Episode No. 247 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.
Episode No. 247 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.
MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan hosts the show while traveling the world to cover the sport.
John Morgan is in Japan for Bellator 237, and he’s sharing a wild conversation with headliner [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag], as well as interviews with [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] and Scott Coker ahead of this historic event.
Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 237, which takes place Saturday with a Fedor Emelianenko vs. Quinton Jackson main event.
The final Bellator event of the year takes place Saturday with Bellator 237, which goes down at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, with a main card that airs on Paramount.
A heavyweight showdown between fighters who made the majority of their fame in “The Land of the Rising Sun” is set to serve as the main event. Former PRIDE champ [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) is set to meet former UFC champ [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) in a three-round bout.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 237.
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Main event
Fedor Emelianenko
Emelianenko, 43, is the oldest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
Emelianenko is 4-2 since he returned from retirement in December 2015.
Emelianenko is 13-4 (with one no contest) when facing former UFC champions or title challengers.
Emelianenko has earned 29 of his 38 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his Bellator wins.
Emelianenko has suffered all six of his career losses by stoppage.
Quinton Jackson
Jackson returns to competition for the first time since Sept. 29, 2018. The 454-day layoff is the longest of his more than 20-year career.
Jackson did not compete in 2019. It’s the first time he hasn’t fought inside a calendar year since making his MMA debut in 1999.
Jackson competes in his eighth career heavyweight bout. He’s 4-3 when competing in the weight class.
Jackson has suffered his past four losses by decision. He hasn’t been stopped since September 2011.
Co-main event
Michael Chandler.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 16-5 BMMA) competes in his 22nd Bellator bout, tied for the second most appearances in company history behind David Rickels (23).
Chandler’s 16 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Patricio Freire for second most in company history behind Patricio Freire (18).
Chandler’s 14 victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied with Patricky Freire for most in divisional history.
Chandler’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied with Freire and A.J. McKee for most in company history.
Chandler’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied for second most in company history behind Goiti Yamauchi (seven).
Chandler’s 11 appearances in Bellator title fights are tied with Freire for most in company history.
Chandler is one of two fighters in Bellator/UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce history with three title reigns in a single weight class. Randy Couture also accomplished the feat.
Chandler’s six victories in Bellator championship fights are second most in company history behind Freire (eight).
Chandler’s five losses in Bellator title fights are the most in company history.
[autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) makes his second Bellator appearance in a 42-day stretch. He was victorious at Bellator 234 on Nov. 15.
Remaining main card
Michael Page
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 12-1 BMMA) becomes the first fighter to make five Bellator appearances in 2019.
Page makes his second Bellator appearance in a 34-day stretch. He was victorious at Bellator Europe 6 on Nov. 23.
Page’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak, snapped in Bellator 221, is tied for the second longest streak in company history behind McKee (16).
Page’s 12 victories in Bellator welterweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Andrey Koreshkov (13) and Douglas Lima (13).
Page’s nine stoppage victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Lima for most in divisional history.
Page’s eight knockout victories in Bellator competition are third most in company history behind Lima (nine) and Patricky Freire (nine).
Page’s eight knockout victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Lima for most in divisional history.
Lorenz Larkin
[autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) is 6-3 since he dropped to the welterweight division in January 2015.
Larkin’s three-fight Bellator winning streak at welterweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Logan Storley (five) and Joey Davis (five).
Larkin has earned eight of his past 11 victories by decision. That includes all three of his Bellator wins.
[autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights. He was victorious in his most recent bout at Rizin FF 19 in October.
[autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), 25, is the youngest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
[autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) is 5-1 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in October 2016.
Yamauchi has earned 20 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 10 Bellator wins.
Yamauchi’s seven submission victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
Quinton Jackson is expected to be the heaviest of his career when he meets Fedor Emelianenko in the Bellator 237 headliner.
[autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] is expected to be the heaviest of his career when he steps on the scale to weigh in ahead of Saturday’s Bellator 237 headliner against Fedor Emelianenko.
That’s apparently not a bad thing, though. While “Rampage” has come in increasingly higher in weight since moving up to heavyweight three years ago, this is apparently the most powerful and functional he’s ever been after not fighting since September 2018, which is the longest layoff of his storied, 20-plus-year career.
From all indications, Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) truly did put in the work. He linked up with Sam Calavitta, the strength and conditioning coach from The Treigning Lab in South California. Calavitta said Jackson put in 12 hard weeks, and although he’s notorious for not wanting to train hard, apparently not a single shortcut was taken ahed of the showdown with Emelianenko (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).
“I have to tip my hat to him because he stepped into the gauntlet with the toughest and the most brazen guys he could step in with in the garage where there’s nothing but sweat and soul-searching,” Calavitta told MMA Junkie. “Early on, he probably questioned why he was there. But I think he knew deep down that we were very sincere to help him. He came to us and said, ‘I would like to get back to my former self.’ He wants to end his career on the note he started it and he felt as though we were the people who could do it.
“He gave me his word he would do everything he said and I gave him my word we would take his body as far as we could. Since then his improvement is probably the greatest physical transformation I’ve ever seen in 12 weeks. Absolutely amazing what he’s been able to turn around there. He stuck with it.”
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Calavitta claims that, during his time with Jackson, the former UFC champion had a massive “body composition change.” He lost plenty of fat, but replaced it with 24 pounds of body muscle over the course of 12 weeks.
When Jackson weighs in on Friday, Calavitta said the fighter should be the heaviest of his career. That will no doubt generate discussion within the MMA community, but given the makeup of that weight, Calavitta said he’s comfortable that’s exactly where Jackson should be.
“My idea for someone in a weight class is to bring them in as big and strong as they can,” Calavitta said. “We’re going to bring him basically around 260. He’s a big man. He’s come such a tremendously long way. I don’t want to weight to be an issue. You can’t hurry the weight and if you try to do that all you end up with is a bunch of saggy muscle. We’ve been gradually bringing it down then bringing it up in muscle. It’s just about teaching the body. He’s done an incredible job. He’s going to come out big, strong and very good shape.”
Calavitta said he connected with Jackson through manager Tiki Ghosn, who also works with other Calavitta clients such as T.J. Dillashaw and Juan Archuleta. Calavitta said Jackson turned over all responsibility to him, from crafting a training routine to controlling the daily diet.
History indicates the matchup with Emelianenko won’t require all three scheduled rounds, but if a full 15 minutes is needed, Calavitta said Jackson can push without having concerns about his gas tank.
“I have no doubt he can go three rounds and I have no doubt he has the power,” Calavitta said. “He knocked a guy our in practice the other day with a double jab. His movement is fantastic. A lot people don’t truly understand body composition. He’s at his best.”
Although Calavitta said he has Jackson firing on all cylinders for the heavyweight division, a change in strategy is going to come in the future. At 41, Jackson certainly only has a limited number of fights left in the sport.
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Jackson apparently wants to get back to light heavyweight – where he had his best wins and claimed UFC gold – before all is said and done. Calavitta said he intends to help the fighter with that process.
The focus right now is all on beating Emelianenko at Bellator 237, but Calavitta said he’s already thinking about how he’ll take more than 50 pounds off Jackson’s frame. He’s confident it can happen, though, because while Jackson’s work ethic has been a topic of discussion in the past, Calavitta said it’s been a non-issue since their relationship began.
“His ultimate goal is for me to take him back down where he started at 205,” Calavitta said. “It’s going to be a process. I think to do it correctly it would take about a year. But we’re definitely heading in the right direction and he’s all on board. He has worked his ass off for us and give us everything he has.
“Whatever people have said about his work ethic in the past, I didn’t see that. I saw a man who is driven and has been a champion and wants to be back in the top and is willing to put in the work.”
We want your predictions for Bellator 237 in Japan.
We want your predictions for this week’s Bellator 237 event in Japan.
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 237 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator 237, the promotion’s debut in Japan, takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] knows not to underestimate [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], even at this stage of his career.
Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) takes on Emelianenko (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the Bellator 237 main event at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, a sort-of throwback style fight. Both men were stars in the PRIDE era, but they never crossed paths.
And since both guys are known to put people away, “Rampage” is expecting fireworks Dec. 28.
“Fedor is very, very dangerous,” Jackson told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “Still very aggressive. Styles make fights, and I think the matchup between Fedor and I makes for a dangerous fight for either one of us. …
“Fedor is really, really good on the ground, and I like to think I have good defense against jiu-jitsu and all that stuff, so I don’t care where the fight goes. I just want an exciting fight.”
Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion who competed at 205 pounds for most of his career, moved up to heavyweight to avoid draining himself in the latter years of his career.
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While he hasn’t exactly decided when he’ll walk away from the sport, Jackson says he certainly thinks about it a lot, but is happy he’ll get to compete in Japan again before it’s all said and done.
“Man, I’m 41. You don’t think … I think about it every time I get on the mat, every time I train. It’s all I can think about is my retirement,” Jackson said.
“It’s going to be like old times. I really do miss fighting (in Japan), and I was telling my coach like maybe a couple months ago, like man it would be nice to finish up my career fighting in Japan again. And he said yeah, that would be nice, fighting back there, so hopefully I can fight back there again.”
Fedor Emelianenko and “Rampage” Jackson face off ahead of their Bellator Japan fight. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)
Jackson takes on one of the greatest fighters of all time in Emelianenko, but he admits that he wouldn’t have taken this fight under other circumstances.
“If it was in the (heavyweight grand prix), that was the only way they would have gotten me to fight him outside of Japan,” Jackson said. “I would have turned it down to be honest. Who wants to fight their favorite fighter?”
Fighting Emelianenko is something “Rampage” never really thought of, as when both guys were in PRIDE, they were competing in different weight classes.
“I never dreamed of fighting Fedor because back when we were both in PRIDE, I wasn’t a heavyweight, and I’m a big guy now. I’m a heavyweight now; he’s obviously still a heavyweight,” Jackson said. “I knew it was a matter of time that I was going to have to fight him as soon as I came to heavyweight, but I never thought about it.”
Nevertheless, the some 15 years later, here they are.
You can watch the full interview with “Rampage” in the video above.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson wants to compete in a boxing match before he retires against anyone but Deontay Wilder.
[autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] wants to lace up the boxing gloves at least once before calling it quits.
“Rampage” recently told TMZ Sports he’d be willing to box anyone except one man.
“I’ll fight anybody but Deontay Wilder – he’s too tall,” Jackson said. “Unless they’re giving me $100 million, I’ll fight him. I ain’t going to lie – I keep it real. I don’t like fighting tall guys with long reach. I tell you what, I’ll fight him if they give me $100 million, and we do one boxing match and one MMA match, I’ll fight him – $100 million.
“I’m keeping it real, I don’t like fighting long, tall dudes. I’ve got to take them down.”
Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA), who is scheduled to face Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator Japan next month, said he’s wanted to compete in a boxing match a long time before it became a popular thing for MMA fighters to do.
“I asked (UFC president) Dana White a long time ago, way before Conor McGregor even was around: ‘Let me do some boxing,'” Jackson said. “It wasn’t my time. There was nobody for me to fight. I still want to fight a boxing match before I retire. I’m fighting Dec. 29 in Japan. I still fight – I haven’t retired yet.”
