Tag: Pedro Carvalho

PFL’s Pedro Carvalho upset by stoppage in Brendan Loughnane loss, claims referee admitted wrong call

Pedro Carvalho doesn’t agree with the stoppage in his TKO loss at Friday’s 2024 PFL 3.

[autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] is far from happy with how his PFL debut went.

The Bellator veteran lost by first-round TKO to [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] in the co-main event of Friday’s 2024 PFL 3 event. Carvalho (13-9) was hurt early by Loughnane (28-5), but was fighting back. In the final sequence, Loughnane connected with a shot on a downed Carvalho, and referee Kevin MacDonald waved off the fight as Carvalho was looking for a takedown. Carvalho stood up immediately and protested the call.

The SBG Ireland product is upset with the call and said that McDonald admitted he made the wrong call. No official statement was made by MacDonald.

“An amazing week and experience with (PFL) that end up with a very sour taste in my mouth for something that I thought it would never happen to me and one of the worst stoppages that I have ever seen,” Carvalho wrote on Instagram. “I respect referee Kevin MacDonald specially for being a honorable man and came to me after the fight apologizing and admitting that he messed that one up.

“It really hurts, specially now with this point system the chances are very thin for me to reach the playoffs, but I’m still gonna find a way out of this.
I’m just gonna try to focus on how grateful I feel for being able to be living what I dreamed to be, doing what I always dreamed when I was a kid.
I’m gonna keep the work and focus going and hope that the outcome of my next fight will depend only on me… Thank you everyone for your support, it means a lot!! ❤️”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5_MBOquYLR/?img_index=1

Carvalho is now on a three-fight losing streak. He has zero points in the PFL 2024 featherweight season and one fight remaining to look to qualify for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Loughnane scored six points with the first-round finish, getting closer to qualifying for the playoffs.

Loughnane also weighed in on the stoppage and said the opposite of Carvalho. He believes Carvalho was badly hurt and that MacDonald made the right call.

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PFL’s Brendan Loughnane refutes TKO controversy vs. Pedro Carvalho: ‘Should’ve been stopped earlier’

Brendan Loughnane doesn’t think the stoppage in his TKO win over Pedro Carvalho was premature.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] was puzzled to see there was controversy surrounding his latest win, as he thought it was a clean one.

The 2022 PFL featherweight champion picked up a first-round TKO win over [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] in the co-main event of Friday’s 2024 PFL 3 event. Many online criticized the stoppage, calling it premature, as Carvalho (13-9), who had been stunned a couple of times, looked to be going for a takedown when the fight was stopped. He also stood up immediately and seemed unhappy with the call.

Loughnane (28-5) is convinced the referee made the right move.

“That was the best stoppage ever,” Loughnane said in his post-fight interview. “Me, that referee, and Pedro are the three people in there. Pedro was done. I’m so glad he stopped it when he did because, listen, we all want to get paid and go to our families. It was a great stoppage.”

It wasn’t just online where people were criticizing the call. Loughnane got heavily booed by the Chicago crowd for his win, something that completely caught him off guard.

“I’ll be honest with you, I thought, ‘Is there 5,000 Pedro fans in here?” Loughnane said. “I couldn’t work out what all the boos were because it was a great stoppage. I’m not joking. I was in there. I saw his eyes. Pedro was done. It should’ve been stopped earlier. Like, I don’t know what all the boos were about, honestly. Even when he stood up he was done, he was gone. It was a great stoppage.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 3.

2024 PFL 3 video: Brendan Loughnane TKOs Pedro Carvalho; stoppage sparks controversy

Did referee Kevin MacDonald stop the PFL co-main event early? You be the judge.

[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] earned six points in a victory Saturday in Chicago. The win didn’t come without some controversy.

In the 2024 PFL 3 co-main event, Loughnane (28-5) defeated [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (13-9) with punches at 1:26 of Round 1. The stoppage by referee Kevin MacDonald was controversial in the eyes of many viewers.

Loughnane stunned Carvalho in one of the opening exchanges. Carvalho spent most of the short, 86-second fight trying to weather the storm. When he fell on his back, Loughnane threatened punches from a standing position. After Loughnane landed several punches, Carvalho dove for a foot as Loughnane hit him again.

MacDonald dove in and waved off the fight, much to the protest of Carvalho and fans at Wintrust Arena. Regardless, the result held and Loughnane now finds himself atop the featherweight leaderboards.

Loughnane, 34, bounces back after a TKO loss to Jesus Pinedo in the 2023 PFL featherweight final. The win Friday was his fifth in six most recent outings.

Carvalho, 28, has lost six of his eight most recent outings. A former Bellator title challenger, Carvalho’s fight Friday was his first under the PFL banner.

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The up-to-the-minute 2024 PFL 3 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 3.

Bellator 299 results: Aaron Pico runs through Pedro Carvalho, calls for title shot

Aaron Pico celebrated is 27th birthday with a dominant performance that could earn him a Bellator featherweight title shot.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] gave [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] no chance.

Pico, the Bellator featherweight contender, picked up a quick TKO win in the co-main event of Saturday’s Bellator 299 in Dublin. Pico (12-4 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) put away Carvalho (13-8 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) with ground-and-pound 3:05 into the first round. It was another dominant showing for Pico, this one on his 27th birthday.

Pico began picking apart Carvalho on the feet and mixing in his wrestling to get takedowns. In one of the exchanges, Pico caught Carvalho with an uppercut and dropped him to the canvas. From there, Pico began a non-stop attack of ground-and-pound until he got Carvalho to roll over and stop defending himself, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Following the win, Pico called for a title shot, saying he’s now finally ready to fight for gold and vowed that he will defend his belt once it’s his.

Currently, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire is out recovering from spinal surgery. He’s expected to return in early 2024. It’s uncertain if the promotion is going to implement an interim title in the division.

Pico is now on a two-fight winning streak since dislocating his shoulder against Jeremy Kennedy in October 2022, losing a by TKO due to injury. Prior to the injury, the JacksonWink fighter was on a six-fight winning streak, with all victories coming by stoppage.

Carvalho, on the other hand, finds himself on a two-fight losing streak and is 2-5 in his most recent seven fights. His last win came in September 2022, when he outpointed Mads Burnell in a unanimous decision.

Updated Bellator 299 results include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

With Patricio Freire injured, Pedro Carvalho calls for Bellator interim title at 145: ‘It’s the obvious thing to do’

With Patricio Freire recovering from back surgery, Pedro Carvalho calls for Bellator to do an interim title at featherweight.

[autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] thinks his division is in need of an interim title.

With Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire on the sidelines due to back surgery, Carvalho (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) would like to see the promotion implement an interim belt and keep the division moving on a championship level. The Portuguese fighter thinks it’s the right thing to do, given that Freire hasn’t defended his belt since October 2022, and won’t be able to return until March 2024.

“Oh for sure it’s the next thing, the interim belt, because he’ll be out until sometime next year,” Carvalho said Thursday at the Bellator 299 media day. “He’s not going to fight anytime earlier than that. I heard somewhere Bellator is going to do an interim belt, and besides, even if I heard wrong, it’s the obvious thing to do because he hasn’t defended his belt for quite some time, and he’s going to be out for a good bit. So it just makes sense to make an interim belt and not hold the division.”

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Carvalho returns against Aaron Pico this Saturday in the co-main event of Bellator 299, which takes place at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Carvalho holds Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) in high regard and believes a win over him should set him up to fight for the interim title if the promotion chooses to implement one.

“It feels good, it feels right being in a fight where I know I’m going to have a fight, it’s exciting,” Carvalho said regarding the matchup with Pico. “I’m buzzing for this one. It’s a fight that I’ve wanted for quite some time. And like I said before, I always want to fight the top guys and prove myself as the top man. This fight is perfect for me to earn my spot as a title contender and fight for the belt.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Aaron Pico sees ‘straightforward’ Pedro Carvalho as good style matchup at Bellator 299: ‘I have fought better strikers’

Aaron Pico doesn’t expect Pedro Carvalho to pose too many problems for him.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] doesn’t expect [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] to pose too many problems for him.

Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) faces Carvalho (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 299, which takes place Sept. 23 at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Pico, one of the most highly touted contenders in Bellator, is coming off a unanimous decision win over James Gonzalez in April. He was able to rebound from a TKO loss due to shoulder injury against Jeremy Kennedy, which was his only loss since 2019. He is 7-1 in his past eight.

Former title challenger Carvalho has lost four of his past six. But the SBG Ireland fighter will mark one of Pico’s most experienced opponents to date, and Pico won’t underestimate him.

“I think he’s pretty straightforward,” Pico told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s southpaw (but) he switches to orthodox, as well – looks for a lot of guillotines and left body kicks. I think I have fought better strikers.

“But this game is crazy, and with 4-ounce gloves, this crazy sport, anything can happen. But we’ve really studied him and I’m really excited for this one. I think it’s a good style matchup for me so, I can’t wait.”

Pico says he’s been working a lot on his kicks recently, and would love to notch a spinning back kick knockout – even though his corner was shouting at him when he failed to effectively land them in his past fight against Gonzalez.

“That would be a great knockout, a spinning back kick,” Pico said. “You know what? I have a really good spinning back kick, to be honest with you, on the pads and things like that. It’s good, but it’s different in a fight. It’s really hard to get the timing down and to make sure he’s in the right spot to hit it. It’s a powerful kick, but it’s also a really hard kick to land. But I can do it pretty good on the pads.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 299.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 29-June 4)

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 a promotion from May 29-June 4.

Aaron Pico to fight Pedro Carvalho at Bellator Dublin in September

Aaron Pico’s long and winding journey toward Bellator gold continues.

The long and winding journey of [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] toward Bellator gold continues.

In his next appearance, Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) will face fellow contender [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) at the promotion’s upcoming Dublin event scheduled for Sept. 23 at 3Arena.

Promotion officials Tuesday confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting.

Pico, 26, defeated James Gonzalez by unanimous decision in April. In doing so, he rebounded from a TKO loss due to shoulder injury against Jeremy Kennedy. The defeat against Kennedy is his only loss since 2019. He’s 7-1 over that stretch.

Carvalho, 27, is a former Bellator featherweight title challenger who has maintained his spot at the top of the division in recent years. Since he was knocked out by champion Patricio Freire in November 2020, Carvalho has alternated losses and wins. He is comes off a unanimous decision defeat to Jeremy Kennedy in February.

With the addition, the Bellator Dublin lineup now includes:

  • Champion Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for middleweight title
  • Pedro Carvalho vs. Aaron Pico
  • Brian Moore vs. Otto Rodrigues
  • Mads Burnell vs. Daniel Weichel
  • Sara Collins vs. Sinead Kavanagh
  • Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
  • Mark Ewen vs. Noah Gugnon
  • Kenny Mokhonoana vs. Josh O’Connor
  • Chiara Penco vs. Mackenzie Stiller
  • Roman Debienne vs. Nicolo Solli

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

Bellator 291 predictions: Who’s picking Logan Storley to upset Yaroslav Amosov?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 291 main card in Dublin, featuring Yaroslav Amosov vs. Logan Storley.

Amosov
vs.
Storley		 Carvalho
vs.
Kennedy		 Logan
vs.
Queally		 Harding
vs.
Kavanagh		 Clarke
vs.
Sinis
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
15-11		 amosov2023
Amosov
(73%)		 kennedy2023
Kennedy
(80%)		 queally2023
Queally
(83%)		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh
(77%)		 clarke2023
Clarke
(90%)
Matt Erickson
18-8		 storley2023
Storley		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 harding2023
Harding		 clarke2023
Clarke
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
17-9		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
17-9		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
16-10
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
16-10		 amosov2023
Amosov		 carvalho2023
Carvalho		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Nolan King
@mma_kings
15-11/em>		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
15-11
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 storley2023
Storley		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
14-12		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
14-12		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
12-14		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
12-14
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 amosov2023
Amosov		 kennedy2023
Kennedy		 queally2023
Queally		 kavanagh2023
Kavanagh		 clarke2023
Clarke

Bellator 291 predictions: Who’s picking Logan Storley to upset Yaroslav Amosov?

Bellator is in Ireland with one of the most dominant fighters in MMA at the top of the bill.

Bellator 291 takes place Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. 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, welterweight champion [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (26-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) meets interim champ [autotag]Logan Storley[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) in a title unification bout. The two fought in late 2020, when Amosov took a split decision. He won the title his next time out.

Amosov is slight favorite at -165 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Storley is +130. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are siding with Amosov, who has MMA’s longest active winning streak, at a big 9-2 clip.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at featherweight. Kennedy nearly is a 3-1 favorite, and he’s a near-unanimous pick at 10-1 from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] (13-7-1 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) is just a -150 favorite at lightweight in front of his home fans against [autotag]Bryce Logan[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 0-4 BMMA), but Queally is one of our two unanimous picks on the main card at 11-0.

[autotag]Janay Harding[/autotag] (6-6 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Sinead Kavanagh[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) meet in a women’s featherweight fight, and each is hoping a win will lead to a title shot. Kavanagh is more than a 2-1 favorite on her home turf, and she has a near-unanimous edge in the picks at 10-1.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Ciaran Clarke[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) takes on late-notice replacement and promotional newcomer [autotag]Leonardo Sinis[/autotag] (11-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at featherweight. Clarke is the biggest favorite on the main card at more than 4-1, and not surprisingly is our other unanimous pick.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Amosov (73 percent), Kennedy (80 percent), Queally (83 percent), Kavanagh (77 percent) and Clarke (90 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.

Jeremy Kennedy: My grappling ‘a big gap’ Pedro Carvalho has to fill at Bellator 291

Jeremy Kennedy considers his grappling to be levels above Pedro Carvalho heading into Bellator 291.

DUBLIN – [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] believes his grappling is levels above [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag].

Kennedy (18-3 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) faces Carvalho (13-6 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) in Saturday’s Bellator 291 co-main event at 3Arena. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Coming off back-to-back wins over Emmanuel Sanchez and Aaron Pico, Kennedy expects to be a handful for Carvalho on the mat.

“The grappling difference I think is just gonna be huge regardless with anybody I fight,” Kennedy told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Bellator 291 media day on Wednesday. “I don’t care who you are. Pedro, I just think this is a big gap for him that he’s going to have to fill and figure out how to fill. But that just puts the rest of the division on notice, as well.”

He continued, “I’m better than all of these guys at what I do, my A-game. So that’s what they have to worry about: ‘How the hell am I gonna keep this guy off of (me)?’ This fight I’m looking to make a statement, so I think you’re gonna see other tools that guys are gonna look back and be like, ‘Damn, now where do we go with this guy?'”

With a win over Carvalho, Kennedy seeks a title shot against featherweight champion Patricio Freire and expects to be a bad matchup for him too.

“Who has he fought that resembles anything that I do?,” Kennedy asked. “It’s a list of Wiechel, Sanchez – A.J. (McKee) is maybe the closest, and they’re 1-1, and A.J. does not push his grappling and his wrestling like he could. Chandler didn’t have the chance. I would like to see the list of hard-pressure fighter-grapplers that he’s fought, and it’s a very small list.”

He continued, “I don’t think you get much bigger than me at ’45. ‘Pitbull,’ I’ve always thought is a little small for ’45, and I just think stylistically I’m a nightmare for him. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s cutting now to try and get to 35 already.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.