Tag: Neiman Gracie

Levan Chokheli eyes Michael Page or Neiman Gracie after Bellator 294 win

Levan Chokheli is targeting two former title challengers after his Bellator 294 win.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Levan Chokheli[/autotag] is targeting two former title challengers after his Bellator 294 win.

Chokheli (12-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) strung together his first winning streak with Bellator after he scored a unanimous decision win over Michael Lombardo this past Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena.

The Georgian fighter is ready for a step up in competition and wants either [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] or [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] next.

“I was in top 10, and then they changed it,” Chokheli told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “But now I know I’m going to be top 10 guaranteed, and I want to fight with Neiman Gracie and MVP. I know they are up on the top, but I want more, top fight. I want to fight with Neiman. I respect Neiman. I respect MVP, but I want to fight with them.”

Chokheli started to tire in Round 3, but overall things went according to plan for the 27-year-old.

“That was my plan, my team’s plan,” Chokheli said. “Control every round, smash this guy. Mix it, strike with hands, punching, kicking, low kick, upkick, body kick, high kick. I have a lot of stuff with my hands, with my legs, everything. And mix it, end of round, take him down. Make some ground and pound. It is what it is. That was my plan. That was my game.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 294.

Bellator 290 gains: What all 28 fighters weighed on fight night

Find out how much weight all 28 fighters at Bellator 290 gained from the Friday morning official weigh-ins to Saturday night’s fights.

At Bellator 290 on Feb. 4 in Inglewood, Calif., 16 of the 28 fighters on the card gained more than 10 percent of their weight back. Two of those 16 exceeded the 15 percent threshold.

MMA Junkie obtained a list of fight-night weights Monday from California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster.

In California, fighters have their weights checked on fight day – not solely when they have to hit their marks on the scale. The extra procedure was instituted in 2017 as part of the commission’s efforts to cut back on excessive weight cutting. Within those rules was a cap on how much a fighter could gain from the official weigh-ins to the fight.

If a fighter gains more than 10 percent back before the bout, the commission can make a recommendation they move to a higher weight class. If a fighter gains more than 15 percent, the commission can potentially cancel their fight.

Check out the weight gains and percentages for all 28 fighters on the card at Kia Forum.

Bellator 290: Best photos from Inglewood

Check out these photos from Bellator 290, which took place at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Check out these photos from Bellator 290, which took place at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Bellator 290 post-event facts: Ryan Bader keeps perfect rematch record

The attention was on Fedor Emelianenko after Bellator 290, but Ryan Bader continued to show he’s elite in a rematch setting.

The first Bellator event of 2023, Bellator 290, went down Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and it marked a monumental occasion for both the promotion and the sport.

In addition to being the organization’s debut showcase on CBS, the card marked the retirement fight of legendary former PRIDE champion [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (40-7 MMA, 4-3 BMMA), who suffered a first-round TKO loss to heavyweight titleholder [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (31-7 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in their main event rematch.

The co-headliner saw middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen [/autotag](13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) remain undefeated with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (31-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) for his first title defense.

For more on the numbers behind the title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 290.

Bellator 290 salaries: Ryan Bader, Johnny Eblen lead disclosed purses

Check out the disclosed pay for all 28 fighters on Bellator 290, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Twenty-eight fighters competed Saturday at Bellator 290 with the titleholders leading all disclosed payouts.

California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Saturday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.

One of five fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed paydays, [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] topped the list with $150,000. Legendary MMA fighter [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] and welterweight Sabah Homasi each made $100,000, despite losses.

Scroll below to see what the 28 fighters on Bellator 290 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Neiman Gracie determined to snap skid, get back to title contention at Bellator 290: ‘I’m here to turn the tables’

Neiman Gracie is determined to make a climb back to the top.

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] knows there are better days ahead.

The former Bellator welterweight title challenger is determined to break out of the worst slump of his career and get back to his winning ways. Gracie (11-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) enters Saturday’s Bellator 290 on the heels of defeats to Goiti Yamauchi and Logan Storley. It’s the first time in his MMA career that he has consecutive losses.

Gracie sees his bout against Dante Schiro as a perfect opportunity to bounce back.

“Things not going as planned, but when they don’t go as planned you have to make them work,” Gracie said at Thursday’s Bellator 290 media day. “I’m here to turn the tables and get back in line.

“The best thing in life is to overcome bad situations, and that’s what I live for. I’m happy to be in this situation, and I’m happy to overcome it and be a better fighter.”

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Gracie once was undefeated with nine consecutive wins to open his career. The 34-year-old wants to get back to those winning ways and thinks he’s more than capable. He’s taken a good look at the things that have kept him from getting his hand raised and addressed them.

“Of course, you evaluate what you’re doing wrong, you evaluate how you’re doing mentally, you try to evaluate how you’re doing physically,” Gracie said. “It’s three aspects: the mental aspect, the physical aspect and the fighting itself.

“Those things have to be in line for you to be winning fights. I’ve been there before. I won nine fights straight, and I plan to do the same.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

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Bellator 290 pre-event facts: Fedor Emelianenko can make history in final fight

Check out the numbers behind Bellator 290, where Fedor Emelianenko has a chance to set records in his retirement fight.

Bellator kicks off its 2023 schedule on Saturday with a landmark event in company history. Bellator 290, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., marks the company’s main card network debut on CBS, which follows prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

A championship doubleheader is set to headline the card. In the main event, [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will put his heavyweight title fight against MMA legend [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who is set to retire from MMA competition. The pair previously met at Bellator 214 in January 2019, with Bader scoring a 35-second TKO victory.

The co-headliner of the card, meanwhile, will see middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) attempt to make his first title defense when he welcomes challenger [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (31-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA), who has lost just once over the past 11 years.

For more on the numbers behind the event, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for Bellator 290.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 16-22)

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 Jan. 16-22.

Bellator free fight: Neiman Gracie overwhelms Mark Lemminger with vicious shots in TKO win

Watch Neiman Gracie put away Mark Lemminger with vicious shots in his most brutal TKO win under the Bellator banner.

[autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag]’s most recent win was perhaps his most brutal.

The grappling standout surprised many back at Bellator 266 in September 2021 when he stopped Mark Lemminger in a welterweight bout. And it wasn’t because Gracie (11-4 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) won the contest, but more because of the nature in which he won it.

Gracie showed an improvement in his striking, stopping Lemminger with some precise and vicious uppercuts and hooks in the first round of the fight. It was a finished that showed the evolution in Gracie’s game.

You can watch Gracie’s finish in the video above.

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Gracie attempts to get back on the winning track when he meets Michael Lombardo on the first Bellator card of 2023.

Gracie, a former title challenger, is set to clash with Lombardo (13-3 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) at the Bellator 290 event on Feb. 4, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with a main card that airs on CBS following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Following the TKO win over Lemminger, dropped his next two fights – losing to Logan Storley by decision and losing to Goiti Yamauchi by knockout. He’s 2-4 since he challenged then-champ Rory MacDonald for the title in June 2019.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Dec. 19-25)

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 Dec. 19-25.