Olivia Parker – Syndication Server

Bellator 256 post-event facts: Lyoto Machida falls to 0-4 in rematches

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 256, which took place Friday in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator’s second event of the year took place Friday with Bellator 256 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The opening fight of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix headlined the card. Former champ [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) became the first man to advance to the semifinal round when he beat [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] (26-11 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) by unanimous decision, avenging a knockout loss from August 2012.

For more on the numbers, check below for 15 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 256.

Bellator 256 results: Cat Zingano shows slick ground game in armbar submission win

Cat Zingano is now 2-for-2 in Bellator and has her hopes up for a featherweight title shot after a nice showing.

[autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] is on a roll in Bellator and looking for gold.

Zingano, a former UFC bantamweight title challenger, picked up her second promotional win in as many fights Saturday night, submitting [autotag]Olivia Parker[/autotag] with an armbar at Bellator 256. The finish came at the 2:56 mark of the first round.

Zingano (12-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) didn’t waste time looking to take the fight to the mat, shooting for a takedown after throwing a head kick in the opening 10 seconds. After some clinch work against the cage, she eventually got Parker (4-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) down and immediately started to display a slick ground game.

Zingano transitioned from taking Parker’s back to securing full mount to securing her back again before Parker managed to reverse the position. But even then, Zingano remained poised and smooth, and she quickly seized on an opening to lock in an armbar as she went belly down.

"I'd love to get a shot at the belt over here in #Bellator."@CatZingano gets the W tonight at #Bellator256.

We are LIVE NOW on @SHOsports.⬇️
▶️ https://t.co/RNtauZXM3o pic.twitter.com/oIcXsir0w8

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) April 10, 2021

The finish was the first submission win for Zingano since October 2012 when she defeated Raquel Pennington by rear-naked choke at Invicta FC 3.

Now with back-to-back wins, the 38-year-old Zingano made her intentions clear with a looming women’s featherweight title fight between champion Cris Cyborg and Leslie Smith next month.

“I am in a run for gold,” Zingano said. “I know who’s the best. I’d love to get a shot at the title here in Bellator.”

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 256 results include:

Cat Zingano def. Olivia Parker via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:56
Dan Moret def. Goiti Yamauchi via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Dalton Rosta def. Tony Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Talita Nogueira def. Jessica Borga via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Jornel Lugo def. Cass Bell via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Cody Law def. Nathan Ghareeb via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jaylon Bates def. Jeffrey Glossner via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:27
Nainoa Dung def. Izzy William via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Diana Avsaragova def. Tara Graff via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:29
John Douma def. Will Smith via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Bellator 256 predictions: Ryan Bader or Lyoto Machida in tournament rematch?

Check out our staff members’ predictions for the Bellator 256 main card, featuring Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida in the 205-pound tournament.

	Bader vs. Machida	Carmouche vs. Porto	Borics vs. Kennedy	Parker vs. Zingano	Moret vs. Yamauchi
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 31-26	Bader (64%)	Carmouche (69%)	Borics (72%)	Zingano (90%)	Yamauchi (88%)
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 35-22 2020 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 35-22	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 34-23	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 34-23	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 34-23 2018 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 34-23	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 33-24 2017 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 32-25	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 32-25	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 29-28	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 29-28 2014 Champion	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 27-30	Bader	Carmouche	Borics	Zingano	Yamauchi
BetMGM Betting Favorites	Bader -300	Carmouche -185	Kennedy -125	Zingano -800	Yamauchi -400

Bellator keeps its 2021 rolling Friday, and a former light heavyweight champion will try to get back on track at the top of the bill.

Bellator 256 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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

In the main event, former light heavyweight champion and current heavyweight champ [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (27-6 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag] (26-10 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the opening round of Bellator’s 205-pound tournament. The two first fought in the UFC nearly nine years ago, and Machida won by knockout. This time, Bader is a -300 favorite at BetMGM in the rematch, and our 12 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts are taking him unanimously – one of three 12-0 nods on the main card.

In the co-feature, former UFC title challenger [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is a -185 favorite against former Invicta FC women’s flyweight [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag] (22-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), and Carmouche is a near-unanimous pick on the main card at 11-1 from our staff members.

Also on the main card, our only truly contentious fight from a picks standpoint takes place at lightweight with [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) just a -125 favorite against [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Borics has a slim 7-5 picks lead.

Our second unanimous nod is former UFC title challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who is a huge -800 favorite against promotional newcomer [autotag]Olivia Parker[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout. Zingano, not surprisingly given the odds, is a 12-0 pick.

And to open the main card, our third 12-0 unanimous pick is [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) in a lightweight bout against [autotag]Dan Moret[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Yamauchi is a -400 betting favorite.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Bader (64 percent), Carmouche (69 percent), Borics (72 percent), Zingano (90 percent) and Yamauchi (88 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Bellator 256 faceoff video highlights: Cat Zingano returns in vintage fashion

Check out the Bellator 256 competitors’ ceremonial faceoffs.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday and kicks off its light heavyweight grand prix with a rematch between heavyweight champion and former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag].

Bellator 256 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The entire card will be live and free on MMA Junkie.

Following Thursday’s official Bellator 256 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.

Check out the faceoffs below, including Bader vs. Machida, [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vanessa Porto[/autotag], [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag], [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Olivia Parker[/autotag], and more.

Bellator 256: Make your predictions for Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida 2

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 256 event in Connecticut.

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 Wednesdday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 256 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 256 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Cat Zingano vs. Olivia Parker booked for Bellator 256

A former UFC title challenger has her next fight booked – and a win could set her up for a Bellator title shot.

[autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will take on promotional newcomer [autotag]Olivia Parker[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout at Bellator 256 next month. A promotional official confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from ESPN.com.

Bellator 256 takes place April 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The event will be Bellator’s second in 2021 and second on Showtime.

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Zingano started her career 9-0, including wins in her first two UFC fights – TKOs of eventual bantamweight champions Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes, who now is a two-division titleholder. She got a shot at Ronda Rousey’s bantamweight title, but was submitted in just 14 seconds.

After more than 16 months away, she returned at UFC 200 and dropped a decision to Julianna Pena. She was away another 20 months after that and returned to a split decision loss to Ketlen Vieira. After a decision win over Marion Reneau in July 2018, she moved to featherweight and had a TKO loss to Megan Anderson at UFC 232 in a fight in which she suffered an accidental eye poke only about a minute in.

Zingano was a high-profile free agent signing for Bellator in October 2019, but it was nearly a year before her promotional debut at Bellator 245 this past September. She stayed at featherweight and beat Gabby Holloway by unanimous decision. Because of the lack of depth of Bellator’s women’s featherweight division, a win over Parker could set Zingano up for a shot at champion Cris Cyborg.

The 39-year-old Parker is based in Tennessee and a teammate of UFC standout Ovince Saint-Preux. She started her pro career 4-0, including three stoppage wins under the Valor Fighting Challenge banner. In July 2020, she moved up a level, but was submitted in the first round by Chelsea Chandler at Invicta FC 40.

With the addition, the Bellator 256 lineup now includes:

Champ Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida – for light heavyweight title; light heavyweight tournament opening round
Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov – light heavyweight tournament opening round
Diana Avsaragova vs. Tara Graff
Nainoa Dung vs. Izzy William
Jaylon Bates vs. Jeffrey Glossner
Nathan Ghareeb vs. Cody Law
Jessica Borga vs. Talita Nogueira
Olivia Parker vs. Cat Zingano

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