The event in Honolulu features Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe, Juan Archuleta vs. Raufeon Stots, Patchy Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi, and more.
HONOLULU – The pre-fight necessities are in the books for the second of two Bellator events this week, and all that’s left to do is fight.
The Bellator 279 fighters got face to face for the first and only time, officially at least, at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins. Included in that mix were headliners [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (25-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-4 BMMA), who fight for Cyborg’s women’s featherweight title.
A few quick words were exchanged, though seemingly nothing personal. Cyborg sported artistically-worked facepaint of the Brazilian flag.
The most intense faceoff was between co-main eventers [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), who compete in an interim bantamweight title fight that doubles as a grand prix quarterfinal. The other quarterfinalists competing Saturday, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] (29-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) had a lighter mood as the two flexed and shook hands.
Former women’s flyweight champion and Hawaii native [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) showed a sign of respect to opponent [autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] (7-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) when she presented her with a lei.
Saturday’s card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu is the second of back-to-back Bellator events in Hawaii’s capital city. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. Check out all the faceoffs for Bellator 279 in the video above.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 256 event in Connecticut.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 256 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 Wednesdday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 256 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 256 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Thursday’s Bellator 251 card has encountered three lineup changes.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] has a new opponent for Thursday’s Bellator 251 card at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Originally expected to fight [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag], Vanderford (9-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) now faces former LFA welterweight title challenger and current CES MMA welterweight champion [autotag]Vinicius de Jesus[/autotag] in a middleweight bout.
A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking Monday but did not give a reason for Curtis’ withdrawal. MyMMANews recently reported Curtis withdrew from the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test.
De Jesus (9-3 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) has four of his most recent five fights. Six of his nine pro wins have come by knockout.
Curtis isn’t the only fighter to have withdrawn from Bellator 251. A promotion official also informed MMA Junkie that [autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] is out of his prelim fight against [autotag]Piankhi Zimmerman[/autotag] (5-4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and is replaced by [autotag]Ali Zebian[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).
Additionally, the light heavyweight fight between [autotag]Terrance Jean-Jacques[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Gustavo Trujillo[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has been canceled for unknown reasons, per a promotion official.
With the changes, the Bellator 251 lineup now includes:
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.
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General
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.
Main card
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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.
Preliminary card
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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 all the facts and figures from Bellator 236, which took place Saturday in Honolulu.
The second half of Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader took place Saturday with Bellator 236, which went down at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, with a main card that streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Hometown hero and women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA) had another magical moment in her career when, for the second consecutive year, she defended her title on her own soil with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), who became the first in six fights to push “The Ilimanator” to the scorecards.
For more on numbers to come out of main event, as well as the rest of the main card, check below for 30 post-event facts from Bellator 236.
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General
Betting favorites went 5-0 on the main card. One fight did not have odds available.
Betting favorites improved to 13-8 (with two no contests and one draw) in Bellator main events this year.
Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 1:36:08.
Main card
Macfarlane’s four consecutive Bellator title defenses are tied for most among current champions.
Macfarlane’s five victories in Bellator title fights are tied for third most in company history behind Patricio Freire (eight) and Michael Chandler (six).
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak is the second longest active streak in the company behind A.J. McKee (16).
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak is tied with Michael Page for the second longest streak in company history behind McKee (16).
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak in the longest among female fighters in the organization.
Macfarlane’s 10 Bellator victories are most among female fighters in the organization.
Macfarlane’s 10 victories in Bellator flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Jackson has suffered both of her Bellator losses by decision.
[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag]’s (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) 16-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest active streak in the company.
McKee’s 16-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest streak in company history.
McKee’s 16-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
McKee’s 16 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Chandler for second most in company history behind Freire (18).
McKee’s 16 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Freire (17).
McKee’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied with Freire and Chandler for most in company history.
McKee’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
McKee’s five submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to February 2018.
Campos fell to 1-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in December 2018.
Campos has suffered seven of his eight Bellator losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-9-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) fell to 2-2 since his final UFC appearance in June 2017.
[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag]’s five-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind Macfarlane (10).
Velasquez’s five victories in Bellator flyweight competition are second most in divisor history behind Macfarlane (10).
[autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) has suffered all three of her career losses by decision.
[autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 3-0.
Zach Zane’s grappling advantage and MMA experience was more than Nainoa Dung was prepared for at Bellator 236.
HONOLULU – [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag]’s grappling advantage and MMA experience was more than [autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] was prepared for on Saturday at Bellator 236, and it showed in the result.
Although Dung (3-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) nearly staged a final-round comeback, Zane’s (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) overwhelming success with takedowns in the first two rounds put him ahead on the scorecards for the unanimous decision win. The judges’ scores were 29-28 across the board.
The lightweight bout opened up the Bellator 236 main card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
The difference in grappling ability was evident in the first round. Zane shot in for an early takedown and planted Dung on the mat for a long period. Dung managed to get up once, but was put on the mat, controlled and peppered with shots once again for the remainder of the round.
It was more of the same in Round 2. Zane needed less than a minute to find an opening for his first takedown, easily putting Dung on his back. Dung had no answers from bottom position, and Zane was able to posture up, land punches and advance position and out-scramble Dung on his get-up attempts. All he couldn’t do is finish the fight.
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With the fight clearly going against him, Dung came out desperate in Round 3, and it nearly got him the win. He stung Zane with some heavy body kicks and went all-in on a pair of guillotine choke attempts. Zane survived, though, and while he lost the round, his work in the first two rounds spelled the difference.
Nainoa Dung tells MMA Junkie he wants to prove he’s the best 155-pounder from Hawaii at Bellator 236.
HONOLULU – [autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] says he is ready to topple Hawaii’s No. 1 lightweight and take the mantle as his own as he looks to kick off his Bellator career with a significant scalp in his promotional debut.
Dung (3-0, 0-0 BMMA) takes on fellow debutant – and fellow Hawaiian – [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (13-9, 0-0 BMMA) at Bellator 236 in a bout that should determine the unofficial No. 1 155 pounder in Hawaii, and although he may be conceding an experience advantage to his opponent, Dung says his skillset, and his training at Hard Knocks 365, will stand him in good stead for the biggest fight of his career.
Dung is unbeaten, with two of his three fights producing finishes while Zane, who will be competing in his sixth fight in 2019, has swapped wins and losses through his last four outings, including a decision defeat on Dana White’s Contender Series back in June.
Check out the full media day interview with Dung in the video above.
Bellator is back in Hawaii for a doubleheader weekend for the second straight December.
Bellator 236 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. Friday, the same venue hosts Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”), an event exclusively for military members stationed in Honolulu.
In the main event, women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), a native of Hawaii who grew up in Honolulu, puts her title on the line against British challenger [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA). Macfarlane is a heavy favorite at the sports books with odds for her as high as 7-1. Not surprisingly, our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking the champ unanimously.
The co-main event is another unanimous pick from our staff members – one of five 13-0 blowouts on the main card. [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 15-0 BMMA) is as much as an 8-1 favorite in his fight against [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 9-7 BMMA), which is a quarterfinal matchup in Bellator’s ongoing featherweight tournament.
[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) will try to stay unbeaten when she takes on [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout. Velasquez is more than a 4-1 favorite and one of our five unanimous picks.
[autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) recently got a long-awaited call from a big-time promotion when Bellator brought him on board. Stots, who trains at Roufusport in Milwaukee, is a 7-1 favorite against local fighter [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), and he’s a 13-0 pick from our staff members.
The other unanimous pick goes to [autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who opens the main card against [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (13-9 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a lightweight fight. Dung, from Hawaii, made his Bellator debut a year ago in Honolulu and will try to repeat his success Saturday.
Our only contentious fight on the main card is between [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-8-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Jackson stepped up on short notice when Neiman Gracie fell off the card earlier this week with an injury. He’s more than a 2-1 favorite, and even though it’s not unanimous, Jackson still has a massive 11-2 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Macfarlane (95%), McKee (88 percent), Jackson (60 percent), Velasquez (81 percent), Stots (70 percent) and Dung (57 percent) are the choices.
Check out the key facts and figures about Bellator 236, which takes place Saturday with a Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson main event.
The second half of Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader takes place Saturday with Bellator 236, which goes down at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
A flyweight championship fight headlines the card. Hawaii’s own [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) looks to defend her belt on home soil for the second consecutive year when she meets top contender [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA).
For more on the main card, which also features the first bout in the second round of the organization’s featherweight grand prix, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 236.
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Main event
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Macfarlane became the inaugural Bellator flyweight champion when she defeated Emily Ducote at Bellator 186 in November 2017.
Macfarlane’s three consecutive Bellator title defenses are tied with Patricio Freire (featherweight) and Julia Budd (women’s featherweight) for most among current champions.
Macfarlane competes in her 10th Bellator flyweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Macfarlane’s nine Bellator victories are most among female fighters in the organization.
Macfarlane’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak is the second longest active streak in the organization behind A.J. McKee (15).
Macfarlane’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak in the longest among female fighters in the organization.
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Macfarlane’s seven stoppage victories in Bellator competition are most among female fighters in the organization.
Macfarlane’s seven stoppage victories in Bellator flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Macfarlane’s five-fight stoppage streak in Bellator competition is the longest among active fighters in the company.
Macfarlane’s six submission victories in Bellator flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Jackson’s two-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Macfarlane (nine) and Juliana Velasquez (four).
Co-main event
A.J. McKee
[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 15-0 BMMA) competes in his 16th Bellator featherweight bout, tied for the second most appearances in divisional history behind Patricio Freire (20).
McKee’s 15-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest active streak in the company.
McKee’s 15-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest streak in company history.
McKee’s 15-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
McKee’s 15 victories in Bellator competition are tied for third most in company history behind Freire (18) and Michael Chandler (16).
McKee’s 15 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Freire (17).
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McKee’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are third most in company history behind Freire (11) and Chandler (11).
McKee’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with Freire for most in divisional history.
McKee’s six knockout victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with Freire for most in divisional history.
McKee’s eight-second knockout victory at Bellator 228 is the fourth fastest in Bellator history. Three fighters are tied with a seven-second win.
McKee’s four submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with Freire for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 9-7 BMMA) is 1-1 since he dropped to the featherweight division in December 2018.
Campos has earned six of his nine Bellator victories by decision.
Remaining main card
Kiichi Kunimoto
[autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-8-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), 38, is the oldest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
Kunimoto is 2-1 since his final UFC appearance in June 2017.
[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag]’s (9-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) four-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind champion Macfarlane (nine).
Velasquez’s four victories in Bellator flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Macfarlane (nine).
Velasquez’s three stoppage victories in Bellator flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Macfarlane (seven).
Velasquez’s two knockout victories in Bellator flyweight competition are tied with Jackson for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) has earned four of her five career victories by decision. That includes all three of her Bellator wins.
[autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), 20, is the youngest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
