Tag: Neiman Gracie

Logan Storley: Five-round main event against Neiman Gracie a ‘good stepping block’ for title fight

Logan Storley sees his first main event as the perfect preparation for a title fight.

[autotag]Logan Storley[/autotag] sees his first main event as the perfect preparation for a title fight.

Storley (12-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) will headline the promotion’s first five-round non-title fight when he meets [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) at Bellator 274 on Feb. 19, and the standout wrestler expects big stakes out of this matchup.

“I think it’s good for practice for that title shot,” Storley told MMA Junkie. “To get in these moments not just practice, but real life competition and have you go five rounds if we have to and the training camp was different, kind of preparing for those last two rounds. Things like that you’re going to have that – this is what I got in the fight game for was to be world champ, and in order to be world champ, sometimes you’ve got to go all five rounds. So I think it’s a good stepping block, and this is going to be a great fight.”

With his decorated wrestling background and Gracie’s jiu-jitsu accolades, Storley can see this fight primarily playing out the feet, but also knows there will be opportunities for him to control Gracie on the ground.

“He’s just like me,” Storley said. “We both started in grappling our whole lives. He’s been doing BJJ forever. I’ve been doing wrestling since I was 5, and hundreds and hundreds of competitions that mostly involves grappling. But he’s evolving, and so am I. I know that, he knows that, and so you prepare for everyone that they’re dangerous everywhere.

“It’s what’s going to be the best way for me to win this fight, really. It’s the same for him, I guess, so I think maybe we’ll see more of a standup fight from both of us because we both know that obviously he’s very slick on the ground, one of the best. I know how slick he is watching his fights, and he’s tricky. He sets traps and puts you in places you don’t want to be. But I also know that Rory (MacDonald) and Jason (Jackson) did a good job of getting him tired and winning those positions, and he knows I’m heavy on top. So if I get to those positions, it’s going to be really hard to get up and to move me.”

Bellator 266 salaries: Yoel Romero leads disclosed payouts despite promotional debut loss

Yoel Romero lost his Bellator debut – but was still compensated the highest amount of anyone on the card.

Bellator 266 is in the books and although [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] was the victorious half of the main event, he didn’t receive the highest disclosed payout according to the event’s commissioning body.

While Davis (23-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) pocketed a $100,000 flat salary for his three-round split decision, his opponent [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) earned $150,000 in defeat. The fight was Romero’s promotional debut with Bellator and his first bout since his UFC departure in 2020.

MMA Junkie acquired a full list of Bellator 266 payouts Wednesday from California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster. The amounts include win and show purses, but do not account for any discretionary bonuses.

Bellator 266 took place Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Check out the full list of Bellator 266 payouts below:

7 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 192, Bellator 266: Yoel Romero’s debut gets fumbled

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 192 and Bellator 266, both of which took place Saturday.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 192 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and Bellator 266 from the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.? Here are a few post-fight musings …

Bellator 266 results: Neiman Gracie brutalizes Mark Lemminger with punches for first career TKO

It was a quick and successful night of work for Neiman Gracie at Bellator 266.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] has a last name known for grappling prowess, yet his hands were on full display Saturday at Bellator 266.

In the card’s co-main event at SAP Center, Gracie (11-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) wasted no time in finishing Mark Lemminger (12-4 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) with strikes at 1:27 of Round 1 to earn the first TKO victory of his professional MMA career.

The fight took place exclusively on the feet with both fighters circling. Gracie was the aggressor while Lemminger circled backward. Gracie hit Lemminger with an overhand right that sent his opponent backward, but it was an uppercut that really marked the beginning of the end for the American.

With Lemminger stunned against the fence, Gracie unleashed a flurry of punches. Referee Jason Herzog eventually jumped in and saved Lemminger, who remained on his feet the entire time but who was not intelligently defending himself.

With the win, Gracie reenters the win column after a unanimous decision loss to Jason Jackson at Bellator 255 in April. Over the span of his most recent four fights, Gracie is 2-2. In 11 professional victories, Gracie has 10 wins inside the distance.

As for Lemminger, the 28-year-old has lost three of his past four fights. Saturday’s fight marked the first on a new multifight deal he signed with the promotion. Three of his four career losses have come via TKO.

  • Phil Davis vs. Yoel Romero
  • Neiman Gracie def. Mark Lemminger via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:27
  • DeAnna Bennett def. Alejandra Lara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Saul Rogers def. Georgi Karakhanyan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Ben Parrish def. Christian Edwards via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:38
  • Alex Polizzi def. Grant Neal via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Anthony Adams def. Khalid Murtazaliev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bobby Seronio III def. Socrates Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-26, 29-26)
  • Abraham Vaesauvia def. Albert Gonzales via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:17
  • Shane Keefe def. Rhalan Gracie via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Edwin De Los Santos def. Jon Adams via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:29
  • Jesse Delgado def. Joshua Dillon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Bellator 266 lineup finalized with the addition of four more prelims

The lineup for Bellator return to its Northern California home base is set with the addition of four new fights on the preliminary card.

The lineup for next week’s Bellator return to its Northern California home base is set with the addition of four new fights on the preliminary card.

[autotag]Rhalan Gracie[/autotag] (0-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will return to MMA for the first time since 2007 when he takes on [autotag]Shane Keefe[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight.

Plus, [autotag]Eddie Abasolo[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Art Hernandez[/autotag] (4-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a 160-pound contract weight fight; [autotag]Edwin De Los Santos[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Jon Adams[/autotag] (0-1-1 MMA, 0-1-1 BMMA) at flyweight; and [autotag]Jesse Delgado[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) fights [autotag]Joshua Dillon[/autotag] (1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a 130-pound contract weight bout.

Bellator 266 takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The card will be Bellator’s first in San Jose in more than two years.

In the main event, [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) finally will make his Bellator debut when he takes on former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 9-3 BMMA).

Romero signed with Bellator in December 2020 after a seven-year run with the UFC. He was booked to make his promotional debut against Anthony Johnson to open the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix in May, but was forced to withdraw because of concerns over his eye following a pre-fight medical exam.

Romero, 44, hasn’t fought since March 2020 when he dropped a unanimous decision to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 248, which marked his third consecutive loss. His other two defeats in the skid came against Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Romero hasn’t won since a February 2018 knockout of Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.

Davis is coming off an April unanimous decision loss to champion Vadim Nemkov in the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix, which snapped a three-fight winning streak.

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The Bellator 266 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET, Showtime)

  • Phil Davis vs. Yoel Romero
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag]
  • [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Christian Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ben Parrish[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Anthony Adams[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khalid Murtazaliev[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Albert Gonzales[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Abraham Vaesau[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Socrates Hernandez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pedro Juarez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Erin Hunter[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Seronio III[/autotag]
  • Rhalan Gracie vs. Shane Keefe
  • Eddie Abasolo vs. Art Hernandez
  • Jon Adams vs. Edwin De Los Santos
  • Jesse Delgado vs. Joshua Dillon

Neiman Gracie vs. Mark Lemminger co-headlines Bellator 266 on Sept. 18

Neiman Gracie will look to get back on his path to title contention when he meets Mark Lemminger. 

[autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] will look to get back on his path to title contention when he meets [autotag]Mark Lemminger[/autotag].

Gracie (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) meets Lemminger (12-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 266, which takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., promotion officials announced Thursday. MMA Fighting was first to report the news.

Since getting eliminated by Rory MacDonald in the 2019 Bellator welterweight grand prix, Gracie has split his past two appearances. After submitting former UFC title challenger Jon Fitch in the second round at Bellator 246, Gracie dropped a unanimous decision to Jason Jackson at Bellator 255 in April.

Lemminger was able to snap a two-fight losing skid when he picked up a TKO win over Demarques Jackson at Bellator 260 in June. He will get a big opportunity to crack the top 10 when he meets No. 4 ranked Bellator welterweight Gracie.

The current Bellator 266 lineup includes:

  • Phil Davis vs. Yoel Romero
  • Neiman Gracie vs. Mark Lemminger
  • DeAnna Bennett vs. Alejandra Lara
  • Adam Piccolotti vs. Saul Rogers
  • Grant Neal vs. Alex Polizzi
  • Christian Edwards vs. Ben Parrish
  • Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Travis Davis
  • Abraham Vaesau vs. Albert Gonzales

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Bellator 255 video highlights: Patricio Freire cruises into showdown with A.J. McKee

Bellator got back to work Friday with its first event in 2021 and a new broadcast home on Showtime, and we’ve got the main card highlights.

[mm-video type=video id=01f2c2wwb1gch07ap7 playlist_id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01eqvpqbw4ymnv0rjh image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f2c2wwb1gch07ap7/01f2c2wwb1gch07ap7-c8ee47f8bf3744a5486cf33a0394bfc7.jpg]

Bellator got back to work Friday with its first event in 2021 and a new broadcast home on Showtime.

In the main event, lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) defended his 145-pound title with relative ease with a first-round technical submission of [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) in a rematch. The win pushed “Pitbull” into the final of Bellator’s featherweight tournament, where he’ll take on the unbeaten A.J. McKee later this year.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) worked through an odd eye injury to get past [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA); [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) let the bad blood come out and took care of [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] (11-8 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in their rematch from a no contest; [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) looked good in his promotional debut against a gritty [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (7-5 MMA, 0-2 BMMA); and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (10-0-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) stayed unbeaten in a close fight against former title challenger [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA).

You can check out the highlights from the main card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in the video above. And don’t miss our photo gallery from the event below.

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Bellator 255 results: Jason Jackson outpoints Neiman Gracie in close decision

Welterweight Jason Jackson got his fourth consecutive win when he outpointedd Neiman Gracie in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 255.

[autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] continues to rise up the Bellator welterweight ranks.

The Jamaican fighter picked up his fourth consecutive win, outpointing [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] in a unanimous decision in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 255 in Uncasville, Conn. Jackson won 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards.

In the first round, Jackson (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) and Gracie (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) traded some good shots right off the bat. Shortly after, Gracie went in for a takedown, but failed. Gracie ended up on bottom but immediately was able to reverse the position with a sweep from half guard. From there, Gracie got the mount and controlled Jackson while landing shots from top for a minute.

During the reversal, Jackson’s face scraped on the fence. He later told the referee he couldn’t see. The fight was stopped and the doctor came in to check on him. The fight was resumed from mount, and Jackson was able to reverse the position and ended up in guard to finish the round.

[lawrence-related id=600039,600097]

The second also seemed to favor Gracie. Jackson connected with several hard leg kicks that seemed to stun Gracie, but the Brazilian controlled much of the action on the ground. Gracie was constantly looking for a takedown and after a few failed attempts was able to get Jackson on the canvas about half way through the round. Gracie controlled Jackson for the entirety of the round, but was unable top threaten with submissions or land much ground-and-pound.

The final round had Jackson take the lead with better striking exchanges. Gracie still pressed forward looking for the takedown. Due to an accidental eye poke from Gracie the fight was stopped once again, but resumed with doctor’s clearance. With three minutes left on the clock, Gracie went for a takedown, but failed and ended up on bottom guard. From there, Jackson remained on top defending Gracie’s attempts for a sweep all the way to the final bell.

Jackson has built quite a list in his recent run, defeating notable names such as Kiichi Kunimoto, Jordan Mein, Benson Henderson and now Gracie. The 30-year-old’s lone recent loss was a split decision to Ed Ruth in 2019. Jackson is 7-1 in his past eight bouts. In his post-fight interview, the Sanford MMA product asked to be the next challenger for the Bellator welterweight title, which is held by Douglas Lima.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 255 results include:

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Bellator 255 pre-event facts: Patricio ‘Pitbull’ seeks 10th title-fight victory

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 255, which takes place Friday with a Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez main event.

Bellator puts on its first fight card of 2021 on Friday with Bellator 255, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a lineup that airs on Showtime and streams on MMA Junkie.

A featherweight championship bout that also doubles as a grand prix tournament semifinal takes center stage in the main event. Champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (31-4 MMA, 19-4 BMMA) will rematch [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) in a bout that will determine who advances to take on A.J. McKee in the $1 million final.

For more on the numbers behind the card, as well as the rest of the event, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 255.

Bellator 255 predictions: What are our four unanimous picks on the main card?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 255 main card, featuring featherweight champ Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez.

Freire
vs.
Sanchez		 Gracie
vs.
Jackson		 Fortune
vs.
May		 Hamel
vs.
Nurmagomedov		 Lara
vs.
Watanabe
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 27-25		 freire2021
Freire
(74%)		 gracie2021
Gracie
(76%)		 fortune2021
Fortune
(89%)		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov
(97%)		 watanabe2021
Watanabe
(52%)
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 32-20
trophy copy 2020 Champion		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 32-20		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 31-21		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 30-22		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 watanabe2021
Watanabe
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 30-22
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 30-22		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 watanabe2021
Watanabe
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 30-22
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 watanabe2021
Watanabe
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 29-23		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 28-24		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 watanabe2021
Watanabe
Simon Head
@simonhead
2021: 28-24
trophy copy 2019 Champion*		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 watanabe2021
Watanabe
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 26-26		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 26-26
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 24-28		 freire2021
Freire		 gracie2021
Gracie		 fortune2021
Fortune		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov		 lara2021
Lara
BetMGM
Betting Favorites		 freire2021
Freire -250		 jackson2021
Jackson -120		 fortune2021
Fortune -700		 usmannurmagomedov2021
Nurmagomedov -800		 lara2021
Lara -185

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Bellator is back for the first time in 2021, and the featherweight title is on the line at the top of the card.

Bellator 255 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime and MMA Junkie following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (31-4 MMA, 19-4 BMMA) puts his 145-pound title on the line against [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) in a rematch. Freire won the first fight by unanimous decision and is a -250 favorite at BetMGM in the rematch, which also is a semifinal fight in the featherweight tournament. Our 13 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts are taking Freire unanimously – one of four 13-0 nods on the main card.

In the co-feature, the welterweight fight between [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) nearly is a pick’em – Jackson is just a slight favorite. But our pickers are going with Gracie unanimously.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) runs things back with [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) after their first heavyweight meeting ended in a no contest. Fortune is a massive favorite at 7-1, and not surprisingly he’s a unanimous pick at 13-0.

Our fourth unanimous nod is [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), a cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The -800 favorite is a 13-0 pick from our staff members in his lightweight fight against [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).

And to open the main card, we have our only contentious fight from a picking standpoint. [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (9-0-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout. Lara nearly is a 2-1 favorite, and she has an 8-5 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Freire (74 percent), Gracie (76 percent), Fortune (89 percent), Nurmagomedov (97 percent) and Watanabe (52 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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