Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 260, which took place Friday in Uncasville, Conn.
The promotion’s second title change of the year unfolded Friday in the Bellator 260 headliner at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
[autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (26-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) became the new king of the welterweight division when he shut down [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-9 MMA, 14-5 BMMA) for five rounds to claim the gold by unanimous decision and join the short list of fighters to get their hands on a belt without ever experiencing a loss.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 260.
On the day of the show, Bellator 250 has lost two fights, including one from the main card.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – On the day of the show, Bellator 250 has lost two fights, including one from the main card.
[autotag]Veta Arteaga[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) is out of her women’s flyweight fight to open the main card against [autotag]Desiree Yanez[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). And [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) is out of his lightweight fight against [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) on the preliminary card. Both fights have been scratched from the lineup.
A Bellator official on Thursday confirmed the fights’ removal to MMA Junkie, saying Arteaga and Newell “couldn’t receive clearance” from the Mohegan Tribe commission overseeing the event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Yanez first announced the scratching of her fight with Arteaga on Instagram and said Arteaga tested positive for COVID-19.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG7j0OepaW2/
Both Arteaga and Newell weighed in Wednesday. Arteaga was 0.2 pounds overweight at 126.2.
A middleweight bout between [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Dalton Rosta[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has been elevated from the prelims to open the main card, a promotion official told MMA Junkie.
Bellator 250 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Three fights have been added to the Bellator 250 lineup, including Nick Newell’s return.
The Bellator 250 lineup is now three fights deeper.
Among the additions are a lightweight rebooking between [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag], a middleweight matchup between [autotag]Taylor Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag], as well as a featherweight fight between [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] and [autotag]Orlando Ortega[/autotag].
Bellator 250 takes place Thursday, Oct. 29 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on CBSsports.com.
A promotion official confirmed the three bookings to MMA Junkie on Tuesday after initial reports from MMA Fighting (Newell-Zane), Fansided (Johnson-Eblen), and MyMMANews (Law-Ortega).
Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) were originally scheduled to fight at Bellator 241 in March. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the card was canceled hours before the first prelim was scheduled to take place.
Newell, 34, will look to rebound from his first loss in Bellator – a split decision defeat to Manny Muro at Bellator 232 in October. As for Zane, he’ll aim to keep his winning ways alive after earning a unanimous decision victory over Nainoa Dung at Bellator 236 in December.
[lawrence-related id=557188,557211,557163]
Johnson (6-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) was last seen on Sept. 11 at Bellator 245, submitting Ed Ruth with a heel hook submission in 59 seconds. As for Eblen (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), the Jorge Masvidal protege is undefeated and has finished four of his six pro victories.
A former wrestling standout at Penn State University, Law (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make the jump to MMA’s big leagues for his professional debut. Dropping to featherweight, Law will take on Ortega (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) who is moving up from bantamweight.
With the additions, the Bellator 250 lineup includes:
Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima – for the Bellator welterweight title
Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”
There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.
So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:
EliteXC – Primetime: [autotag]Kimbo Slice[/autotag] vs. [autotag]James Thompson[/autotag] – May 31, 2008
XFO 51: [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Lorenzo Hood[/autotag] – May 31, 2014
EliteXC – Primetime: [autotag]Brett Rogers[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jon Murphy[/autotag] – May 31, 2008
CES MMA 56: [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Antonio Castillo Jr[/autotag]. – May 31, 2019
Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.
After fighters on the Bellator 241 card made weight Thursday and had faceoffs with their opponents, everything seemed fairly normal.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After fighters on the Bellator 241 card made weight Thursday and had faceoffs with their opponents, everything seemed fairly normal.
But later that afternoon came word from Connecticut’s governor that gatherings in excess of 250 people were banned for now in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Bellator responded by shutting down the event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville to fans. Instead of a normally fairly packed house in one of the promotion’s most visited venues, the fights were set to go on – with no one cheering but the corners.
On Friday afternoon, though, everything got turned on its head and Bellator decided to postpone the event outright – taking just about everyone by surprise, given it appeared to be set to go off, albeit under unique circumstances.
In the wake of the cancellation, MMA Junkie caught up with co-main event featherweight tournament fighter [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag], as well as popular Connecticut-based fighter [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Sumter[/autotag] and [autotag]Romero Cotton[/autotag] to get their reactions to having not only their fights, but the entire card scrapped on the day of the event.
Check out what they had to say in the video above.
[lawrence-related id=499592,499551]
Bellator doesn’t have another event scheduled until May 8 in San Jose, Calif. But given the current state of large gatherings the world over due to the coronavirus outbreak, nothing is set in stone anymore and time will tell just when Bellator gets fighters back into action.
Nick Newell says Zach Zane will pay if he decides to stand and trade with him.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] is more than willing to throw down with [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag].
Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) faces Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) this Friday on the main card of Bellator 241, looking to rebound from his upset loss to Manny Muro last October.
It was a frustrating homecoming for Newell, who struggled to fend off Muro’s takedowns and clinch game in the latter rounds of the split-decision loss, but he insists that he won’t allow that to happen again.
“You look at all my fights, everyone says, ‘Oh, Nick’s a grappler, he’s a black belt,’ but the only way that people beat me is just by holding a stupid-ass body lock and not fighting me,” Newell told MMA Junkie. “So, like, that’s the only way that people are going to beat me, but I trained this fight to stop that. If that’s what he tries to do, it’s not going to work.”
[lawrence-related id=499228,498204]
Newell may have finished the majority of his fights by submission, but he says he is happy to keep things on the feet, where he vows to make Zane pay if he decides to stand and trade.
“My striking, everyone says they’re going to knock me out, and I hit them, and then they start wrestling and I submit them, but it’s the truth,” Newell said. “Watch any of my fights, you’ll see it, and I think he thinks that he has a big advantage on me on the feet, and I know that’s not the case. I’m going to show him. I’ll draw the line in the sand, and if he wants to come out and bang with me, then he’s going to be in trouble.”
Newell chalks his last loss up to too many obligations while running his gym, diverting his attention away from the fight. He gets another opportunity to compete in front of his home crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena, where he’s looking to make a statement.
“I just think about myself and just being the best martial artist that I can,” Newell said. “He’s definitely talented or else he wouldn’t have won in Bellator. You have to be good to win in Bellator and to get this fight, but I just think I’m at the top level. I really know that I am, and what I’m capable of and if I go out and show it, there’s no stopping me.”
Bellator 241’s main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, featherweight and lightweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) puts his 145-pound title on the line against challenger [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the quarterfinals of the grand prix. “Pitbull” Freire is a big 10-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and he pitched a shutout from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
The co-main event is another quarterfinal fight in the tournament, and the winner will move on to face the Freire-Carvalho winner in what will be a semifinal bout that doubles as a title fight. [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) is a slight favorite against [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) in a rematch of a fight Weichel won in 2016. But this time, it’s Sanchez with a 10-4 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on late replacement [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in a heavyweight bout. Markes was supposed to fight Josh Barnett in a fight rescheduled from December, but Barnett was pulled from the event. Mitrione is the favorite at around -170, but our pickers have it split right down the middle at 7-7.
[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) is a 4-1 favorite in his welterweight fight against [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), and the picks reflect that. Only one picker is taking Homasi in an upset, giving Daley a whopping 13-1 edge.
[autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) will try to rebound from his first Bellator loss with another fight in his home state when he takes on [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at lightweight. Newell is more than a 2-1 favorite, and he’s our second unanimous pick.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (29-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is a massive 12-1 favorite against [autotag]Fabio Aguiar[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who is making his Bellator debut at middleweight. Only one picker is taking Aguiar in what would be a big upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Freire (69 percent), Sanchez (61 percent), Mitrione (77 percent), Daley (92 percent), Newell (70 percent) and Tokov (84 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 241, which takes place Friday with a Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho main event.
Bellator action resumes on Friday with Bellator 241, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card that streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
A featherweight championship fight headlines the card as [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) looks to further entrench his legacy as the greatest 145-pound fighter in Bellator history, when he takes on [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in a matchup that also serves as a quarterfinal bout in the ongoing featherweight grand prix.
The card has more to offer than that, though. For all the numbers, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 241.
* * * *
Main event
Patricio Freire
Freire competes in his 23rd Bellator bout, tied with David Rickels for the most appearances in company history.
Freire competes in his 11th Bellator title fight, the second most in company history behind Michael Chandler (12).
Freire’s eight victories in Bellator championship fights are most in company history.
Freire is one of two simultaneous two-division champions in Bellator history. Ryan Bader also accomplished the feat.
Freire is one of three fighters in Bellator history to win titles in two weight classes. Bader and Joe Warren also accomplished the feat.
Freire’s 18 victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
Freire’s 17 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Freire’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are second most in company history behind Chandler (12).
Freire’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind A.J. McKee (11).
Freire’s seven knockout victories in Bellator competition are tied for third most in company history behind Patricky Freire (nine) and Douglas Lima (nine).
Freire’s six knockout victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with McKee for most in divisional history.
Freire’s four submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind McKee (five).
Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho
Carvalho has earned eight of his 11 career victories by stoppage. That includes three of his four Bellator wins.
Carvalho’s four-fight Bellator winning streak at featherweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind McKee (16) and Darrion Caldwell (six).
Co-main event
Emmanuel Sanchez
[autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) competes in his 15th Bellator featherweight bout, tied for the fourth most appearances in divisional history behind Freire (21), Daniel Straus (16) and McKee (16).
Sanchez’s 11 victories by Bellator featherweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Freire (17) and McKee (16).
Sanchez’s four submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind McKee (five).
Sanchez’s seven decision wins in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) was successful in his return to the Bellator featherweight division in September.
Remaining main card
Paul Daley
[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) has earned all 33 career stoppage victories as a result of strikes. That includes six of his eight Bellator wins.
[autotag]Mitrione Mitrione[/autotag]’s (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) three-fight winless skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Mitrione vs. Sergei Kharitonov marked the third shortest no-contest in Bellator/UFC/WEC/Strikeforce/PRIDE combined history at just 15 seconds. Only Marius Zaromskis vs. Waachim Spiritwolf (six seconds) at Strikeforce Challengers 12 and Kevin Casey vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (11 seconds) at UFC Fight Night 80 were faster.
All of Mitrione’s career bouts have taken place under the Bellator or UFC banners.
[autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his Bellator debut after being a four-fight veteran of PFL and five-fight UFC veteran.
Markes is 3-3 in his past six fights dating back to June 2017.
[autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag]’s (29-3 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) five-fight Bellator winning streak in middleweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
With his October win over Hracho Darpinyan, Tokov improved to 22-1 in his past 23 fights dating back to April 2012.
Tokov has earned 23 of his 29 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his five Bellator wins.
[autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 12 of those wins by submission.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 241 event in Connecticut, featuring a Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho title fight.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 241 event in Uncasville, Conn.
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 241 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 241 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:
