Bellator 271 post-event facts: Cris Cyborg leads Bellator champs in defenses

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 271, which took place Friday and saw Cris Cyborg defend her title in 92 seconds.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] continued her reign of terror on Friday with another dominant title defense against [autotag]Sinead Kavanagh[/autotag] in the Bellator 271 main event.

Cyborg (25-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) recorded her third consecutive defense when she stopped Kavanagh (7-5 MMA, 4-5 BMMA) by knockout just 92 seconds into the headliner, which took place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 271.

Bellator 271 results: Valerie Loureda returns to win column, brings back dance celebration

Valerie Loureda was ecstatic to get back into the win column – and danced in celebration to show it.

[autotag]Valerie Loureda[/autotag] punched her ticket back into the win column at Bellator 271.

Entering a fight off a loss for the first time as a professional, Loureda (4-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) defeated [autotag]Taylor Turner[/autotag] (5-8 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) on the preliminary card.

Bellator 271 took place Friday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

The fight took place in the striking department, largely from a distance. A lengthy flyweight fighter at 5-foot-10 with a 71-inch reach, Turner tried to utilize her height and length to her advantage.

However, Loureda’s movement became tricky for her slower opponent. She circled around her lengthy foe. She moved in and out with both brief striking attacks and combinations. Overall, the bout was slowly paced, but Loureda did what she needed to do to get her hand raised.

Upon the final bell’s sound, Loureda celebrated in vintage fashion. She showed off her dance moves both before the decision was read – and afterward. It was a close call as a dissenting judge sided with Turner, but the anticipatory drama gave her even more reason to break out in dance once more after her hand was raised.

With the win, Loureda bounces back from a unanimous decision loss against Hannah Guy. The defeat followed a 3-0 start to her career which included victories over Tara Graff, Larkyn Dasch, and Colby Fletcher.

As for Turner, the loss is the third in her most recent four fights. She entered Bellator 271 with a .500 promotional record with a win against Heather Hardy and a loss to Alejandra Lara.

Updated Bellator 271 results include:

  • Valerie Loureda def. Taylor Turner via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Muhammed DeReese via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ethan Hughes def. Mahmoud Sebie TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:05

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Bellator 271 adds Valerie Loureda, host of other prospects to South Florida lineup

Valerie Loureda will look to rebound from the first loss of her career when she competes at home.

Bellator 271 is less than one month away, and the card is quickly filling up.

On Wednesday, promotion officials announced the addition of five preliminary card matchups, each of which features at least one multifight-rostered up-and-comer.

The event takes place Nov. 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Among the names included are highly touted prospects Valerie Loureda, Roman Faraldo, Desiree Yanez, Cody Law, and Jordan Newman. Scroll below to check out who each fighter is facing.

Emilee King credits teammate Taylor Turner for big win over Ava Knight at Bellator 238

Emilee King explains how teammate Taylor Turner’s past experience facing a boxer helped her in win over Ava Knight.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Emilee King[/autotag] took out a boxing champion and had an example to look back at in preparation.

King (4-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) upset WBC boxing champ Ava Knight (1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in her promotional debut. King submitted Knight in a little more than two minutes at Bellator 238 this past Saturday.

It wasn’t the first time a former boxing champion crossed over to the Bellator cage. Former WBO featherweight champ Heather Hardy had a rude awakening in her second MMA bout when she was battered and stopped by Kristina Williams at Bellator 185.

Hardy also took on King’s teammate, [autotag]Taylor Turner[/autotag], this past June and suffered a second-round TKO loss at Bellator 222.

With Taylor in King’s corner, King had the kind of pointers she needed against a boxing champion, herself.

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“We absolutely did read into (Turner’s win over Hardy),” King said after her win. “I relied heavily on coach Taylor, not only for my strength and conditioning, and as like a mentor, but she relived some of her experiences with that Heather Hardy fight with me and that was a huge asset to me during this fight camp – so very thankful.”

Once the fight hit the canvas, it was right in King’s world. After a couple submission attempts, she was able to transition to a rear-naked choke and made quick work of Knight.

“My whole goal was just to get to the ground, and I knew once I hit the ground, I was fine,” King said. “I’m not sure exactly what takedown I hit. We’ve worked several throughout the game plan. It might have been a guard pull, to be honest. But I knew I threw one side kick, and that was kind of the game plan – of setting up the takedowns with the kicks. And after that, it was just hunt for the submissions, so one after the other.”

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