Tag: Richie Smullen

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle action Feb. 16-17

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC travels to Anaheim, Calif. for its second pay-per-view event of the year, UFC 298.

The event at the Honda Center features a featherweight title fight between champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Many other combat sports events are taking place that feature several familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Feb. 16-17.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Timur Khizriev: Dagestan-Dublin rivalry doesn’t exist outside Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor was volatile, but Timur Khizriev said the hate stopped with them.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] will fight an Irishman Friday at Bellator 297, but there’s nothing but respect.

Though one of the most volatile rivalries in MMA history, [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], was between a Dagestani and Irishman, Khizriev (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) thinks the bad feelings are limited to those individuals.

“To be honest, you’ve caught me off guard. I hadn’t even thought of such a thing that Dagestan vs. Ireland. I think it’s just a coincidence. Obviously with Conor and Khabib, those are big names. For me, it doesn’t really matter. I know they have a lot of great fighters in Ireland, but I don’t see it as a rivalry necessarily.”

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Khizriev, 27, takes on former UFC fighter [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag] (10-2-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) in a preliminary featherweight bout at Winstar Arena. It’s all respect.

“I have nothing against this opponent,” Khizriev said. “I’ve checked him. He’s pretty good. I pretty much prepare myself every time the same way, no matter who the opponent is. Man, I just believe God’s will. Whatever is going to be is going to be.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Bellator 297’s Richie Smullen ready to climb featherweight rankings with win over Timur Khizriev

Richie Smullen, who’s a huge underdog, is excited by the opportunity in front of him at Bellator 297.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag] is excited by the opportunity to start climbing the Bellator featherweight rankings.

Smullen (10-2-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) takes on No. 8 featherweight [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in Friday’s Bellator 297 event at Wintrust Arena. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The SBG Ireland fighter has won his past five fights in a row and sees a win over Khizriev catapulting him into the rankings.

“I can’t wait,” Smullen told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “It’s time that I climb the ranks now. I’ve got a ranked opponent, so it’s time to beat this guy and go from there, beat the next guy.”

Smullen is not afraid of the ground game of Dagestan-born Khizriev. In fact, he plans on taking the fight to the mat himself.

“I’ll be taking him down,” Smullen said. “I’m taking him down. I’m on top of him, teach him what real grappling is then. … Him on his back, me on top elbowing his face in.”

According to Bet MGM, Smullen is a massive +650 underdog against undefeated Khizriev, who is a -1000 favorite. But Smullen is a little perplexed by the wide odds.

“It doesn’t make a difference,” Smullen said. “Underdog or not, I’m hard to deal with. So I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know why I’m the underdog. We have the same amount of fights. I fought high-level opponents, as well. So, that’s just someone’s opinion underdog or not. I don’t give a f*ck about people’s opinions.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

UFC veterans in MMA and boxing action June 16-17

Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC is back home in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 225.

The event at the UFC Apex features a middleweight main event between former title challengers [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

This week, there are a total of 22 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA this week from June 16-17.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 10-16)

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 from April 10-16

Bellator 291 post-event facts: Yaroslav Amosov’s incredible streak hits 27 fights

The longest active winning streak in MMA still belongs to Yaroslav Amosov after a dominant win to defend gold at Bellator 291.

Bellator returned to 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday with Bellator 291, and with 18 fights on the docket, it played out as one of the longest events in company history.

The card closed on a high note, however, when Ukraine welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov (27-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) retuned to competition with a dominant unanimous decision win over Logan Storley (14-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) to move to 2-0 in their head-to-head series.

Amosov is proving to be one of the best in the world at 170 pounds, and his flawless record is there to back up that notion. For more on the numbers behind his fight, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 291.

Bellator parts ways with eight fighters, including Roger Huerta, Brandon Girtz, and more

Eight fighters are no longer on the roster, according to promotion officials.

(Editor’s note: A previous version of this story mistakenly included Gabriel Varga on the list from Bellator. Varga still is with the promotion. MMA Junkie regrets the error.)

Eight fighters have parted ways with Bellator, including a pair of notable veterans.

Bellator officials informed MMA Junkie that former UFC standout [autotag]Roger Huerta[/autotag] and longtime featherweight [autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] are among those who have departed the promotion.

It is unclear if each fighter was released or the promotion simply elected not to re-sign them.

Scroll below to see the eight names who have parted ways with Bellator.

Full fight card announnced for Bellator Europe 8 in Milan

The full fight card for Bellator Europe 8, set for Milan, Italy on Sept. 24, has been confirmed.

The fight card for the first leg of Bellator’s Italian triple-header is now set.

Bellator Europe 8 takes place Sept. 26 at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy, with a 10-fight preliminary card setting the stage ahead of a three-bout all-middleweight main card.

Headlining the event is a battle of European middleweight contenders as England’s [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on the Netherlands’ [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA).

Co-main event support comes in the form of an Italy vs. England clash, as former Venator middleweight champion [autotag]Pietro Penini[/autotag] (9-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) faces off against former BAMMA 185-pound champ [autotag]Mike Shipman[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA). Kicking off the main card is a battle between hard-hitting 185-pounders as Ireland’s Will Fleury (7-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) takes on England’s Kent Kauppinen (12-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).

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The preliminary card features a battle between British lightweight prospects as [autotag]Alfie Davis[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Akonne Wanliss[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), while former Cage Warriors featherweight tournament champion Aiden Lee (8-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) takes on seasoned Canadian veteran Jeremy Petley (13-8-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA)

With the additions, the Bellator Europe 8 card now includes:

MAIN CARD

  • Fabian Edwards vs. Costello van Steenis
  • Pietro Penini vs. Mike Shipman
  • Will Fleury vs. Kent Kauppinen

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

  • [autotag]George Hardwick[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nicolo Solli[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ion Pascu[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stefano Paterno[/autotag]
  • Alfie Davis vs. Akonne Wanliss
  • [autotag]Gavin Hughes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniele Scatizzi[/autotag]
  • Aiden Lee vs. Jeremy Petley
  • [autotag]Frans Mlambo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cory Tait[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alex O’Toole[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Harry Hardwick[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksandra Toncheva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claire Lopez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danni Neilan[/autotag]

Bellator 240/Bellator Europe 7 post-event facts: Charlie Ward closes in on KO record

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 240/Bellator Europe 7, which took place Saturday in Dublin.

Bellator closed out a very busy weekend of fights on Saturday with the split-event showcase that was Bellator 240/Bellator Europe 7, which took place at 3Arena in Dublin.

There were a few noteworthy results to stem from the lineup, someone of which had historical significance. For more details, check below for 30 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 240/Bellator Europe 7.

* * * *

General

Betting favorites went 7-1 on the main card.

Betting favorites improved to 3-0 in Bellator main events this year.

Total fight time for the eight main card matchups was 1:26:54.

Bellator 240

[autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) has earned eight of his 10 career victories by stoppage.

Primus’ eight victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Michael Chandler (14) and Patricky Freire (14).

Primus’ six stoppage victories in Bellator lightweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Chandler (nine) and Freire (nine).

[autotag]Chris Bungard[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by submission.

[autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) has earned three of his four Bellator victories by decision.

[autotag]Iamik Furtado[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Bec Rawlings[/autotag] (8-9 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) snapped her five-fight losing skid for her first victory since March 2016.

Rawlings improved to 1-3 since she returned to the women’s flyweight division in November 2017.

[autotag]Elina Kallionidou[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 0-4 BMMA) remained winless in four career Bellator appearances.

Kallionidou has suffered all four of her career losses by decision.

[autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) has earned nine of his 13 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his Bellator wins.

[autotag]Lewis Long[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) has suffered all six of his career losses by stoppage.

Bellator Europe 7

[autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) failed to finish her opponent for the first time in her Bellator career.

[autotag]Judith Ruis[/autotag] (6-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered four of her five career losses by decision.

[autotag]Charlie Ward[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) improved to 5-1 since he returned to the middleweight division in November 2017. He’s 7-1 overall in his career at the weight class.

Ward’s five stoppage victories in Bellator middleweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Alexander Shlemenko (eight) and John Salter (six).

Ward’s five knockout victories in Bellator middleweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Shlemenko (six).

[autotag]Kyle Kurtz[/autotag] (10-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered seven of his eight career losses by stoppage. He’s been finished by knockout in six of those defeats.

[autotag]Austin Clem[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) earned the first decision victory of his career.

[autotag]Aaron Chalmers[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Richard Kiely[/autotag] (3-3 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Georgi Karakhanyan[/autotag] (29-10-1 MMA, 7-8 BMMA) was successful in his Bellator lightweight debut.

Karakhanyan improved to 1-2 since he returned to Bellator for a third stint in March 2019.

[autotag]Paul Redmond[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) fell to 5-3 since he was released from the UFC in July 2015.

Redmond has suffered seven of his nine career losses by stoppage.

Redmond suffered his first submission loss since Dec. 31, 2013 – a span of 2,244 days (more than six years) and 12 fights.

[autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag] (5-2-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Justin Moore[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) has suffered all five of his career losses by stoppage.

Bellator Europe 7: Aaron Chalmers lands Dublin showcase as Bellator adds six more bouts to Feb. 22 lineup

Aaron Chalmers heads the list as Bellator confirms six more matchups for their return to Dublin on Feb. 22.

The fight card for Bellator’s first European Series event of 2020 in Dublin is starting to take shape, with the promotion’s officials confirming six more bouts to take the number of announced matchups to 10.

[autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] will headline Bellator Europe 7 at the 3Arena on Feb. 22 against [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] in a rebooking of their canceled matchup in Dublin at Bellator Europe 4 in September.

Now that bout has been joined by a main card addition, with England’s [autotag]Aaron Chalmers[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) moving back up to 170 pounds to take on promotional newcomer [autotag]Austin Clem[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who arrives in Bellator with a 100% finish rate, with all three of his wins coming via submission.

Former MTV star and Geordie Shore castmate Chalmers is now 100% committed to his MMA career, and after bouncing back from his first career defeat with a submission victory over Fred Freeman at Bellator Europe 3, the 32-year-old Englishman has opted to move up to his more natural weight class of welterweight for his next outing in Ireland.

Also confirmed for Dublin is Irish light heavyweight fan favorite [autotag]Will Fleury[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who returns to action looking to bounce back from his decision loss in Dublin in September. His knock-down, drag-out battle with Norbert Novenyi was one of the fights of the night at Bellator Europe 4, and Fleury will look to produce a similarly entertaining performance – albeit with a different result – when he takes on England’s [autotag]Justin Moore[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).

Fleury’s SBG teammate [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag] (5-1-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has also been handed a matchup on home soil as he bids to complete a hat-trick of successive wins in Dublin by adding the name of [autotag]Ranjeet Baria[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) to his list of victims on home soil.

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Also looking to build on their last appearance at the 3Arena is Irish strawweight [autotag]Danni Neilan[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who will look to make it two wins out of two to kick off her professional MMA career when she faces off against Italian newcomer [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), while fellow Irish prospect [autotag]Blaine O’Driscoll[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ezzoubair Bouarsa[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at 125 pounds.

Joining the local Irish stars on the card will be a European welterweight clash between Sweden’s [autotag]Oliver Enkamp[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and Wales’ [autotag]Lewis Long[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who both kicked off their respective Bellator careers with impressive wins last time out.

Enkamp finished Walter Gahadza via rear-naked choke with six seconds remaining of the opening round at Bellator 223, while Long finished the same opponent, via the same technique, three minutes, 10 seconds quicker than the Swede at Bellator Europe 6 in London on Nov. 23.

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Bellator Europe 7 confirmed fights include:

MAIN CARD

  • James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor
  • Aaron Chalmers vs. Austin Clem

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Oliver Enkamp vs. Lewis Long
  • Philip Mulpeter vs. Daniel Crawford
  • Ryan Roddy vs. Chris Duncan
  • Karl Moore vs. Arunas Andriuskevicus
  • Will Fleury vs. Justin Moore
  • Danni Neilan vs. Chiara Penco
  • Blaine O’Driscoll vs. Ezzoubair Boarsa
  • Richie Smullen vs. Ranjeet Baria