Raymond Daniels – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Bellator 245: Raymond Daniels pre-fight interview

Bellator 245 fills out, including Ed Ruth, Rafael Carvalho, Tyrell Fortune

The first half of Bellator’s back-to-back Connecticut shows in September has had its lineup filled out.

Bellator 245 fills out, including Ed Ruth, Rafael Carvalho, Tyrell Fortune

The first half of Bellator’s back-to-back Connecticut shows in September has had its lineup filled out.

Bellator 245, which will be headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between Phil Davis and Lyoto Machida with Cat Zingano vs. Gabrielle Holloway in the co-main event, has five new bouts ticketed for the lineup, the promotion announced Friday.

Bellator 245 takes place Friday, Sept. 11, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. The next night, the same venue hosts Bellator 246.

On the main card, [autotag]Ed Ruth[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Taylor Johnson[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at middleweight, and [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] (2-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Peter Stanonik[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a welterweight bout.

Additionally, the preliminary card gets a light heavyweight bout between former middleweight champion [autotag]Rafael Carvalho[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) and LFA light heavyweight champ [autotag]Alex Polizzi[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Jack May[/autotag] (11-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at heavyweight, and [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Dominic Mazzotta[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in a 140-pound contract-weight fight.

Ruth will be looking to rebound from a decision loss to Yaroslav Amosov in February, which snapped a two-fight winning streak. Johnson suffered the first loss of his pro career a little more than a year ago in a Dana White’s Contender Series fight against Andre Muniz. Prior to that, he had four straight first-round knockout wins under the LFA banner.

Kickboxing standout Daniels returned to MMA in 2019 after a lengthy layoff from the sport. He took out Wilker Barros in the first round in his Bellator MMA debut after years on the Bellator Kickboxing circuit. Then earlier this year, he stopped Jason King in the first round with a TKO. Stanonik has a kickboxing and muay Thai background, as well, but his most recent MMA fight was a June 2018 loss to Jake Heffernan at LFA 43.

With the additions, the Bellator 245 lineup now includes:

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

Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida
Gabrielle Holloway vs. Cat Zingano
Taylor Johnson vs. Ed Ruth
Raymond Daniels vs. Peter Stanonik

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

Rafael Carvalho vs. Alex Polizzi
Tyrell Fortune vs. Jack May
Keith Lee vs. Dominic Mazzotta – 140-pound contract weight

Combat Rewind, May 8: GLORY takes center stage, but with some MMA flavor

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

GLORY 21: [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ashley Epps[/autotag] – May 8, 2015
GLORY 21: [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ken Tran[/autotag] – May 8, 2015
GLORY 21: [autotag]Chi Lewis Parry[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Demoreo Dennis[/autotag] – May 8, 2015
GLORY 21: [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Baesman[/autotag] – May 8, 2015

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

Bellator’s Raymond Daniels recalls unforgettable 720 knockout punch: ‘Like a hot knife through butter’

It was one for the ages and one worth reliving.

Bellator welterweight [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] arrived in the promotion with a reputation as one of the most spectacular strikers in martial arts, and it took the kickboxing champion five minutes of his promotional debut to produce a highlight-reel moment for the ages.

Daniels’ debut came almost 11 years after his only previous professional MMA bout, and he delivered a spectacular statement last year against Wilker Barros at Bellator Europe 2 in Birmingham, England, with a finish that has been played millions of times since.

Daniels (2-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) calmly found his range and assessed the movements of his opponent in the opening few minutes of the fight before exploding in the final minute of the round as he first dropped his man with a body kick, then finished him with a 720-degree right hand that knocked out Barros long before he hit the canvas.

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It was one of the most spectacular finishes ever witnessed inside the Bellator cage and trended on social media as sports fans around the world played and replayed Daniels’ highlight-reel knockout online.

Daniels sat down in front of the Bellator cameras to relive that magical moment as he talked through his unforgettable promotional debut, from the moment he walked to the cage to the final flying, spinning technique he unleashed to claim his incredible first Bellator win.

Recap the fight, as described by Daniels himself, in the video above.

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Combat Rewind, May 3: Yeah, Raymond Daniels knows a thing or two about striking

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

GLORY 16: [autotag]Zack Mwekessa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pat Barry[/autotag] – May 3, 2014
Shooto Japan in Korakuen Hall: [autotag]Hiroyuki Takaya[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stephen Palling[/autotag] – May 3, 2004
Cage Warriors 68: [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jim Wallhead[/autotag] – May 3, 2014
Shooto Japan in Korakuen Hall: [autotag]Rumina Sato[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Erikas Petralis[/autotag] – May 3, 2004
Cage Warriors 68: [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Conrad Hayes[/autotag] – May 3, 2014
GLORY 16: [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Francois Ambang[/autotag] – May 3, 2014

Combat Rewind – May 3

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives.

Video: Relive Bellator Europe 2 on MMA Junkie (6 p.m. ET)

Check out a live replay of Bellator Europe 2, which featured a “Knockout of the Year” candidate from Raymond Daniels.

You can watch a live replay of Bellator Europe 2 right here on MMA Junkie, beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

Bellator Europe 2, which took place May 4, 2019 at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham England, featured a main card full of finishes.

In the main event, former lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] rebounded from losing his title to submit Tim Wilde with a gogplata in the night’s main event. The card also featured a 2019 “Knockout of the Year” candidate in [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag]’ dazzling spinning one-punch knockout in just the second MMA fight of the kickboxing champion’s career.

You can catch all of the action in the video above.

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Raymond Daniels only interested in fight with Michael Page if title on the line

Raymond Daniels would only fight Michael Page under one condition: if a title is on the line.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] have a history together.

Both come from a kickboxing and sport karate background, and Daniels (2-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and Page have competed against each other three times before. Daniels won all three times.

After an highlight-reel promotional debut in which he landed a 720-degree punch knockout, Daniels made good in his second appearance for Bellator with a first-round finish over Jason King at Bellator 238.

And having notched only two wins with Bellator so far, Daniels is already being asked about a potential matchup with one of the promotion’s biggest stars in what would be a thrilling stylistic matchup.

But Daniels said he only would fight Page under one condition.

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“I don’t necessarily have an interest to fight him off the bat or anything like that,” Daniels said. “If he had the title, I want to be the best. And if you check my resume, no matter what league I’ve ever competed in, I’ve always risen to the top.

“People always compare Mike and I. Mike is a little bit younger than me, so he gets his style a little bit from where I come from, because we come from the same environment. But he’s not necessarily on my radar. People compare us because we both control time and space a little bit really well. I think we’re completely different fighters, to be honest. But people see that movement and that distance because we come from a similar background.”

The 39-year-old Daniels has picked up two wins since he ended his 11-year hiatus from the sport. And while it was hard for him to match his highlight-reel finish in his debut, he’s happy with his overall performance against King.

“I like to have big finishes, things that will be heard kinda like around the world,” Daniels said. “So I wasn’t able to get that finish, but I did get the finish and I was excited about it because I was at least able to show different elements of my game.”

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Bellator 238 post-event facts: Cris Cyborg achieves MMA’s first quadruple crown

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 238, which took place Saturday and saw Cris Cyborg beat Julia Budd in the main event.

The first Bellator event of the year unfolded Saturday with Bellator 238, which went down at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with a main card that streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the main event, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) enhanced her legacy with another championship belt when she scored a fourth-round TKO of [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) to claim the women’s featherweight belt.

The card also featured a quarterfinal bout in the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix, as well as some other notable results. For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 30 post-event facts about Bellator 238.

General

Betting favorites went 4-2 on the main card (5-2 overall in fights where odds were available).

Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 41:59.

Main card

Cyborg became the first in history to win titles in Bellator, UFC, Invicta FC and Strikeforce.

Cyborg became the second in history to win titles in Bellator and UFC. Eddie Alvarez also accomplished the feat.

Cyborg has earned 18 of her 22 career victories by knockout.

Budd had her 11-fight winning streak snapped for her first defeat since November 2011.

Budd has suffered all three of her career losses by stoppage.

Budd suffered her first knockout loss since Jan. 7, 2011 – a span of 3,306 days (more than nine years) and 14 fights.

[autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) improved to 6-0 in Bellator featherweight competition. He’s 8-0 in the weight class during his career.

Caldwell’s six-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind A.J. McKee (16).

Caldwell’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied for second most in company history behind Goiti Yamauchi (seven).

[autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) had his 14-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

[autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (24-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) has earned four of his six Bellator victories by decision.

[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) earned his first submission victory since Sept. 28, 2013 – a span of 2,311 days (more than six years) and 15 fights.

[autotag]Alfred Khashakyan[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) earned the first submission victory of his career.

[autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] (2-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) improved to 2-0 since he returned to MMA competition from a nearly 11-year layoff in May.

Daniels has earned both of his career victories by knockout.

[autotag]Jason King[/autotag] (8-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage. He’s suffered all those defeats by knockout.

[autotag]Emilee King[/autotag] (4-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is on a four-fight winning streak after starting her career 0-4.

[autotag]Ava Knight[/autotag] (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) suffered the first loss of her career.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) improved to 5-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in September 2017.

Pico has earned all of his career victories by knockout.

Pico’s five knockout victories in Bellator featherweight competition are third most in divisional history behind A.J. McKee (six) and Patricio Freire (six).

[autotag]Adel Altamimi[/autotag] (8-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) has suffered six of his seven career losses by stoppage.

Altamimi suffered the first submission loss of his career.

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Bellator 238 predictions: Is anyone picking champ Julia Budd to beat Cris Cyborg?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 238 main card in California, featuring Julia Budd vs. Cris Cyborg.

	Budd vs. Cyborg	Borics vs. Caldwell	Archuleta vs. Corrales	Khashakyan vs. Pettis	Daniels vs. J. King	E. King vs. Knight
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 3-1	Cyborg (57%)	Borics (55%)	Archuleta (79%)	Pettis (82%)	Daniels (62%)	Knight (71%)
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 4-0 2017 Champion	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 4-0	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 3-1 2019 Champion*	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 3-1	Cyborg	Caldwell	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 3-1	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 3-1	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 3-1	Cyborg	Caldwell	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 3-1 2014 Champion	Cyborg	Caldwell	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 3-1	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 3-1	Cyborg	Caldwell	Corrales	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 3-1	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 2-2 2018 Champion	Cyborg	Borics	Archuleta	Khashakyan	Daniels	Knight
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 2-2	Cyborg	Caldwell	Corrales	Pettis	Daniels	Knight
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 2-2	Budd	Caldwell	Archuleta	Pettis	Daniels	Knight

Bellator’s first event of the new year goes down Saturday, and a dominant champion puts her title on the line against a legend.

Bellator 238 takes place Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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

In the main event, women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) defends her belt against [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), a former UFC and Strikeforce champ who is making her Bellator debut. Cyborg, regarded by many as the greatest women’s fighter in history, is a 4-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and she’s nearly a unanimous pick from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers. Only one picker is taking Budd to retain her title in an upset.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) in a quarterfinal fight in Bellator’s ongoing featherweight tournament. The fight nearly is a pick’em from the oddsmakers, and it’s close with our pickers, as well. Borics has just an 8-6 lead.

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In another featherweight fight, [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) is more than a 2-1 favorite against [autotag]Henry Corrales[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 5-4 BMMA). Both fighters are looking to rebound from losses in the tournament’s opening round. Archuleta has a big 12-2 advantage from our staff members.

Former UFC fighter [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his Bellator debut at bantamweight against [autotag]Alfred Khashakyan[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). He’s nearly a 3-1 favorite, and all but one of our pickers is taking him to get off on the right foot in the promotion.

We have two unanimous picks on the main card. [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] (1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has the support of all 14 of our pickers in his welterweight bout against [autotag]Jason King[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

And to open the main card, boxing standout [autotag]Ava Knight[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is a unanimous pick against [autotag]Emilee King[/autotag] (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in their women’s strawweight fight, which is Knight’s second pro MMA bout.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cyborg (57 percent), Borics (55 percent), Archuleta (79 percent), Pettis (82 percent), Daniels (62 percent) and Knight (71 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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