Bellator 243. The event again went down at the “Fightsphere,” which is located at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
The most decorated athlete in Bellator history headlined the card in winning fashion. Former three-time champ [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 18-5 BMMA) knocked out former UFC and WEC titleholder [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) in the first round of their anticipated rematch. With the win, Chandler went to 2-0 against Henderson and ended his current Bellator contract.
The talk is getting stronger that Chandler’s storied Bellator run may come to an end with this fight. If that’s the case, he goes out with a special resume. For all the figures, check below for 20 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 243.
* * * *
Betting favorites went 2-2 on the main card.
Betting favorites improved to 5-0 in Bellator main events this year.
Total fight time for the four-bout main card was 35:23.
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Chandler’s 18 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Patricio Freire for most in company history.
Chandler’s 15 victories in Bellator lightweight competition are most in divisional history.
Chandler’s 13 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
Chandler’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator lightweight competition are most in divisional history.
Henderson fell to 5-3 since he returned to the lightweight division in August 2016.
Henderson suffered his first knockout loss since Aug. 23, 2014 – a span of 2,176 days (nearly six years) and 12 fights.
[autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) has earned 11 of his 14 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his Bellator wins.
[autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag]’s (13-8 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) four-fight winless skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Mitrione has suffered six of his eight career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) has earned both of his Bellator victories by decision.
[autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] (29-11-1 MMA, 7-9 BMMA) fell to 1-3 since he returned to Bellator for a third stint in March 2019.
Karakhanyan fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in February 2020.
Karakhanyan has suffered eight of his 11 career losses by decision.
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[autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has earned both of her career stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 3-0.
Dung suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 243 main card in Connecticut, featuring Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson.
| Chandler vs. Henderson |
Johnson vs. Mitrione |
Jury vs. Karakhanyan |
Homasi vs. Millender |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 72-49 |
 Chandler (62%) |
 Mitrione (79%) |
 Jury (83%) |
 Millender (88%) |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 85-36 |
Chandler |
 Johnson |
Jury |
Millender |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 85-36 |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Jury |
Millender |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 83-38 |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Jury |
Millender |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 81-40  2014 Champion |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Jury |
 Homasi |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 80-41 2019 Champion* |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Jury |
Millender |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 80-41 2017 Champion |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
 Karakhanyan |
Millender |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 80-41 |
Chandler |
Johnson |
Jury |
Millender |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 79-42 2018 Champion |
 Henderson |
Mitrione |
Jury |
Millender |
| Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 78-43 |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Jury |
Millender |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 77-45 |
Chandler |
Johnson |
Jury |
Millender |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 76-45 |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Karakhanyan |
Millender |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 73-48 |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Jury |
Millender |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 73-48 |
Chandler |
Mitrione |
Jury |
Millender |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 52-69 |
Henderson |
Mitrione |
Karakhanyan |
Homasi |
Bellator is back in Connecticut this week with a pair of former lightweight champions atop the bill.
Bellator 243 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former Bellator lightweight champ [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) takes on ex-UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA). Chandler is more than a 2-1 favorite in the fight, and he’s got the support of a whopping 12 of our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts in the picks.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) will go after his second Bellator heavyweight win on the heels of his upset of 9-1 favorite Tyrell Fortune in February. This time, he’s just a slight underdog against [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), but it’s Mitrione with a big 11-3 picks lead.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) is a big favorite against [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] (29-10-1 MMA, 7-8 BMMA) in their lightweight bout, and he’s got a 10-3 picks lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) will try to upset [autotag]Curtis Millender[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) at welterweight. Millender nearly is a 3-1 favorite, and hes got a heavy 11-2 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Chandler (62 percent), Mitrione (79 percent), Jury (83 percent) and Millender (88 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
Matt Mitrione won’t let looks deceive him, because that’s when Timothy Johnson is at his best.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] knows exactly what he’s getting himself into Friday.
The heavyweight veteran takes on [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] in the co-main event of Bellator 243. Mitrione (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) said he’s in no way taking Johnson lightly since he knows how doing so has cost other fighters.
Mitrione doesn’t think his opponent looks like a big threat, but he knows looks can be deceiving, and he’s coming in full steam ahead Friday.
“I know who he is,” Mitrione told MMA Junkie. “He’s capable, for sure, and he’s got talent. He might get a little bit of a bad rep because he doesn’t pass the eye test. He doesn’t look like a quality fighter – but he is.
“He’s got a lot of talent and he’s a heavyweight. Look at Tyrell (Fortune). He’s a friend of mine and we’ve trained together a lot. He just took (Johnson) lightly, and that’s why you can’t take heavyweights lightly. They have talent, they have ability, and they’re not intimidated because they know that at any given motion if they touch a chin, they can turn it or put someone to sleep.
“I think that’s what will happen. I think Timothy has entered a different world and I think he’s going to capitalize on it as much as he can. I’m going to do my best not to let him do it.”
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Johnson is coming off a big knockout win over Fortune. It was one of 2020’s top upsets so far. Fortune was undefeated, a 9-1 favorite, and considered one of Bellator’s best prospects.
Although Johnson got the Fortune win using his striking, Mitrione doesn’t see him being willing to trade shot for shot this time out.
“I don’t think many people want to stand up and fight with me,” Mitrione explained. “So I expect people to try to wrestle. I expect a lot fo wall-and-stall. I expect for him to want to get me down. He worked with Roy Nelson for this fight, I’m assuming they both trained at Randy (Couture)’s. They both train in Vegas, so I’m assuming they’re trying to take notes from him, which is great because I kicked the sh*t out of Roy. So who knows. We’ll see what happens.”
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Matt Mitrione returns Friday in Connecticut against an opponent who got Bellator’s attention in a big way his most recent time out.
[autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] returns to the Bellator cage Friday in Connecticut against an opponent who got the promotion’s attention in a big way his most recent time out.
Mitrione (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) takes on Timothy Johnson (13-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) in the Bellator 243 co-main event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In February, Johnson picked up his first Bellator win with a stunning first-round knockout of Tyrell Fortune in Oklahoma. Fortune was a huge 9-1 favorite in the fight, but Johnson shocked the division with his finish.
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Now he takes on Mitrione, who has gone two and a half years without a Bellator win. After he beat Roy Nelson in the heavyweight tournament quarterfinals, he was bounced by eventual dual champion Ryan Bader in the semis. After a 15-second no contest with Sergei Kharitonov, he was stopped by the Russian in their rematch nearly a year ago.
So Mitrione needs a win in a big way – and he’s got four big ones on his Bellator resume, including three straight knockouts to start his tenure in the promotion.
Take a look at some of his key highlights in the video above. Then don’t miss his fight with Johnson on Friday on Paramount.
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Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 243, which takes place Friday with a Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson main event.
Bellator puts on its second event since returning from a coronavirus-induced hiatus on Friday with Bellator 243, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN.
A high-stakes lightweight rematch goes down in the main event. After former multi-time Bellator champ [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) won the first fight by split decision in November 2016, [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) will get a shot at redemption as he attempts to continue his best winning streak in years.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 243.
* * * *
Chandler competes in his 23rd Bellator bout, tied with David Rickels for the most appearances in company history.
Chandler has earned 15 of his 20 career victories by stoppage. That includes 12 of his 17 Bellator wins.
Chandler’s 17 victories in Bellator competition are second most in company history behind Patricio Freire (18).
Chandler’s 14 victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied with Patricky Freire for most in divisional history.
Chandler’s 12 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
Chandler’s nine stoppage victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied with Patricky Freire for most in divisional history.
Chandler’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied for second most in company history behind Goiti Yamauchi (eight).
Chandler’s 11 appearances in Bellator title fights are most in company history.
Chandler is one of three fighters in Bellator/UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce history with three title reigns in a single weight class. Randy Couture and Douglas Lima also accomplished the feat.
Chandler’s six victories in Bellator championship fights are second most in company history behind Freire (eight).
Chandler’s five losses in Bellator title fights are the most in company history.
Henderson is a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion. He’s 0-2 in Bellator title fights.
Henderson is 5-2 since he returned to the lightweight division in August 2016.
Henderson’s four-fight Bellator winning streak in lightweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind Patricky Freire (five).
Henderson’s four-fight MMA winning streak is his longest since 2011.
[autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), 42, is the oldest of the eight scheduled main-card fighters.
Mitrione’s three-fight winless skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Mitrione vs. Kharitonov marked the third shortest no-contest in Bellator/UFC/WEC/Strikeforce/PRIDE combined history at just 15 seconds. Only Marius Zaromskis vs. Waachim Spiritwolf (6 seconds) at Strikeforce Challengers 12 and Kevin Casey vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (11 seconds) at UFC Fight Night 80 were faster.
All of Mitrione’s career bouts have taken place under the Bellator or UFC banners.
[autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) has earned 10 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) is 1-1 since he returned to the lightweight division in September.
[autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] (29-10-1 MMA, 7-8 BMMA) was successful in his Bellator lightweight debut at Bellator 240 in February.
Karakhanyan is 1-2 since he returned to Bellator for a third stint in March 2019.
[autotag]Curtis Millender[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) was successful in his return to Bellator for a third stint with a win at Bellator 238 in January.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 243 event in Connecticut.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 243 event in Uncasville, Conn.
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 243 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 243 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.
The Bellator 243 lineup is starting to take form.
The Bellator 243 lineup is rolling out.
On Aug. 7, Bellator will head back to Mohegan Sun Arena for its second event since returning from hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Headlining the card will be a rematch between former Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] and former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag].
Additionally, heavyweight contenders [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] and [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] will square off in Uncasville, Conn.
Multiple sources informed MMA Junkie of the bookings Thursday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Combate was first to report Chandler vs. Henderson 2.
Chandler (20-5 MMA, 17-5 BMMA) and Henderson (28-8 MMA, 5-3 UFC) first fought at Bellator 165 in November 2016. At the time, Chandler was Bellator’s 155-pound titleholder. After five rounds, the fight went to the judges’ scorecards, with Chandler declared the split decision winner.
Since their first meeting, Chandler has gone 4-1. His lone loss was an unsuccessful title defense against Patricio Freire. After losing his belt, Chandler defeated Sidney Outlaw by knockout last December.
As for Henderson, “Smooth” dropped a fight to Patricky Freire after losing to Chandler. He has since rattled off four straight victories.
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Mitrione (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) has gone 0-2 with a no contest in his past three fights. He was expected to fight Ronny Markes at Bellator 241 in March, however, the event was canceled just hours prior to its scheduled start time.
Johnson (13-6 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) is coming off a massive upset victory at Bellator 239 in February. Taking on undefeated prospect Tyrell Fortune, Johnson pulled off a highlight-reel first-round knockout via punches.
Bellator 243 takes place Friday, Aug. 7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card is expected to simulcast on DAZN and Paramount Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.
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Matt Mitrione has thoughts on Jon Jones’ latest arrest: “I feel bad for the stress that dude causes himself and his family.”
[autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] is taking a different tone toward [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] than what he’s expressed in the past following the UFC champ’s latest run-in with the law.
Mitrione (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), a former UFC heavyweight who now fights for Bellator, had quite the heated online exchange with “Bones” back in October 2016. Seemingly out of nowhere, Mitrione went after Jones on Twitter and called him a “great talent with a God complex,” among other personal digs.
After Jones was arrested and subsequently charged this past month for DWI, the door was open for Mitrione to pile on. There were certainly many others who did, but Mitrione said he didn’t feel it was appropriate to mock Jones.
“I can tell you that it’s more pity than anything else,” Mitrione told MMA Junkie. “He’s so good and just can’t get out of his own way. I feel bad for his family, I feel bad for his kids, I feel bad for the stress that dude causes himself and his family. That’s it. I do my best not to be a straight jackass because I don’t want to embarrass my kids when they go to school. I can’t imagine being his kids or his long-term girlfriend. It’s perpetual.”
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In the days since his arrest, Jones had pled guilty to a DWI charge as part of a plea agreement that will allow him to avoid jail time. Jones is required to endure one year of supervised probation, among other things, and has admitted he needs to work on his “unhealthy relationship” with alcohol.
Despite a history of legal mishaps, it appeared as though Jones was turning a corner for the better in 2020. The incident, of course, skews that perspective for many, including Mitrione.
Jones is considered by many to be among the greatest MMA fighters of all time. However, Mitrione said he can’t help but wonder where his place in history would be if he kept his head on straight.
“The whole thing with Jon is truly unfortunate,” Mitrione said. “He’s the best mixed martial artist of our time. I don’t think there’s really a conversation – (Daniel) Cormier might be. Jon Jones is very, very good and it’s a shame he cannot get out of his own way to be great. Given his body of work at 205 and heavyweight, I think Cormier takes the cake (as the GOAT). I just feel like Jon Jones could be something so much better than what he is, but in that same kind of perspective, it makes you wonder how much he ever (took it serious).
“You hear these stories that he trained two weeks for (Alexander) Gustafsson and would go so hard five, six, two days, one day before his fights. It really makes you wonder how much time and effort he put in to be as incredibly good as he is, if he were focused and didn’t give it away, what he would be capable of doing. I could only imagine how great he would be. I can’t even imagine it.”
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