Tag: Nate Andrews

Saad Awad vs. Nate Andrews booked for Bellator 259 on May 21

Nate Andrews will finally make his Bellator debut when he meets grizzly veteran Saad Awad at Bellator 259.

[autotag]Nate Andrews[/autotag] will finally make his Bellator debut when he meets a grizzly veteran.

Andrews (16-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is set to face [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] (23-13-1 MMA, 11-10-1 BMMA) on May 21 at Bellator 259 from Mohegan Sun Arena.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Andrews, a former CES lightweight champion, signed with PFL after amassing an impressive nine-fight winning streak, all by finish. He went 1-2 under the PFL banner, failing to reach the lightweight tournament semifinals when he lost to Chris Wade for the second time. He proceeded to sign with Bellator, but his debut was delayed after bookings against Killys Mota and Goiti Yamauchi were canceled.

Awad is currently enduring the roughest stretch of his career, having lost four fights in a row. His past outing against Mandel Nallo at Bellator 249 in October was ruled a no contest after Awad was accidentally struck in the groin in the first round, rendering him unable to continue. Prior to his losing skid, Awad was on a four-fight winning streak with wins over the likes of J.J. Ambrose and Ryan Couture.

With the addition, the Bellator 259 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith – for women’s featherweight title
  • Fabian Edwards vs. Austin Vanderford
  • Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Adam Piccolotti
  • Brett Johns vs. Matheus Mattos
  • Christian Edwards vs. Ben Parrish
  • Nate Andrews vs. Saad Awad

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3 burning questions heading into Bellator 254

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head takes a look at the storylines to follow ahead of Bellator 254 in Uncasville, Conn.

The Bellator women’s flyweight title is up for grabs as two undefeated fighters put their records on the line in the main event of Bellator 254.

Reigning champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] will look to defend her 125-pound title against unbeaten Brazilian challenger [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] in the night’s headliner at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. as the Hawaiian champ looks to successfully register her fifth straight defense of the belt.

The co-main features the Bellator debut of Russian bantamweight – and the only man to defeat UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan – [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag]. The main card will also feature a heavyweight bout between Brazilian veteran [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] and former light heavyweight title challenger, England’s [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag].

Bellator 254 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Here are three burning questions ahead of fight night.

Bellator 254: Make your predictions for Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Juliana Velasquez

We want your predictions for Thursday’s Bellator 254 event in Connecticut.

We want your predictions for Thursday’s Bellator 254 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 254 event staff predictions we release Wednesday ahead of the event. Bellator 254 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the four main card fights below.

Bellator 254 adds debuting Nate Andrews vs. Goiti Yamauchi to main card lineup

A lightweight fight has been added to the Bellator 254 main card.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – CES MMA lightweight champion [autotag]Nate Andrews[/autotag] is headed to Bellator – and his debut is set.

Andrews (16-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will battle longtime Bellator fighter [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] in a lightweight fight on the Bellator 254 main card. A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the matchup Wednesday.

Bellator 254 takes place Dec. 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network/DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Andrews, 36, most recently competed in PFL and went 1-2 for the promotion against three former UFC fighters. Prior to his win, “The Snake” had won nine straight fights. Fifteen of Andrew’s 16 professional wins have come inside the distance.

Yamauchi (25-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) rides a three-fight winning streak into Bellator 254. Since he defeated Daniel Weichel by split decision in November 2018, Yamauchi has picked up back-to-back first-round finishes against Saad Awad and Daron Cruickshank.

With the addition, the Bellator 254 lineup includes:

  • Ilima Lei-Macfarlane vs. Julianna Velasquez – for women’s flyweight title
  • Nate Andrews vs. Goiti Yamauchi
  • Matheus Mattos vs. Magomedov Magomedov
  • Jessica Borga vs. Marina Mokhnatina
  • Tyree Fortune vs. Grant Neal
  • Romero Cotton vs. Justin Sumter

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