Tag: Ras Hylton

Video: Bellator 246 kicks off with yet another fight ended via foul

Davion Franklin’s illegal punch to the back of the head ended his fight with Ras Hyland, but got neither a DQ nor a point deduction.

There must be something in the water in Uncasville, Conn., this weekend.

The opening bout of Saturday night’s Bellator 246, the second half of back-to-back fight cards, came to a halt late in the third round when [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] wound up and drilled [autotag]Ras Hylton[/autotag] in the back of the head with a downward right hand and knocked him loopy.

The doctor at Mohegan Sun Arena ended things after checking on Hylton (6-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA), who was already a bloody mess before the fight ending-sequence in the heavyweight matchup.

For those keeping track, it marked the third fight out of nine that came to a premature conclusion due to fouls. Friday night at Bellator 245, Tyrell Fortune landed a low knee to Jack May that ended their fight in a no contest. Then, on the main card, an all-time foul sequence happened when Raymond Daniels twice delivered spinning back kicks below the belt to Peter Stanonik, ending that fight in a no contest as well.

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For whatever reason, referee Dan Miragliotta chose to rule the foul unintentional, despite the fact Hyland had turned his back several seconds prior. That meant the fight could not end in a disqualification, and since it was in the third round, the fight went to the scorecards. Franklin (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) won the bout by technical decision on scores of 30-27 across the board, which further meant the foul was not deemed worthy of a point deduction.

It’s all hard to figure, but it’s been that type of weekend.

Check out the video below and judge for yourself:

Bellator 246 took place Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Paramount and streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Liz Carmouche vs. DeAnna Bennett, Campos vs. Huerta among Bellator 246 additions

The second half of Bellator’s shows on two consecutive nights has additions, including the debut of a former UFC title challenger.

The second half of Bellator’s shows on two consecutive nights has some new additions, including the promotional debut of a former UFC title challenger.

[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will fight in Bellator for the first time when she takes on [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag] (10-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout on the Bellator 246 main card. Plus, [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) is set to take on [autotag]Roger Huerta[/autotag] (24-12-1 MMA, 1-5 BMMA) in a lightweight bout.

On the prelims, [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) fights [autotag]George Tokkos[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at middleweight and [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Ras Hylton[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a heavyweight bout.

Bellator 246 takes place Saturday, Sept. 12, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. One night prior, the same venue hosts Bellator 245.

Carmouche in 2013 made history when she became the first woman to step into a UFC cage for a fight when she challenged Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title. She lost with a first-round submission. In 2017, she dropped to flyweight and after back-to-back wins got a shot at UFC champ Valentina Shevchenko in August 2019. She lost that fight by unanimous decision. Now she makes her way to Bellator with a resume that includes 10 UFC fights, a pair of Invicta FC bouts and three fights in Strikeforce, where she also fought for a title.

Bennett fought on Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” She fought to a draw with Melinda Fabian at the TUF 26 Finale, which was her only official UFC bout. Most recently, she’s been with Invicta. In September 2019, she won her first two fights in the promotion’s single-night women’s flyweight tournament, but was submitted by Miranda Maverick in the third round of the tourney’s final.

With the additions, the Bellator 246 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix – for vacant bantamweight title
  • Jon Fitch vs. Neiman Gracie
  • DeAnna Bennett vs. Liz Carmouche
  • Derek Campos vs. Roger Huerta

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

  • Daniel Madrid vs. Austin Vanderford
  • Ty Gwerder vs. George Tokkos
  • Davion Franklin vs. Ras Hylton

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Ras Hylton emotional after Bellator 242 win, hopes to stay with promotion

Three days ago, Ras Hylton wasn’t planning on fighting at Bellator 242. Now he hopes to stick around after an upset win.

UNCASVILLE, CONN – Three days ago, [autotag]Ras Hylton[/autotag] wasn’t planning on fighting at Bellator 242.

Instead, he was supposed to be cornering his friend Chris Sarro at BKFC 11 in Mississippi. But opportunity knocked and Hylton (6-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) answered – that opportunity being a short-notice fight against Rudy Schaffroth.

Friday, the Maine-based heavyweight notched his first Bellator win, in the preliminary card opener. Hylton defeated Schaffroth (6-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) by unanimous decision.

“I’ve been looking to go to Bellator since I started my amateur career,” Hylton told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference. “I heard it. I immediately called my wife and said, ‘I’m sorry, honey, but I’m going to say yes. Over the course of the day, we got everything together. We got in touch with the matchmaker here and it was real. I was here Wednesday.”

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As reality sunk in, Hylton became emotional. He thanked his coaches, gyms Dragon Fire Martial Arts and First Class MMA, and supporters.

“We’ve been trying to do this for a long time,” Hylton said. “I’m glad I got here. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to everybody who helped me do it. I know it’s me alone in that cage but there’s a lot of people who made it happen.”

Hylton implied his deal with Bellator was for one figh,t but hopes the victory changes that situation. Improvement is still in his plans, but Hylton has his eyes set on Bellator gold.

“I never want the judges to do anything during my fight, but I guess I did enough tonight,” Hylton said. “I guess I’m going to have to do more next time. I’ve been hunting down a title for a while now. I lost my first two attempts.

“Hopefully, Bellator is going to want me back again. I know they’ve got a badass champ. ‘Darth’ Bader, I know I’m not ready yet but I will be. My kids call me Darth Vader at home and I’m willing to take that.”

The heavyweight fight was the preliminary card opener of Bellator 242, which took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Paramount Network and DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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With Steve Mowry out, Rudy Schaffroth vs. Ras Hylton targeted for Bellator 242

Meet “The Jamaican Shamrock.”

[autotag]Rudy Schaffroth[/autotag] will likely still compete at Bellator 242 – but it won’t be against Steve Mowry.

Instead, Schaffroth (6-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) is currently being targeted to fight promotional newcomer [autotag]Ras Hylton[/autotag] on Friday’s card, after Mowry was removed from their preliminary card bout due to a positive COVID-19 test Monday.

A Bellator official confirmed the targeted matchup to MMA Junkie on Tuesday, however, contracts have not been signed at this time. Hylton must also pass COVID-19 testing and partake in a mandatory quarantine period.

Between Rounds Radio was the first to report the news.

Schaffroth is looking to bounce back from his first professional loss, which came at Bellator 225 in August 2019 when he was submitted by Tyrell Fortune. Schaffroth, an American Top Team Portland product, has finished all six of his victories inside the distance.

Maine’s Hylton (5-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has competed solely on the New England regional scene for NEF and CES MMA. A karate practitioner, Hylton brings a unique style to the heavyweight division, especially considering his 6’6″ frame. In nine professional fights, “The Jamaican Shamrock” has never been to the decision.

Bellator 242 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The event airs on Paramount Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the addition, the current Bellator 242 lineup includes:

  • Ricky Bandejas vs. Sergio Pettis
  • Jason Jackson vs. Jordan Mein
  • Tywan Claxton vs. Jay Jay Wilson
  • Solo Hatley Jr. vs. Aaron Pico
  • Mark Lemminger vs. Jake Smith
  • Cass Bell vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Ras Hylton vs. Rudy Schaffroth