Bellator 301 results: Alexander Shabliy pieces up Patricky Pitbull, advances to grand prix final

Methodical violence was created by Alexander Shabliy at Bellator 301, as he put forth a brilliant, bloody performance vs. Patricky Pitbull.

[autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] put on quite the clinic Friday at Bellator 301 when he defeated former lightweight champion [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] in the semifinal of the promotion’s ongoing grand prix.

The bout served as the main card opener at Wintrust Arena in Chicago and saw Shabliy (24-3 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) win a lopsided (and bloody) unanimous decision over Freire (25-12 MMA, 16-10 BMMA). All three judges scored the fight a clean sweep, at 50-45.

Shabliy was a man on a mission from the opening bell. He landed punches with surgical precision and mixed up his strikes to keep Freire guessing.

Despite his success, Shabliy continued to seek the finish. In Round 3, he landed a barrage that tested Freire’s chin and will. “Pitbull” hung tough, as always, though.

As the fight continued, Freire’s face deteriorated. Blood streamed from below his left eye and from his left ear. Shabliy landed a hard sequence in Round 5, including a wheel kick to the head but Freire did enough to make it to the final bell.

Bellator’s future beyond Friday’s event is uncertain. Should new life be breathed into the promotion and the grand prix continue, the next match for Shabliy is a bit clouded.

With lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov recently testing positive for a prohibited substance, Bellator executive Mike Kogan recently hinted the titleholder will rematch Brent Primus.

Regardless of tournament status, Shabliy extends his winning streak to nine. Other notable wins include Tofiq Musayev and Brent Primus, both of whom Shabliy finished with strikes.

Freire moves to 2-4 in his most recent six outings.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 301 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.

Video: Bellator 301 media day faceoffs feature Yaroslav Amosov, Jason Jackson all buddy-buddy

Check out the faceoffs from Bellator 301 media day in Chicago, where Yaroslav Amosov and Jason Jackson had a friendly encounter.

CHICAGO – Bellator 301 media day took place Wednesday with all 10 main-card fighters in attendance, and MMA Junkie was on the scene for the festivities and faceoffs that ensued at the host hotel.

The main event features welterweight champion [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] defending his title against [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag]. And in the co-main event, champ [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] and interim champ [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] will meet to unify the bantamweight title.

Three other fights are featured on the main card: A rematch between bantamweight contenders [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag]; former featherweight champ [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] in a lightweight grand prix alternate bout; and a lightweight grand prix semifinal between [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Shabiliy[/autotag].

After each matchup’s fighters fielded questions from reporters, they came together for faceoffs, which you can watch in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 11-17)

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 or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 11-17.

Bellator 301 set for Chicago: 2 title fights, including Sergio Pettis vs. Patchy Mix, grand prix semifinal, grudge rematch

Despite the uncertain times for Bellator MMA, the promotion has booked a big show for Chicago in November.

Despite the uncertain times for Bellator MMA, the promotion continues to book events.

Wednesday, promotion officials informed MMA Junkie that Bellator 301 will take place Nov. 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago with two title fights, a tournament fight, and a grudge rematch already scheduled for the main card. The card was first announced on “The MMA Hour.”

In the main event, Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (27-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) defends his title against [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA). The co-main event features a highly-anticipated bantamweight unification bout between undisputed champion [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) and interim champion [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA).

The Bellator lightweight grand prix rolls on in the featured bout with a semifinal fight between [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (25-11 MMA, 16-9 BMMA) and [autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). Additionally, a bantamweight grudge match will be run back as [autotag]Danny Sabtello[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) gets a home state fight vs. [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA).

The full Bellator 301 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champion Yaroslav Amosov vs. Jason Jackson – for welterweight title
  • Champion Patchy Mix vs. interim champion Patchy Mix – for bantamweight title unification
  • Patricky Freire vs. Alexander Shabliy
  • Danny Sabatello vs. Raufeon Stots

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Ali Isaev vs. Daniel James
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Marcelo Golm
  • Justin Gonzales vs. Timur Khizriev
  • Mike Hamel vs. Tim Wilde
  • Sumiko Inaba vs. Denise Kielholtz
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Killys Mota

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Patricky Freire determined to reclaim Bellator lightweight title after Japan win over Roberto de Souza

Patricky Freire has his sights set on reclaiming the Bellator lightweight title after a win in the grand prix in Japan.

[autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] has only one thing on his mind: The Bellator lightweight title.

Now in the semifinals of the Bellator lightweight grand prix, Freire (25-11 MMA, 16-9 BMMA) can see the end goal. Freire, who lost the title to Usman Nurmagomedov in November 2022, defeated Roberto de Souza in the opening round of the grand prix this past Saturday at Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Freire now will take on Russia’s Alexandr Shabliy in the semifinals looking for a spot in the final and a chance to fight for the belt. He said he thinks he’s ready.

“He’s a very tough athlete,” Freire said when asked about Shabliy at the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 post-fight press conference. “Everybody knows that the Russian athlete is very tough. But it doesn’t matter who’s in front of me. I’m going to destroy (him). That’s what’s on my mind. I’m going to be champion. That’s the only thing that matters.”

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Freire was happy to not only get a win and advance in the grand prix, but to fight in Japan. It was his fourth fight there and thinks it was his best experience.

“It looks like this time the Japanese fans were happier,” Freire said. “They were more vibrant, and they were yelling, and I really like that. I enjoy that. They give me their energy.”

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Patricio Freire claims Kleber Koike invaded locker room, attacked brother Patricky at Bellator x Rizin 2

Patricio Freire says former rival Kleber Koike attacked his brother Patricky at Bellator x Rizin 2.

It seems [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag] and the “Pitbull” brothers got into an altercation at Bellator x Rizin 2 in Japan.

According to [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag], Koike argued with his brother, [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag], after Patricky defeated Koike’s teammate, Roberto de Souza, by TKO at Saturday’s Bellator x Rizin 2 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Patricio alleged Koike also celebrated Patricio’s shocking KO loss to Chihiro Suzuki, then after the event, Koike invaded their locker room to kick Patricky from behind and run off.

Patricio and Koike have history. The two fought at the first Bellator x Rizin event back this past December in a non-title bout. Patricio defeated his fellow Brazilian by unanimous decision. That’s his most recent victory. He now has back-to-back defeats for the first time in his MMA career.

Patricio entered Bellator x Rizin 2 off a decision loss to Sergio Pettis in an attempt to capture the bantamweight title and become the first three-division Bellator champion. The 36-year-old made no excuses for his first-round KO defeat to Suzuki and made it clear he’ll bounce back.

You can watch Patricio’s KO loss in the video below:

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Bellator x Rizin 2 results: Patricky Freire uses vicious leg kick to stop Roberto de Souza in grand prix quarterfinal

Considering Roberto de Souza stepped up on short notice, it was only fitting that Patricky Freire chopped him down for the win.

Considering [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] stepped up on short notice, it was only fitting that [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] chopped him down for the win.

In an unexpected Bellator lightweight grand prix quarterfinal, Freire methodically chipped away at de Souza for two rounds before finishing him with a devastating leg kick just 49 seconds into the third round Sunday in the Bellator x Rizin 2 main event at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo. The fight was made just earlier this week after A.J. McKee was forced to withdraw because of a staph infection.

After a slow first round, Freire started doing some damage in Round 2. First he landed a hard one-two combo that stunned de Souza. In the final minute, Freire dropped de Souza after landing a clean jumping knee. However, Freire didn’t rush in to try and finish de Souza as it appeared he might’ve thought de Souza was trying to lure him into a ground fight.

That seemed like it could’ve been a mistake given how dazed de Souza was in the moment, but the misfire didn’t matter after the horn sounded. In the third round, Freire came out firing and landed the brutal leg kick that instantly dropped de Souza to the canvas. It didn’t take but a few follow-up punches for referee Kerry Hatley to step in and stop the fight.

With the win, Freire (25-11 MMA, 16-9 BMMA) rebounded from losing the 155-pound title to Usman Nurmagomedov last November and moved one step closer to a rematch. Freire will meet Alexander Shabliy in one grand prix semifinal, while Nurmagomedov will defend his title against former champ Brent Primus in the other.

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Patricky Freire def. Roberto de Souza at Bellator x Rizin 2: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Patricky Freire’s third-round TKO win over Roberto de Souza at Bellator x Rizin 2.

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag]’s third-round TKO win over Roberto de Souza at Bellator x Rizin 2 from Super Saitama Arena near Tokyo. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator)

Patricky Freire confident he can stop Roberto de Souza’s game: ‘I’m a complete fighter’

Patricky Freire is unfazed by the late opponent change for Bellator X Rizin 2.

[autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] is unfazed by the late opponent change for Bellator X Rizin 2.

With A.J. McKee forced out due to a staff infection, RIZIN lightweight champion [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) will step in to face Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) in Saturday’s main event at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET.

De Souza will enter the Bellator lightweight grand prix having won six of his past seven, but Freire is confident wherever the fight goes.

“I’m going to stop his game,” Freire told reporters through an interpreter at a Bellator X Rizin 2 news conference Thursday evening. “I’m going to be smart. I’m going to be relaxed. Everything’s going to be calm. Nothing changes: Go out there and win.”

McKee and de Souza possess different styles, but “Pitbull” says he didn’t have to change much in his approach.

“I’ve been a blackbelt since 2007, so I train everything: striking, wrestling, jiu-jitsu,” Freire said. “I’m a complete fighter. Strategy doesn’t need to change that much when you’re complete a fighter. I’m ready.”

De Souza’s mother is from Japan, so he will likely have the crowd behind him – but Freire doesn’t necessarily see that being the case.

“I don’t believe that all the Japanese fans are going to be rooting for ‘Satoshi,'” Freire said. “I believe that the ‘Pitbull’ brothers have a fanbase here in Japan, and I think the fans will be split in who they cheer for. It doesn’t matter because once that cage door closes, there’s only me and Satoshi in the cage, and that’s what counts.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Major changes to Bellator X Rizin 2: A.J. McKee out; Patricky Freire faces RIZIN champ; Patricio ‘Pitbull’ added

Major changes tweak Bellator X Rizin 2 in Japan, including the removal of A.J. McKee and random addition of Patricio Freire in a new bout.

Saturday’s Bellator x Rizin 2 has been hit with a pair of changes to the lineup during fight week, including the loss of one half of the main event.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], who was set to take on [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] in a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal bout, is now out with a medical issue. Stepping in to face Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) on short notice is RIZIN lightweight champion [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in the new main event, the promotions announced during a joint news conference Wednesday local time.

Details about McKee’s medical issues were not disclosed, but a Bellator official told MMA Junkie he will be an alternate in the tournament moving forward. De Souza is now officially in the Bellator lightweight grand prix, and the bout against Patricky Freire will be five rounds. However, due to the short-notice nature of the change, the bout will be contested at 161 pounds.

In addition to a shift in the headliner, a late addition will see the other “Pitbull,” Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-6 MMA), take on [autotag]Chihiro Suzuki[/autotag] (10-3) in a 154-pound catchweight contest – an additional bout added to the event on just days’ notice. This bout will take place on the RIZIN portion of the event, which follows the five-fight Bellator segment of the card.

Bellator X Rizin 2 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET. The co-feature bout will crown an inaugural Bellator flyweight champion, as Kyoji Horiguchi takes on Makoto Shinryu.

With the changes, the Bellator X Rizin 2 lineup includes:

  • Patricky Freire vs. Roberto de Souza – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu – inaugural flyweight title
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Danny Sabatello
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.