Bellator 293 post-event facts: Unbeaten fighters fall on upset-heavy card

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.

Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 293.

Bellator 293 salaries: Cat Zingano, Daniel James lead the pack with six-figure disclosed paydays

Check out the disclosed pay for all 30 fighters on Bellator 293, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

Thirty fighters competed Friday at Bellator 293 with [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] leading all disclosed payouts.

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

The main event and co-main event winners were the only two fighters to pocket six-figure disclosed paydays as a result of their performances Friday. Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) earned $100,000 flat for her unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in the co-main event. Then, main event winner James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) earned to $50,000 show and a $50,000 win bonus for his victory over [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).

Scroll below to see what the 30 fighters on Bellator 293 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Bellator 293 video: ‘Magic’ Mike Hamel finishes Nick Browne with head kick in 42 seconds

Nick Browne didn’t initially approve, but he was at least briefly put unconscious by “Magic” Mike Hamel at Bellator 293.

“Magic” [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] declared he’ll be a household name at lightweight.

While he still has some work to do getting to the status, Hamel (10-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) took one step closer to making that a reality Friday when he knocked out former LFA lightweight champion [autotag]Nick Browne[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in 42 seconds at Bellator 293.

The event took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif..

A left high kick from Hamel started the finish as it floored Browne to the canvas. Browne tried to grab hold of a leg in an attempt to resort to his grappling roots, but Hamel fed him a series of punches. Browne appeared to briefly lose consciousness, though he ultimately didn’t like the stoppage of referee Frank Trigg.

Hamel, 30, is a key member of The MMA Lab in Phoenix. After an 0-2 start to his Bellator tenure, Hamel has won three fights in a row. Browne, 33, won his first two Bellator appearances but has since dropped just as many.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 293 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 23-29)

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. 23-29.

Bellator 286 post-event facts: Patricio ‘Pitbull’ adds to legacy with 12th title-fight win

Patricio Freire added to his records for most wins and title-fight victories in Bellator history with a dominant defense at Bellator 286.

The final stretch of Bellator’s 2022 schedule kicked off Saturday with Bellator 286, which took place at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif., and featured a 13-fight lineup.

The main event saw the most decorated fighter in company history further enhance his legacy when [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-5 MMA, 22-5 BMMA) cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision over [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) to defend his featherweight title for the first time in what’s his third title reign in the division.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 286.

Aaron Pico vs. Jeremy Kennedy, Juan Archuleta vs. Enrique Barzola among 6 additions to Bellator 286

Two big fights and four prelims have been added to the Bellator 286 card.

Two big fights and four prelims have been added to the Bellator 286 card.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]’s fight with [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] is rebooked for Oct. 1 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif. Another key matchup also joins the lineup as ex-bantamweight champion [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] meets [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag].

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the bookings to MMA Junkie on Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN was first to report the news.

Pico (10-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) was originally scheduled to face Kennedy at Bellator 277 in April, but Kennedy withdrew due to a broken orbital. Pico faced short-notice replacement Adil Edwards instead, knocking him out in Round 3 for his sixth straight win. Meanwhile, ex-UFC fighter Kennedy (17-3-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) hasn’t competed since defeating Emmanuel Sanchez via unanimous decision last December at Bellator 272.

Archuleta (25-4 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid. After he defeated Patchy Mix to capture the vacant bantamweight title in September 2020, Archuleta lost his belt to Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258, followed by a knockout loss to Raufeon Stots for the interim title in the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal at Bellator 279.

Barzola (18-6-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) was also eliminated in the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal when he was submitted by Magomed Magomedov at Bellator 282 in June. Prior to that, the Peruvian fighter won his first two Bellator fights against Darrion Caldwell and Nikita Mikhailov.

Prelim additions include the promotional debut of former UFC fighter [autotag]Max Rohskopf[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), as he battles [autotag]Mike Hamel[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA). Also, lightweight contender [autotag]Islam Mamedov[/autotag] (21-2-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) takes on former LFA champion [autotag]Nick Browne[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA).

With the additions, the Bellator 286 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

  • Patricio Freire vs. Adam Borics – for featherweight title
  • Spike Carlyle vs. A.J. McKee
  • Jeremy Kennedy vs. Aaron Pico
  • Juan Archuleta vs. Enrique Barzola

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Richard Palencia
  • Mike Hamel vs. Max Rohskopf
  • Nick Browne vs. Islam Mamedov
  • Keon Diggs vs. Ricardo Seixas
  • Khadzhimurat Bestaev vs. Khalid Murtazaliev

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

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Bellator 268 salaries: Vadim Nemkov, Corey Anderson among five six-figure paydays

Five fighters pocketed more than $100,000 at Bellator 268 in Phoenix, according to documents obtained by MMA Junkie.

Bellator 268 featured two light heavyweight grand prix matchups, and the fighters involved were four of the five highest-paid athletes on the card.

Light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] and fellow grand prix finalist [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] led all paydays, as they pocketed six figures as a result of their wins Oct. 16 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

Grand prix participants [autotag]Julius Anglickas[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag], who lost in the semfinals, and former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], also took home six figures.

On Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of Bellator 268 salaries from the Arizona Department of Gaming, which oversaw the event.

Check out a full list below.

LFA 97 set for Jan. 15 in Kansas with Nick Browne vs. Arthur Estrazulas

LFA returns to Kansas to kick off its 2021 schedule, and the promotion’s vacant lightweight title will be on the line.

LFA returns to Kansas to kick off its 2021 schedule, and the promotion’s vacant lightweight title will be on the line.

Promotion officials recently announced that [autotag]Nick Browne[/autotag] (10-1) and [autotag]Arthur Estrazulas[/autotag] (12-4) will meet in a rescheduled headliner for LFA 97, which streams live on UFC Fight Pass on Jan. 15 from Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.

The two were originally slated to meet at November’s LFA 95 event but was postponed due to pre-fight COVID testing procedures implemented before the event.

“I am excited to announce that we are kicking off UFC Fight Pass’ busy 2021 schedule with a stacked fight card at LFA 97,” LFA CEO Ed Soares stated. “Nick Browne and Arthur Estrazulas were originally scheduled to fight for the LFA lightweight championship at LFA 95, but with the safety of our fighters in mind during fight week, their title fight was rescheduled to headline LFA 97.

“Browne and Estrazulas are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts that also love to strike. They will fight for the vacant LFA lightweight title on Jan. 15, which will be the first live event on UFC Fight Pass in the new year.”

Browne makes his third consecutive appearance under the LFA banner. In his past two outings, he notched a decision win over grappling ace Ben Egli and a submission of four-time LFA veteran Trey Ogden.

Meanwhile, Estrazulas’ past two appearances were also under the LFA banner, a pair of first-round rear-naked choke wins over Dominic Clark and Steve Kozola.

The LFA 97 lineup:

MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Nick Browne vs. Arthur Estrazulas – for vacant lightweight title
  • [autotag]Jacob Rosales[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Martinez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Andrew Yates[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kelly D’Angelo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Loveth Young[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jordan Mapa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michael Stack[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kimo Lewis[/autotag]