Tag: Richard Palencia

Bellator 301 video: Matheus Mattos climbs Richard Palencia to secure choke for submission win

Matheus Mattos overcame adversity at Bellator 301 and then utilized some slick BJJ skills to submit Richard Palencia.

[autotag]Matheus Mattos[/autotag]’ rally Friday at Bellator 301 was topped off by a slick standing submission.

Dropped and nearly finished moments prior, Mattos (14-2-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) survived, slowed the pace, and utilized slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu to submit [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) with a standing rear-naked choke. The tap came at 3:20 of Round 2.

With the win, Mattos is victorious in back-to-back outings, whereas Palencia has now lost two consecutive fights.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 301 results include:

  • Matheus Mattos def. Richard Palencia via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:20
  • Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. Randall Wallace via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:49
  • Islam Mamedov def. Killys Mota via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Cody Law def. Jefferson Pontes via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27, 30-27)
  • Tim Wilde def. Mike Hamel via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:47
  • Yves Landu def. Isao Kobayashi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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. 18-24)

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. 18-24.

Ex-champ Juliana Velasquez, Keri Melendez among new additions to Bellator 301 in Chicago

The lineup for Bellator’s second trip to “The Windy City” in five months continues to build with a former champion set for the prelims.

The lineup for Bellator’s second trip to “The Windy City” in five months continues to build with a former champion set for the prelims.

Former women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) will try to get back on track when she takes on fellow Brazilian [autotag]Paula Cristina[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Additionally, the undefeated [autotag]Keri Melendez[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will take on promotional newcomer [autotag]Sabriye Sengul[/autotag] (3-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).

Bellator 301, which features two title fights and a lightweight grand prix semifinal on the main card, takes place Nov. 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. The event will be Bellator’s third trip to Chicago in a year.

In addition, lightweight prospect [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Pieter Buist[/autotag] (17-7 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Matheus Mattos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) meets former LFA bantamweight champion [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) on the preliminary card. Bellator officials informed MMA Junkie of the new bookings Sunday. An official announcement is expected Monday.

Velasquez had a perfect 12-0 start to her career, and in December 2020 upset Ilima-Lei Macfarlane to win the women’s flyweight title. She defended it seven months later against Denise Kielholtz. But in April 2022, she was submitted by Liz Carmouche in Hawaii and lost the belt. Eight months later, she was submitted by her in a rematch at Bellator 289. Cristina has dropped two of her past three fights after a 5-0 pro start. In May, she lost a decision to Kielholtz in her Bellator debut.

With the additions, the Bellator 301 lineup now includes:

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

  • Champ Yaroslav Amosov vs. Jason Jackson – for welterweight title
  • Champ Sergio Pettis vs. interim champ Patchy Mix – bantamweight title unification bout
  • Danny Sabatello vs. Raufeon Stots
  • A.J. McKee vs. Sidney Outlaw
  • Patricky Freire vs. Alexander Shabliy – lightweight grand prix semifinal

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

  • Ali Isaev vs. Daniel James
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Marcelo Golm
  • Justin Gonzales vs. Timur Khizriev
  • Pieter Buist vs. Archie Colgan
  • Paula Cristina vs. Juliana Velasquez
  • Keri Melendez vs. Sabriye Sengul
  • Matheus Mattos vs. Richard Palencia
  • Mike Hamel vs. Tim Wilde
  • Sumiko Inaba vs .Denise Kielholtz
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Killys Mota

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

Bellator 286 post-event facts: Patricio ‘Pitbull’ adds to legacy with 12th title-fight win

Patricio Freire added to his records for most wins and title-fight victories in Bellator history with a dominant defense at Bellator 286.

The final stretch of Bellator’s 2022 schedule kicked off Saturday with Bellator 286, which took place at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif., and featured a 13-fight lineup.

The main event saw the most decorated fighter in company history further enhance his legacy when [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-5 MMA, 22-5 BMMA) cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision over [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) to defend his featherweight title for the first time in what’s his third title reign in the division.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 286.

Bellator 286 video: Richard Palencia’s gnarly leg break stops fight vs. Cee Jay Hamilton

Bellator 286 got off to a gruesome start when Richard Palencia broke his leg in the first fight of the night.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Bellator 286 got off to a gruesome start Saturday when [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag] broke his leg in the first fight of the fight.

After a kicking exchange in the opening moments of the second round of his bantamweight bout with [autotag]Cee Jay Hamilton[/autotag], Palencia stepped back and saw his leg buckle.

Palencia (10-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) immediately collapsed to the ground holding his leg in agony, and the bout was waved off just 12 seconds into the second round at at Long Beach Arena, giving Hamilton (16-9 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) the TKO victory.

Check out the NSFW replay below (via Twitter):

It was a shocking way for Palencia to suffer his first defeat.

He seemed to be in good spirits as he was placed on a stretcher and removed from the cage by medical staff.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

LFA 98 results: Josh Fremd earns middleweight title shot with massive knockout

Josh Fremd punched his ticket to an LFA middleweight title fight with a highlight-reel knockout in the main event of LFA 98 on Friday.

[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag] is the first man to advance to the finals of the LFA middleweight tournament.

Fremd (7-1) scored a brutal first-round knockout of [autotag]Bruno Oliveira[/autotag] (7-3) in Friday’s LFA 98 headliner, solidifying his spot in the championship round of the four-man grand prix.

LFA 98 took place at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Fremd wasted no time locking up Oliveira with a trip takedown and planting him on his back inside the first 30 seconds of the fight. The Brazilian stayed patient, and climbed back to his feet to break away into striking range.

The pair threw some blows back-and-forth, but then Fremd found his desired target. Fremd scored with a clean left hook that instantly rocked and dropped Oliveira. Fremd pounced with a few hammerfists on the ground, and the referee dove in to halt the action.

An ecstatic, who trains out of Factory X in Colorado, reveled in the biggest victory of his career.

“This is the biggest win of my career,” Fremd said in his post-fight interview with Alan Jouban. “You don’t know my striking, you don’t know my boxing. I’ve always had (power), I just haven’t shown it.”

Fremd now moves on to an opportunity to fight for the vacant LFA middleweight title later this year. He will fight the winner of Anthony Adams (8-2) and Gregory Rodrigues (7-3), who will meet in the other semifinal bout at LFA 100 on Feb. 19.

“Both of those guys that are in that fight,” Fremd said. “I look forward to fighting either one of them. No preference.”

Full LFA 98 results included:

  • Josh Fremd def. Bruno Oliveira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:37
  • [autotag]Lucas Clay[/autotag] def. [autotag]J.J. Okanovich[/autotag] via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jeimeson Saudino[/autotag] via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
  • [autotag]Dakota Bush[/autotag] def. [autotag]Austin Clem[/autotag] via TKO (head kick, punches) – Round 1, 0:57
  • [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] def. [autotag]Vanessa Grimes[/autotag] via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:07
  • [autotag]Joshua DaSilveira[/autotag] def. [autotag]Matt Paul[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:46
  • [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag] def. [autotag]Ashby Thomas[/autotag] via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:21

10 flyweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 flyweights who are candidates to appear on the show.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the flyweights…

* * * *

Image via LFA

Jeffrey Molina

Record: 7-2
Age: 22
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: Lakewood, N.J.

When it comes to in-cage appearances, [autotag]Jeffrey Molina[/autotag] is one of the most experienced 22-year-old fighters in all of MMA. The Glory MMA and Fitness product is one of the gym’s secret weapons, having won six straight fights. With a 100 percent finishing rate, Molina brings a kill-or-be-killed savvy to the flyweight division. In his most recent fight in February, Molina choked out 16-fight veteran Kenny Porter. There aren’t a ton of top flyweights on the regional scene, so true tests will be few and far between. Worst-case scenario, Molina gets on DWCS and loses. There’s no harm in that. It’ll be win or learn. One thing is for sure, though: Someday Molina will be in the UFC. The sky is the limit.

Image via LFA

Richard Palencia

Record: 7-0
Age: 30
Height: 5’7″
Birthplace: Phoenix

It’s been a slow burn for [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag], but he’s starting to finally turn some heads. Since his professional debut in 2015, Palencia has competed for LFA, Combate Americas, and RITC, among other promotions. Training under John Crouch and Co. at The MMA Lab in Phoenix, Palencia is consistently getting reps against top-tier training partners. To date, Palencia has passed all tests put in front of him. Now it’s time for a step up in competition on Season 4 of DWCS.

More fighters on the next page:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

LFA 84 set for Phoenix; Impa Kasangany vs. Daniel Madrid title fight headlines

LFA 84 is officially on tap – and the middleweight title will be on the line.

The vacant middleweight title will be filled at LFA 84.

The event is set to take place Friday, March 20 at Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix and is headlined by a middleweight title fight between [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Madrid[/autotag]. The card will stream live on UFC Fight Pass. The promotion announced details Tuesday.

A victor on the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series, Kasanganay (6-0 MMA) was not offered a contract by the UFC brass. UFC president Dana White said glowing things about Kasanganay’s dominant upset win over Kailin Hill, but wanted the six-fight pro to return to the regional scene to get more experience before taking the step up.

In November, Kasanagany was named to MMA Junkie’s monthly edition of “On the Doorstep.” However, his bout that month was cancelled when Kasanganay had a medical issue the night prior to the fight.

As for Madrid (13-3 MMA), the 35-year-old has risen quietly through the 185-pound regional ranks. Madrid has won four straight fights – all by submission. The Arizona-based fighter will have a home game of sorts, when he competes for the LFA title.

The LFA middleweight championship was vacated when then-titleholder Brendan Allen signed with the UFC in July.

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Other additions to the card include a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag] (8-0) and DWCS alum [autotag]Desmond Torres[/autotag] (7-2), a bantamweight fight between Kevin Natvidad (8-1) and [autotag]Kyle Estrada[/autotag] (10-4), and a featherweight matchup between [autotag]Luke Faultersack[/autotag] (6-3) and DWCS and Bellator veteran [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag] (9-3).

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