Tag: Ross Houston

Usman Nurmagomedov gets opponent for Bellator 269; Vitaly Minakov meets new foe

The Bellator 269 lineup is shaping up as Usman Nurmagomedov, Vitaly Minakov, and a handful of other fighters were added to the Oct. 23 card.

Bellator 269 is shaping up.

On Tuesday, the promotion announced a handful of additions – and a change – the Oct. 23 card scheduled for VTB Arena in Moscow. Included in the latest lineup is [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) who takes his third career Bellator assignment against [autotag]Patrik Pietila[/autotag] (11-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Nurmagomedov, , most recently competed at Bellator 263 in July when he defeated Manny Muro via first-round TKO. The younger cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov has been praised by Bellator president Scott Coker as one of the promotion’s top rising stars.

Additionally, with [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] out, the former Bellator heavyweight champion [autotag]Vitaly Minakov[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) now meets former Titan FC champion [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 1-1 BMMA). The fight was first reported by Russian outlet Fight Time.

Minakov, 36, has not competed since August 2019 when he knocked out Tim Johnson in 105 seconds at Bellator 225. The victory returned him into the win column after his first career loss, which came against Cheick Kongo at Bellator 216 in February 2019.

Sowma, 28, rides into the matchup the momentum of his first Bellator victory. After a unanimous decision loss to Tyrell Fortune in November 2020, Sowma knocked out former UFC and PFL fighter Ronny Markes in 69 seconds at Bellator 262 in July.

The promotion also announced four prelim fights have also been added to the card including [autotag]Nikita Mikhailov[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMM A) vs. [autotag]Brian Moore[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 5-3 BMMA), [autotag]Grachik Bozinyan[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), [autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Stephanie Ielo Page[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA, and [autotag]Christian Eckerlin[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Alexey Shurkevich[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

The Mikhailov vs. Moore matchup was first reported by Severe MMA, while the Bozinyan vs. Houston fight was first reported by Armenia MMA.

Bellator 269 takes place Oct. 23 at VTB Arena in Moscow. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the addition, the Bellator 269 lineup includes:

  • Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Johnson
  • Vitaly Minakov vs. Said Sowma
  • Rustam Khabilov vs. Andrey Koreshkov
  • Nikita Mikhailov vs. Brian Moore
  • Grachik Bozinyan vs. Ross Houston
  • Irina Alekseeva vs. Stephanie Ielo Page
  • Christian Eckerlin vs. Alexey Shurkevich

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Bellator Paris live stream and official results (11:30 a.m. ET)

Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 take place Saturday. Join us for a live video stream and official results.

Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for a live video stream and official results beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).

The event takes place at Accor Arena in Paris. Bellator 248 airs on CBS Sports Network and DAZN, while Bellator Europe 10 streams live on MMA Junkie.

In the Bellator 248 main event, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight. In the Bellator Europe 10 headliner, [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) meets [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) at heavyweight.

Official Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 results include:

BELLATOR EUROPE 9 MAIN CARD (MMA Junkie, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Cheick Kongo vs. Timothy Johnson
  • Arbi Mezdihov vs. Saul Rogers

BELLATOR EUROPE 9 PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1:45 p.m. ET)

  • Terry Brazier vs. Yves Landu
  • Fabacary Diatta vs. Dominique Wooding
  • Maguy Berchel vs. Lucie Bertaud
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Jean N’Doye

BELLATOR 248 (CBS Sports Network, DAZN, 11:30 a.m. ET)

  • Michael Page vs. Ross Houston
  • Emmanuel Dawa vs. Oliver Enkamp
  • Alan Omer vs. Ryan Scope
  • Darko Banovic vs. Mads Burnell

Note: Bellator officials confirmed the William Gomis vs. Dylan Logan and Ilias Bulaid vs. Ivan Naccari bouts originally scheduled for the Bellator Europe 10 prelims have been removed from the card due to a fighter from each matchup not being licensed to compete by the overseeing athletic commission.

Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 weigh-in results (5 a.m. ET)

Check out the results from the official Bellator 248 / Europe 10 fighter weigh-ins in Paris, France.

MMA Junkie is reporting live on Friday’s official Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 5 a.m. ET (2 a.m. PT).

Bellator 248 takes place Saturday night at Accor Arena in Paris, France. The four-fight card streams on CBS Sports Network and DAZN.

Bellator Europe 10 takes place the same night, from the same venue. The main card streams live on MMA Junkie channel following the preliminary card, which streams on MMA Junkie and DAZN.

Among those weighing in are [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who face off in the main event of Bellator 248, and [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who meet in the heavyweight main event of Bellator Europe 10.

The full Bellator 248 / Bellator Europe 10 weigh-in results include:

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 MAIN CARD (5:00 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel)

  • Cheick Kongo () vs. Timothy Johnson ()
  • Arbi Mezhidov () vs. Saul Rogers ()

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 PRELIMINARY CARD (1:45 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel/DAZN)

  • Davy Gallon () vs. Brian Hooi ()
  • Terry Brazier () vs. Yves Landu ()
  • Ilias Bulaid () vs. Ivan Naccari ()
  • Fabacary Diatta () vs. Dominique Wooding ()
  • Ciaran Clarke () vs. Jean N’Doye ()
  • William Gomis () vs. Dylan Logan ()

BELLATOR 248 FIGHT CARD (11:30 a.m. ET, CBS Sports Network/DAZN)

  • Michael Page () vs. Ross Houston ()
  • Emmanuel Dawa () vs. Oliver Enkamp ()
  • Alan Omer () vs. Ryan Scope ()
  • Darko Banovic () vs. Mads Burnell ()

Full fight card and broadcast details confirmed for Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10

The full 12-bout lineup for the dual-card Bellator 248/Bellator Europe 10 event in Paris, France has been confirmed.

The bout lineup and broadcast details for Bellator’s historic dual-card event in Paris, France has been confirmed, with the event split into two cards, Bellator 248 and Bellator Europe 10, to accommodate the promotion’s various broadcast partners.

The event at the Accor Arena will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and DAZN with Bellator 248, which features a four-fight card, headlined by the 175-pound contract weight bout between England’s [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) and Scotland’s debuting former Cage Warriors welterweight champion [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

The action then moves on to the Bellator Europe 10 portion of the event, with the six-bout preliminary card set to be aired on MMA Junkie via the Bellator YouTube channel and DAZN from 1:45 p.m. ET.

The two-fight Bellator Europe 10 main card, featuring [autotag]Arbi Mezhidov[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Saul Rogers[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA), then the heavyweight headliner between France’s [autotag]Cheick Kongo[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and American [autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), will go live from 5 p.m. ET, on MMA Junkie via the Bellator YouTube channel.

The event also marks a notable moment for the promotion in the U.K., with Bellator officials confirming that the Bellator 248 card and the Bellator Europe 10 prelims will be shown live on BBC iPlayer, marking the first time a major MMA organization has been broadcast live by the British public service broadcaster.

Full Bellator 248/Bellator Europe 10 fight card includes:

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 MAIN CARD (5:00 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel)

  • Cheick Kongo vs. Timothy Johnson
  • Arbi Mezhidov vs. Saul Rogers

BELLATOR EUROPE 10 PRELIMINARY CARD (1:45 p.m. ET, MMA Junkie/Bellator YouTube channel/DAZN)

  • Davy Gallon vs. Brian Hooi
  • Terry Brazier vs. Yves Landu
  • Ilias Bulaid vs. Ivan Naccari
  • Fabacary Diatta vs. Dominique Wooding
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Jean N’Doye
  • William Gomis vs. Dylan Logan

BELLATOR 248 FIGHT CARD (11:30 a.m. ET, CBS Sports Network/DAZN)

  • Michael Page vs. Ross Houston
  • Emmanuel Dawa vs. Oliver Enkamp
  • Alan Omer vs. Ryan Scope
  • Darko Banovic vs. Mads Burnell

Michael Page vs. Ross Houston co-headlines Bellator 248 in Paris

Michael Page will co-headline Bellator’s first trip to France when he faces former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Ross Houston.

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] will co-headline Bellator’s first trip to France.

Page (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) will face [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] (8-0) at Bellator 248, which takes place at Accor Arena in Paris on Oct. 10. The promotion has not yet announced broadcast information for the event.

The promotion announced the news Friday, alongside a rematch between French heavyweight Cheick Kongo and American Timothy Johnson, which is expected to headline the event.

After suffering his first career blemish to Douglas Lima in the Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinals in May 2019, Page notched three big knockouts in the span of four months. He will look to continue his momentum when he takes on the newly signed Houston.

Houston, a former Cage Warriors 170-pound champion, is unbeaten in his pro MMA career. He is coming off a no contest against current UFC welterweight Nicolas Dalby in June 2019 in which the canvas was deemed unsafe due to the excessive amount of blood on it.

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Bellator signs former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Ross Houston

Scotland’s undefeated former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Ross Houston has been unveiled as the promotion’s latest European signing.

Bellator has added another blue-chip European prospect to its roster with the signing of undefeated former Cage Warriors welterweight champion [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag].

Bellator’s European head, David Green, confirmed the news at Thursday’s Bellator Europe 7 media day in Dublin, with another top European welterweight joining the promotion’s growing lineup.

Scotland’s Houston (8-0) captured the Cage Warriors 170-pound title in October 2018 with a split-decision victory over Italy’s Stefano Paterno. He then went on to fight to a no contest with former champion and then-interim champ Nicolas Dalby at Cage Warriors 106 in one of the bloodiest wars in recent memory.

Houston and Cage Warriors amicably parted ways earlier in February, with his manager Kedu Uchegbu telling MMA Junkie that his man wanted to fight internationally.

Prior to Houston’s signing, Uchegbu said, “Our current preference is to fight in either the U.S. or in Asia on a main card.”

Now Houston is in a position to do that as part of Bellator’s roster, and his team is targeting an international show for the Scot’s promotional debut.

Undefeated Ross Houston eyes U.S., Asia following Cage Warriors departure

Undefeated former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Ross Houston has a clear vision for what he wants in his future.

One of Europe’s top prospects is officially a free agent and fielding offers ahead of the biggest move of his career.

Now former Cage Warriors welterweight champion [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] announced Tuesday that he has agreed to terms of his release from the European promotion. Houston (8-0) is now negotiating with promotions on opposite sides of the globe before putting pen to paper on a new contract.

Houston’s management initially confirmed his departure from Cage Warriors with MMA Fighting and released a statement to MMA Junkie explaining the situation.

“Ross has been released. The negotiation was between the solicitors and very amicable,” the initial statement read. “The terms of the agreement are covered by a non-disclosure agreement, but both parties have wished each other well.

“Ross is negotiating with three companies at present for an April fight. We are looking for fights outside the U.K. to grow his viral fan base. At present, he isn’t looking at signing with any company that is based in the U.K. or Ireland solely.”

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Houston’s team is currently in discussions with a number of promotions, and his manager, Kedu Uchegbu, confirmed to MMA Junkie on Wednesday that they are focusing on taking him overseas in a bid to expose him to a broader audience. They are targeting promotions in the U.S. and Asia as potential landing places.

“Our current preference is to fight in either the USA or in Asia on a main card,” Uchegbu said. “This is key to any negotiations we are undertaking. We want to be fighting for a title within the next three fights. We believe Ross is the No. 1 free agent in the world at the minute, and a clear path with any company has to be defined.”

Discussions are ongoing, and Uchegbu said he expects a deal for Houston to be signed within the next two weeks.

Video: Watch the best of Cage Warriors from 2019 in their end-of-year highlight reel

Recap a memorable year of action from European promotion Cage Warriors in their 2019 highlight film.

European promotion Cage Warriors has forged a well-earned reputation as one of the key regional promotions for fighters looking to launch their careers to the world stage.

The London-based organization has seen 93 of its fighters graduate to the UFC over the years, including former UFC champions Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and continues to produce UFC-ready talent, with former champions Jack Shore and Nathaniel Wood tipped for stardom on the big stage in the months and years ahead.

The promotion had a big year in 2019, holding 11 events in total, including an historic night at the iconic Hammersmith Apollo in London for “Cage Warriors 106: Night of Champions” and a return to the BT Sport studios for their “Cage Warriors: Unplugged 2” event that featured a one night tournament that crowned its new bantamweight champion, [autotag]Jack Cartwright[/autotag].

Cage Warriors bantamweight champion: Jack Cartwright

As well as bantamweight, the organization crowned new champions at flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, as [autotag]Samir Faiddine[/autotag], [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag], [autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag], [autotag]Nathias Frederick[/autotag] and [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] all captured championship gold in their respective weight classes.

And Scotland’s undefeated welterweight champion [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] held on to his 170-pound title after his epic back-and-forth war with interim champion [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] was ruled a no contest after the cage floor became flooded with blood from both men after one of the most punishing contests ever seen inside the Cage Warriors cage.

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It all added up to a spectacular year for Cage Warriors, who have already announced a packed schedule of events for 2020, including a return to London’s Indigo at The O2 on Mar. 20, just one day before the UFC packs the main O2 Arena the following night for UFC London.

Relive the best of Cage Warriors in 2019 via the video above.