Tag: Nathan Kelly

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast video: Nathan Kelly obliterates opponent with vicious elbow

Nathan Kelly said heading into Bellator Champions Series: Belfast that he planned to throw some elbows, but he only needed one.

[autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] said heading into his fight at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast that he planned to throw some elbows, but he only needed one.

Just 40 seconds into his matchup with [autotag]Vikas Singh Ruhil[/autotag], Kelly separated from a clinch near the cage to throw a vicious elbow that landed across Ruhil’s temple and sent him crashing to the canvas. The fight was over just like that, hyping the crowd at SSE Arena.

Check out the finish in the videos below (via X):

Kelly, a product of Conor McGregor’s home gym of SBG Ireland, now has won 10 fights in a row after starting his professional career 0-2. He said afterward that his contract is up and hopes to negotiate a new deal.

[lawrence-related id=2726312]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast weigh-in results: Title fights official, one fighter heavy

Check out the results from the official Bellator Champions Series: Belfast fighter weigh-ins in Northern Ireland.

The official weigh-ins for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast are in the books, and all but one fighter hit their marks.

In the main event, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6) and [autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] (12-2) will battle for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title. Both fighters weighed in at 204.6 pounds.

In the co-headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-7) defends his title against [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (19-3). They each hit 145 pounds on the dot.

[autotag]Vikas Singh Ruhil[/autotag] (12-7) was the lone fighter who missed weight. Ruhil fights against [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] (9-2) at featherweight, but he weighed in at 147 pounds and will be fined a percentage of his purse. Kelly was on proper weight at 146.

The weigh-ins took place at the Bellator host hotel. The SSE Arena in Belfast, hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on Max following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The full Bellator Champions Series: Belfast weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Max 3 p.m. ET)

  • Corey Anderson (204.6) vs. Karl Moore (204.6) – for vacant light heavyweight title
  • Champ Patricio Freire (145) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (145) – for featherweight title
  • Fabian Edwards (185.6) vs. Aaron Jeffery (185.2)
  • James Gallagher (145.4) vs. Leandro Higo (145.1)
  • Manoel Sousa (155.6) vs. Tim Wilde (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12 p.m. ET)

  • Ciaran Clarke (135.5) vs. Darius Mafi (135.3)
  • Nathan Kelly (146) vs. Vikas Singh Ruhil (147)*
  • Abraham Bably (257.4) vs. Isaiah Pinson (242)
  • Grant Neal (205.4) vs. Luke Trainer (203.8)
  • Alfie Davis (155.6) vs. Oscar Ownsworth (155)
  • Jordan Elliott (129.5) vs. Nate Kelly (129.1) – 130-pound contract weight

*Singh Ruhil missed the featherweight limit and will be fined a percentage of his purse.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 12-18)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 12-18.

PFL lists its top 10 submissions of the 2023 season

Relive the PFL’s best submissions of the year with this video ranking the top 10.

PFL continues its highlight of the best moments of its 2023 season, and this time it’s moved to submissions. The promotion compiled and ranked the top 10 submissions, which are:

1. [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] def. Sadibou Sy via guillotine choke
2. [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] def. Ryoji Kudo via guillotine choke
3. [autotag]Marina Mokhnatkina[/autotag] def. Amber Leibrock via armbar
4. [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] def. Jo Sung Bin via rear-naked choke
5. [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] def. Karolina Sobek via armbar
6. [autotag]Simeon Powell[/autotag] def. Mohammed Amine via arm triangle choke
7. [autotag]Alexei Pergande[/autotag] def. Akeem Bashir via D’arce choke
8. [autotag]Anthony Ivy[/autotag] def. Carson Hardman via rear-naked choke
9. [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] def. Dimitry Solimeis via rear-naked choke
10. [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] def. Malin Hermansson via rear-naked choke

You can watch the replay of the top 10 PFL submissions in the video above.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030792]

2023 PFL Europe 4 results: Four champions crowned, take home $100,000 checks

Check out the 2023 PFL Europe 4 results live from Dublin.

2023 PFL Europe 4 took place Friday in Dublin and featured the promotion’s tournament finals for top talent from the region as they vyed for entry into the main series tournament in 2024.

Four European champions were crowned, as bantamweight [autotag]Khushed Kakhorov[/autotag], lightweight [autotag]Jakub Kaszuba[/autotag], flyweight [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag], and light heavyweight [autotag]Jakob Nedoh[/autotag] took home titles and $100,000. Kakhorov, Kaszuba, and Nedoh also earned theirselves a spot in the 2024 PFL season.

Atop the card, Ireland’s [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] sent 3Arena into pandemonium when he submitted [autotag]Dimitry Solimeis[/autotag] by rear-naked choke at 4:47 of Round 1.

The full 2023 PFL Europe 4 results include:

[vertical-gallery id=2702074]

Nathan Kelly def. Damion Nelson at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2: Best photos

Check out these photos from Nathan Kelly vs. Damion Nelson at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 in New York.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag]’s victory over Damion Nelson at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)