Chris Gonzalez wanted to make a statement after the first loss of his pro career, and he did it with authority.
[autotag]Chris Gonzalez[/autotag] wanted to make a statement after the first loss of his pro career, and he did it with authority.
Gonzalez (7-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) took out longtime Bellator fighter [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] (24-14 MMA, 12-11 BMMA) with a big left head kick and a few follow-up punches on the canvas. It took the lightweight just 36 seconds to finish the fight.
Bellator 273 took place at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Chris Gonzalez BLASTS through Saad Awad! đ¤Ż
A quick start from Gonzalez leads to a perfect finish, and his 3ď¸âŁrd career KO!
Gonzalez never gave Awad a chance to get started. Gonzalez said before the fight he was prepared to be patient and go deep into the fight. Awad threw an early kick that Gonzalez blocked. But a few seconds later, the first strike he threw was the head kick that landed flush and put Awad on the canvas.
After Gonzalez landed several right hands on the mat, the fight was over. Awad’s 11th loss in Bellator is a new promotional record.
“Coach told me to be patient, so I was just feeling him out,” Gonzalez said in the cage. “I respected his power. Saad’s been around for a long time. I wanted to give him the respect he deserved. … When I saw my opportunity, strike first, strike hard, put him out.”
Gonzalez was stopped in the first round by Goiti Yamauchi in Jully 2021 at Bellator 263. It was the first loss of his pro career after a 6-0 start, including 5-0 in Bellator.
Gonzalez called for a chance to fight Peter Queally, who is coming off a vacant lightweight title fight loss to Patricky Freire. Queally is scheduled to fight Kane Mousah at Bellator 275 next month.
Former UFC and WEC champ Benson Henderson enters Saturday’s Bellator 273 on the worst losing skid of his career.
Bellator kicks off its 2022 schedule on Saturday with Bellator 273, which takes place at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.
A heavyweight championship unification fight is featured in the main event. Reigning divisional kingpin [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) will face interim titleholder [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) atop the card.
For more on the numbers, check below for 20 pre-event facts about Bellator 273.
Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 259, which takes place Friday with a Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith title-fight headliner.
Bellator returns from a one-week hiatus on Friday with Bellator 259 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Women’s MMA legend and reigning Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg (23-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) returns to action in the main event. She’s set to rematch Leslie Smith (12-8-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in a fight from UFC 198 in May 2016, which the Brazilian won swiftly by TKO in just 81 seconds.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as other notable bouts on the card, check below for 15 pre-event facts about Bellator 259.
Nate Andrews will finally make his Bellator debut when he meets grizzly veteran Saad Awad at Bellator 259.
[autotag]Nate Andrews[/autotag] will finally make his Bellator debut when he meets a grizzly veteran.
Andrews (16-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is set to face [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] (23-13-1 MMA, 11-10-1 BMMA) on May 21 at Bellator 259 from Mohegan Sun Arena.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Andrews, a former CES lightweight champion, signed with PFL after amassing an impressive nine-fight winning streak, all by finish. He went 1-2 under the PFL banner, failing to reach the lightweight tournament semifinals when he lost to Chris Wade for the second time. He proceeded to sign with Bellator, but his debut was delayed after bookings against Killys Mota and Goiti Yamauchi were canceled.
Awad is currently enduring the roughest stretch of his career, having lost four fights in a row. His past outing against Mandel Nallo at Bellator 249 in October was ruled a no contest after Awad was accidentally struck in the groin in the first round, rendering him unable to continue. Prior to his losing skid, Awad was on a four-fight winning streak with wins over the likes of J.J. Ambrose and Ryan Couture.
With the addition, the Bellator 259 lineup now includes:
Champ Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith â for womenâs featherweight title
A full recap of Bellator’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, fights and individual performances of 2020.
Bellator was poised to have its biggest and best year to date in 2020, but like most businesses this year, it was hindered by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Still, though, the promotion hosted 18 fight cards between its numbered and European series events that solidified its status among the top dogs in the MMA space. During that time, many records were set, and a host of historic moments were produced.
Now that the year has come to a close, here are some of 2020’s most significant fights and individual performances.
Bellator is back Stateside this week for a Thursday event â which will be the promotion’s new normal â with the women’s featherweight title on the line.
Bellator 249 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the main event, women’s 145-pound champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) puts her title on the line against Australian challenger [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-3 BMMA). Cyborg is a heavy 9-1 favorite in the fight, and just one of our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts is picking Blencowe in an upset.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 14-7 BMMA), brother of Bellator featherweight and lightweight dual champ Patricio Freire, takes on [autotag]Jaleel Willis[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Only one of our staff members is taking Willis, who is making his return to Bellator on the heels of an LFA welterweight title win in August.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) meets [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) in a bantamweight bout. Just like the top two bouts, only one picker is taking Higo to win.
And to open the main card, we have our most contentious fight from a picking standpoint. [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] (23-13 MMA, 11-10 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) at lightweight. Awad has some picking support, but Nallo still has a sizable 9-5 lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cyborg (68 percent), Freire (72 percent), Bandejas (68 percent) and Nallo (51 percent) are the choices.
The Bellator 249 main card is set with four fights.
The Bellator 249 four-fight main card has been finalized.
[autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leandro Higo[/autotag] and [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mandel Nallo[/autotag] will round out the Bellator 249 main card.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation recently confirmed the bookings to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It streams on CBS Sports Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Bandejas (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) returns to action looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Sergio Pettis in July at Bellator 242. Prior to the defeat, Bandejas had won back-to-back fights against Frans Mlambo and Ahmet Kayretli.
Higo (19-5 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) has gone 2-2 in his most recent four outings. At Bellator 228 in September 2019, Higo snapped a two-fight skid with a second-round submission win over Shawn Bunch. He joins teammate Patricky Freire on the card.
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Awad (23-13 MMA, 11-10 BMMA) is currently on a four-fight losing streak. The skid followed a four-fight winning streak Awad went on from April 2017 to October 2018. In his most recent fight at Bellator 232 in October 2019, Awad was finished with punches by Paul Daley.
Nallo (7-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) is coming off the first loss of his professional career. After ending his first two Bellator outings against Alec Williams and Carrington Banks with violent knockout strikes, Nallo was finished with leg kicks by Killys Mota at Bellator 231 in October 2019.
With the addition, the Bellator 249 lineup includes:
Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe â for Bellator women’s featherweight title
If you’ve got nearly six hours to kill, here you go with some classic Bellator action.
Since its first event held in 2009, Bellator has given us some of the most memorable fights in MMA history.
While events remain on hold because of coronavirus pandemic, Bellator has put 20 of its greatest bouts â “fire” fights, if you will â all in one place, which you can watch in the video above.
The complete list, which goes for nearly six hours, includes:
A full recap of Bellator’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, fights and individual performances of 2019.
Bellator had its biggest and busiest year to date in 2019, with 24 numbered events that helped raise the promotionâs profile to a true position of prominence in MMA. During that time, many records were set and a host of historic moments were produced.
Now that the year has come to a close, here are some of 2019âs most significant fights and individual performances.
* * * *
GENERAL
Bellator president Scott Coker
Bellator held 24 numbered events (not including full European series shows) in 14 different cities across six countries and three continents. The 24 events are the most for the organization in a calendar year.
Those events had 128 main card fights across 11 different weight classes (not including catchweight bouts).
Those 128 main card fights combined for a total cage time of 19:48:08.
The longest event of the year (main card fights only) was Bellator 223 (1:49:02).
The shortest event of the year (main card fights only) was Bellator 214 (20:07).
Eight fighters missed weight for main card bouts. Those fighters went 4-3, while one bout was canceled.
Seven main or co-main event bouts were canceled due to a variety of reasons.
Betting favorites went 82-26 during Bellator main card fights. 14 fights had no odds available while three fights had even odds, and three ended in a no contest.
Six cards saw all the betting favorites win.
No fight cards had more underdogs win than favorites.
Bellator 225 was the first event in company history to have every fight end in a stoppage.
CHAMPIONSHIP FEATS
Ryan Bader
[autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] became the first simultaneous two-division champion in company history when he captured the heavyweight title at Bellator 214.
Bader joined Joe Warren as the second fighter in company history to win titles in two weight classes.
[autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jon Fitch[/autotag] at Bellator 220 marked the first title fight in company history to end in a draw.
[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] became the second simultaneous two-division champion in company history when he captured the lightweight title at Bellator 221.
Freire became the third fighter in company history to win titles in two weight classes, joining Bader and Warren in that exclusive club.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] became the first in company history to suffer five losses in title fights when he was defeated at Bellator 221.
Kyoji Horiguchi
[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] became the first fighter in history to earn titles in Bellator and Rizin FF when he won the Bellator bantamweight title at Bellator 222.
Bader became the first champion in company history to register title defenses in two weight classes when he retained his heavyweight belt at Bellator 226.
Freire set a new mark for most championship-fight victories in company history with his eighth when he won at Bellator 228.
[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] became the second fighter in company history to have three title reigns in a single weight class when he reclaimed the welterweight belt at Bellator 232. Chandler also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] became the second champion in company history to earn four consecutive title defenses when she won at Bellator 236. Ben Askren also accomplished the feat.
INDIVIDUAL FEATS
Matt Mitrione vs. Sergei Kharitonov at Bellator 215
[autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sergei Kharitonov[/autotag] at Bellator 215 marked the third shortest no-contest in Bellator/UFC/WEC/Strikeforce/PRIDE combined history at just 15 seconds. Only Marius Zaromskis vs. Waachim Spiritwolf (six seconds) at Strikeforce Challengers 12 and Kevin Casey vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (11 seconds) at UFC Fight Night 80 were faster.
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] became the second fighter in history to earn a 10-fight Bellator winning streak when he won at Bellator 216. A.J. McKee also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]David Rickels[/autotag] became the third fighter in history to reach 15 Bellator victories when he won at Bellator 219. Patricio Freire and Chandler have also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Jordan Young[/autotag] became the first fighter in company history to earn five consecutive victories by submission when he won at Bellator 224.
[autotag]Aviv Gozali[/autotag], 18, became the youngest fighter to earn a Bellator victory when he won at Bellator 225.
Gozali’s 11-second victory at Bellator 225 marked the fastest submission in company history.
Patricio Freire
Freire set a new mark for most victories in company history with his 18th when he won at Bellator 228.
[autotag]Haim Gozali[/autotag], 46, became the oldest fighter in Bellator history to earn a submission victory when he won at Bellator 234.
[autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] earned his first non-UFC victory since August 2001 when he won at Bellator 231.
Lima became the first fighter in company history to claim three separate tournaments victories when he won the welterweight grand prix at Bellator 232.
[autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] became the first in history to suffer 10 Bellator defeats when he lost at Bellator 232.
[autotag]Patrick Mix[/autotag] earned the first Suloev stretch submission finish in company history when he won at Bellator 232.
[autotag]Muhammed Lawal[/autotag] retired from MMA competition following his loss at Bellator 233.
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
Macfarlane became the third fighter in history to earn a 10-fight Bellator winning streak when she won at Bellator 236. Page and McKee also accomplished the feat.
McKee extended his company record winning streak to 16 fights when he earned a victory at Bellator 236.
McKee set a new record for most stoppages in featherweight history with his 11th when he won at Bellator 236.
Chandler set a new record for most stoppages in company history with his 12th when he won at Bellator 237.
