Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 a promotion from July 17-23
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 a promotion from June 26-July 2.
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.
Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.
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 293.
Check out the disclosed pay for all 30 fighters on Bellator 293, according to the California State Athletic Commission.
Thirty fighters competed Friday at Bellator 293 with [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] leading all disclosed payouts.
California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Friday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.
The main event and co-main event winners were the only two fighters to pocket six-figure disclosed paydays as a result of their performances Friday. Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) earned $100,000 flat for her unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in the co-main event. Then, main event winner James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) earned to $50,000 show and a $50,000 win bonus for his victory over [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).
Scroll below to see what the 30 fighters on Bellator 293 were paid – disclosed amounts only.
Check out the best photos from Luke Trainer’s first-round submission win over Sullivan Cauley at Bellator 293.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag]’s first-round submission win over [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. (Photos by Lucas Noonan, Bellator)
“I can’t wait to put babies inside of you,” Luke Trainer told his girlfriend after his Bellator 293 win.
The biggest victory of one Bellator prospect’s career came at the expense of another highly-touted rising fighters’ undefeated record.
In the Bellator 293 main card opener, England’s [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) became the first to defeat [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) as a professional, when he won by rear-naked choke at 2:58. The event took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif..
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒕 does it! 🔥
Luke Trainer gets the submission and hands Cauley his first defeat.#Bellator293 | Watch LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/oB2pAEXcgi
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 1, 2023
After the fight, Trainer picked up what perhaps was his biggest victory of the evening, as he dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, Holly.
She said yes.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Trainer said in the cage. “My gorgeous girlfriend is here. Please, baby girl. Come here. Now, I haven’t brought the ring with me, so I’d like to take the ring off and put it back on again. Is it a bit too tight? Baby girl, I love you so much. You are everything to me. I can’t wait to put babies inside of you. Babe, will you do me the honor and be my wife?”
Luke Trainer gets the win and a wife! 💍 #Bellator293’s main card is LIVE on @Showtime! pic.twitter.com/fMIiYuiCPG
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) April 1, 2023
Trainer, 27, is now on a two-fight winning streak after his first career loss, which took place in May. Cauley, 26, is a protege of Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader and had not lost as a professional prior to Friday.
The up-to-the-minute Bellator 293 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
Sullivan Cauley feels big things are on the horizon if victorious at Bellator 293.
[autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] thinks it’s time he faces the top names at Bellator if victorious in his return to the cage.
The unbeaten Bellator light heavyweight thinks he’s prime to be facing top-10 opposition, especially if he beats Luke Trainer at Bellator 293. The 205-pound matchup goes down in the opening bout of the Bellator 293 main card, which takes place Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie
“A win over Luke trainer means it’s time to start fighting guys in the top 10,” Cauley told reporters at the Bellator 293 media day on Wednesday. “If you talk to us when we first had the development contract, we were really trying to slow roll it before we jumped to tougher opponents, but when you knock everyone out early, it’s just hard to do that.
“They’ve been pushing me, and that’s good. Luke is a great opponent, and if I beat him, it’s clear that I’m ready for the top 10. It’s time to start fighting guys in the top 10.”
Cauley (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) has developed all of his fighting career under the Bellator banner. He debuted for the promotion in late 2020 and has since racked up five consecutive first-round finishes. The 36-year-old trains out of Power MMA gym in Arizona with Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader.
You can watch Cauley’s full interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030791]
Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 293 main card, featuring Marcelo Golm vs. Daniel James and Leah McCourt vs. Cat Zingano.
| Golm vs. James |
McCourt vs. Zingano |
Jeffery vs. Salter |
Colgan vs. Montalvo |
Cauley vs. Trainer |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 35-24 |
 James (52%) |
 Zingano (72%) |
 Jeffery (65%) |
 Colgan (77%) |
 Cauley (72%) |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 37-22 |
James |
Zingano |
 Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 37-22/em> |
 Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 37-22 |
James |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 35-24 |
James |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 34-25 |
Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 34-25 |
Golm |
 McCourt |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 33-26  2018, 2022 Champion |
Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 33-26 |
James |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 32-27 2014 Champion |
Golm |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 32-27 |
Golm |
Zingano |
Jeffery |
Colgan |
Cauley |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 31-28 2017 Champion |
James |
Zingano |
Salter |
Colgan |
Cauley |
Bellator is back in Southern California this week with a heavyweight tilt at the top of the lineup.
Bellator 293 takes place Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030791 tag=420038910]
In the main event, [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) at heavyweight. Golm is a -150 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on James is +120. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are divided and have Golm with the slimmest possible lead at 6-5 in the picks.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) meets former UFC title challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout that could determine the next title challenger. Zingano is the biggest favorite on the main card at -450, but she doesn’t have a shutout. One of our pickers is taking McCourt in an upset.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on former middleweight title challenger [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 8-3 BMMA). Jeffery is a -420 favorite, but he has just a narrow 6-5 lead in the picks from our staff members.
Our first of two unanimous picks is [autotag]Archie Colgan[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who nearly is a 3-1 favorite in his lightweight bout against [autotag]Justin Montalvo[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA). Their fight was elevated to the main card Friday.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is our second unanimous pick in his light heavyweight bout against [autotag]Luke Trainer[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA). Cauley is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, James (52 percent), Zingano (72 percent), Jeffery (65 percent), Colgan (77 percent) and Cauley (72 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
No fighter in Bellator history has ever started their tenure with the promotion by earning six straight first-round knockouts.
For the first time since October 2019, Bellator will travel to Temecula, Calif., on Friday with Bellator 293, which takes place at Pechanga Casino Resort with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
A matchup of surging heavyweight contenders will be featured in the main event. [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will put their unbeaten promotional records on the line as they meet in a five-round contest that will elevate the winner into the title conversation.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 293.
Check out the full lineup for Bellator 293, a 16-fight card filled with various undefeated prospects.
The full fight card for Bellator 293 is locked, pending any unforeseen withdrawals.
As previously announced, the card is headlined by heavyweight contenders [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), and also features a co-main event between [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 3-4 BMMA). The event airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
On Tuesday, the promotion announced its full 16-fight card for March 31 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. New additions include undefeated top prospects [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), [autotag]Joey Davis[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA), [autotag]Lance Gibson Jr.[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), and [autotag]Lucas Brennan[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA).
Additionally, Bellator has signed three-time NCAA Division I All-American [autotag]Bryce Meredith[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) to a multifight deal. He will debut against [autotag]Brandon Carrillo[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).
[lawrence-auto-related count=2 category=420030791]
Below is the full Bellator 293 lineup:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (7 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.
