Tag: Ronny Markes

GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

  • Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
  • Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
  • Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
  • Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
  • Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
  • Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

  • Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
  • Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
  • Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
  • Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
  • Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
  • Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

  • Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
  • Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
  • Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
  • Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
  • Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
  • Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

  • Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
  • Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
  • Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
  • Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
  • Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
  • Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

  • [autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

  • [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

  • [autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

  • [autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

UFC veterans in MMA action Oct. 4-7

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

This week, the UFC returns to action with UFC Fight Night 229 in Las Vegas.

Last week, the promotion took a week off after 17 consecutive weekends with a fight card. At the UFC Apex, lightweights [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will collide in the main event.

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

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA Oct. 4-7.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

UFC veterans in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and kickboxing action Sept. 7-9

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

This week, the UFC travels to Australia for UFC 293.

The pay-per-view event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney features a middleweight title fight between champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

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

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and kickboxing this week from Sept. 7-9.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Eagle FC 47: Best photos from Miami

Check out these photos from Eagle FC 47 which took place at FLXcast Arena in Miami.

Check out these photos from Eagle FC 47 at FLXcast Arena in Miami, which was headlined by Junior Dos Santos vs. Yorgan De Castro. (Photos courtesy of Eagle FC)

 

Eagle FC 47 official weigh-ins photos: JDS looking ripped

Eagle FC 47 weigh-ins took place Thursday, featuring UFC alums Junior Dos Santos, Yorgan De Castro, Hector Lombard, Thiago Silva, and more.

Check out these photos from the Eagle FC 47 official weigh-ins at the FLXcast Arena. (Photos courtesy of Ryan Loco, Eagle FC).

Matt Mitrione and two other fighters released following Bellator 262

A trio of fighters have been released following Bellator 262, including heavyweight Matt Mitrione.

MMA heavyweight competitor [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] has been released from his contract with Bellator.

MMA Junkie confirmed Mitrione was a part of roster cuts following a report from MMA Fighting on Monday evening. Also included in the round of cuts were [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] and [autotag]Adil Benjilany[/autotag] who both also competed at Bellator 262.

After departing from the UFC, Mitrione (13-9 MMA, 4-4-1 BMMA) started his Bellator run on a hot streak of four wins in a row, including a first-round knockout of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. Mitrione has since hit a rough skid, going winless in his five straight appearances with the promotion, including four losses and one no contest.

The promotion has opted to part ways with the heavyweight following his most recent first-round loss to Tyrell Fortune at Bellator 262, a stoppage that Mitrione was upset about due to a clash of heads during a takedown.

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Markes (19-9 MMA, 0-2 MMA) lost by first-round stoppage against Said Sowma at Bellator 262. The former UFC middleweight failed to record a victory in two outings in the Bellator heavyweight division.

Benjilany (6-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Johnny Soto at Bellator 262, which ended a two-fight skid. According to his cornerman and UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad, Benjilany asked to be released due to lack of activity.

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Bellator 262 results: Juliana Velasquez retains title with split decision over Denise Kielholtz

Check out how the main event of Bellator 262 unfolded between Juliana Velasquez and Denise Kielholtz.

[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] has successfully defended her Bellator flyweight title for the first time.

The main event of Bellator 262 was a closely contested championship fight between champ Velasquez (12-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Denise Kielholz[/autotag].

The event took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The first round started out with both fighters feeling out the striking range. The challenger, Kielholtz (6-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) put together quick combinations while Velasquez’s output was lower with single strikes throughout the round. With 30 seconds left, Kielholtz unleashed a beautiful five-punch combo to get the champ’s attention and put a stamp on the first five minutes of action.

In the second round, Velasquez worked behind a right-hand jab and started to increase her striking volume as she appeared to figure out her opponent’s range. Kielholtz seemed game for the change of pace, as she also answered with punches of her own.

The pair continued to trade strikes in the center of the cage early in the third round. Kielholtz led the charge by pressing forward with combinations, but Velasquez would circle away from danger before getting too close to the fence. Kielholtz controlled the center of the cage for the majority of the round, while Velasquez looked to counter with punches.

With 15 seconds left in the round, Velasquez secured her first takedown, but with a short time remaining, nothing significant came from it.

The fourth started similarly to the previous round as Kielholtz continued to keep the pressure on the champ as she circled on the outside. Velasquez’s right-hand jab continued to find the mark as the blood and bruising on Kielholtz’s face became more visible. The champ appeared to have her opponent’s timing and distance down, as she became more fluid defensively.

The final round started with a huge right hand from Kielholtz to briefly knock the champ off balance. Perhaps sensing the fight was close, the challenger turned up the pressure. The champ found the range again and returned to working from the outside while countering with punches. Kielholtz stuffed a takedown with a minute to go and led the striking exchanges until time expired.

Two of the judges scored the bout in favor of Velasquez with scores of 48-47, while the dissenting judge turned in a score of 48-47 in favor of Kielholtz.

Velasquez improves to 12-0 in her professional career, picking up her first flyweight title defense by split decision after becoming champion by defeating Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in December.

Kielholtz’s winning streak ends at four after falling to Velasquez in Friday’s main event. After losing to Veta Arteaga by second-round submission in 2018, Kielholtz went on a tear of four straight finishes to earn a shot at the Bellator title. However, she was one judge’s scorecard away from victory on Friday evening.

The full results of Bellator 262 are below:

  • Juliana Velasquez def. Denise Kielholtz via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
  • Tyrell Fortune def. Matt Mitrione via submission (strikes) – Round 1, 1:45
  • Matheus Mattos def. Cee Jay Hamilton via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:33
  • Arlene Blencowe def. Dayana Silva via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:00
  • Johnny Eblen def. Travis Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Said Sowma def. Ronny Markes via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:09
  • Cody Law def. Theodore Macuka via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:54
  • Diana Avsaragova def. Gabriella Gulfin via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Adil Benjilany def. Johnny Soto via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Charlie Campbell def. Nicholas Giulietti via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:30

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Matt Mitrione-Tyrell Fortune, Linton Vassell-Marcelo Golm among Bellator 262 additions

A pair of heavyweight fights are among the latest additions to next month’s Bellator 262 event.

A pair of heavyweight fights are among the latest additions to next month’s Bellator 262 event.

[autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) is set to take on [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) in a rebooking after Mitrione withdrew from their original matchup at Bellator 255 in April. Plus, [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will meet former title challenger [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (21-8 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) on the main card.

Promotion officials announced the new bookings Thursday. Bellator 262 takes place July 16 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In addition, Bellator announced three new fights for the prelims. [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) will meet [autotag]Dayana Silva[/autotag] (9-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout; [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at heavyweight; and [autotag]Adil Benjilany[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Johnny Soto[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is lined up at featherweight.

Mitrione will try to snap a three-fight skid, the worst slump of his career. After coming to Bellator from the UFC in 2016, the former NFL player won his first four fights in the promotion, including a stoppage of Fedor Emelianenko and a win over fellow “Ultimate Fighter 10” cast member Roy Nelson.

But his slide started with a loss to Ryan Bader in Bellator’s heavyweight tournament, then a TKO setback in a rematch with Sergei Kharitonov after a no contest six months prior and a first-round TKO loss to Tim Johnson in September 2020.

Fortune started his career 8-0, all with Bellator, and was on a four-fight finishing streak when he was upset by Johnson at Bellator 239 in February 2020. After a no contest with Jack May in September 2020, he bounced back with a decision win over Sowma this past November and a first-round TKO of May in April on short notice after his Mitrione fight was scrapped.

Golm will make his promotional debut. After going 1-3 in the UFC, he exited on a three-fight skid. But he picked up a knockout win over D.J. Linderman in October 2020 and a submission over Brandon Hebert in January.

Vassell has a two-fight winning streak after a three-fight skid that started when he lost a title fight against Bader at Bellator 186 in November 2017. After losses to Phil Davis and Valentin Moldavsky, In November 2019, he finished former champ Sergei Kharitonov with a second-round TKO, and this past December stopped Markes in the second round.

The Bellator 262 lineup now includes:

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

  • Champ Juliana Velasquez vs. Denise Kielholtz – for women’s flyweight title
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Matt Mitrione
  • Marcelo Golm vs. Linton Vassell

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Arlene Blencowe vs. Dayana Silva
  • Ronny Markes vs. Said Sowma
  • Adil Benjilany vs. Johnny Soto

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Bellator 254 post-event facts: Juliana Velasquez prevents championship history

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 254, which took place Thursday in Uncasville, Conn.

The final Bellator event of 2020 went down on Thursday with Bellator 254, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and aired on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) forced a changing of the guard in the promotion’s final bout of the year. The Brazilian unseated inaugural Bellator flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) from her spot atop the division with a unanimous decision victory.

It wasn’t the most eventful of nights, but Velasquez managed to halt Macfarlane’s defense streak at four, meaning no champ in company history has still ever reached five consecutive defenses.

For more on the numbers, check below for all the post-event facts to come out of Bellator 254.

3 burning questions heading into Bellator 254

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head takes a look at the storylines to follow ahead of Bellator 254 in Uncasville, Conn.

The Bellator women’s flyweight title is up for grabs as two undefeated fighters put their records on the line in the main event of Bellator 254.

Reigning champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] will look to defend her 125-pound title against unbeaten Brazilian challenger [autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] in the night’s headliner at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. as the Hawaiian champ looks to successfully register her fifth straight defense of the belt.

The co-main features the Bellator debut of Russian bantamweight – and the only man to defeat UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan – [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag]. The main card will also feature a heavyweight bout between Brazilian veteran [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] and former light heavyweight title challenger, England’s [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag].

Bellator 254 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Here are three burning questions ahead of fight night.