Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 12-18.
Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 5-11.
The lineup Bellator first solo event under its new PFL ownership continues to build with a lightweight matchup for Northern Ireland.
The lineup for the first standalone Bellator event under its new PFL ownership continues to build with a lightweight matchup for Northern Ireland.
[autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (21-5) is set to take on [autotag]Alfie Davis[/autotag] (16-4-1) at Bellator 302 next month. The event will be the first in Bellator’s Champions Series and is set for March 22 at SSE Arena in Belfast. A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Monday and spoke on anonymity since the promotion has not yet made an official announcement.
The 34-year-old Musayev, from Azerbaijan, had back-to-back wins under the Rizin banner in 2023 after a stretch that saw him drop two of three fights, including one in the opening round of Bellator’s lightweight grand prix to Alexandr Shabliy. His fight against Davis will come a year to the weekend from his loss to Shabliy that gave him an early exit from the $1 million tournament.
England’s Davis, who trains with the famed London Shootfighters team, has had plenty of success for Bellator over the years with a 7-1-1 record. Coincidentally, his only Bellator loss came to Shabliy, as well, though he went the distance with him and Musayev was knocked out in the third round. After that setback and a draw with Tim Wilde, Davis has consecutive decision wins over Thibault Gouti and Aalon Cruz.
The latest Bellator 302 lineup includes:
Check out the full list of fighter salaries from this past Friday’s Bellator 292 event in San Jose, Calif.
Twenty fighters competed this past Friday at Bellator 292 with the titleholders leading all disclosed payouts.
California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Thursday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments or discretionary bonuses.
Three of five fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed paydays tied for the top spot on the list with $150,000. Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) submitted Benson Henderson (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA) in the main event, which also was the opening round of Bellator’s lightweight grand prix.
Both Nurmagomedov and Henderson made a disclosed $150,000 flat purse for their fights, win or lose. The other $150,000 recipient was Alexander Shabliy (23-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), who made $75,000 to show and a $75,000 win bonus for his finish of Tofiq Musayev (20-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in the tournament’s opening round.
In addition, Linton Vassell (24-8 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) made a flat $100,000 for his heavyweight knockout of Valentin Moldavsky (11-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) and Michael Page (21-2 MMA, 17-2 BMMA) made a flat $100,000 for his quick injury TKO of Goiti Yamauchi (28-6 MMA, 14-5 BMMA).
Scroll below to see what the 20 fighters on Bellator 292 were paid – disclosed amounts only.
Check out the numbers to come out of Bellator 292, where Michael “Venom” Page broke a longstanding tie for most KO/TKO wins in history.
Bellator put on its third event of the year Friday with Bellator 292, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
The lightweight grand prix got its start on the card with a pair of quarterfinal matchups. Reigning champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) made his first step in defending through the tournament when he quickly stopped former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 7-7 BMMA) by first-round submission.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 292.
Check out these photos from Bellator 292, which took place at Kia Forum in San Jose, Calif.
Check out these photos from Bellator 292, which took place at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)
Alexander Shabliy moves to the Bellator lightweight grand prix semifinal.
[autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] is through.
The Bellator lightweight defeated [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] by third-round TKO at Friday’s Bellator 292 and is now moving on to the semifinal of the Bellator lightweight grand prix. Shabliy (23-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) is expected to take on the winner of A. J. McKee vs. Patricky Freire.
The lightweight grand prix quarterfinal was the Bellator 292 co-main event at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
It was a tough fight to score, but perhaps for not the fun reasons.
Both Musayev (20-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Shabliy came out tentative, and they were hesitant to exchange. Musayev, for the most part, did most of the pressuring, while Shabliy backed up. Both did a lot of faints and would occasionally exchange here and there. This went on for the first two rounds.
In Round 3, Shabliy hit Musayev with a front, push kick to the chest. After connecting and on its way down, it did hit Musayev on the groin. The fight was stopped, as Musayev was hurt. It appeared to be a foul, but the referee would deem it a clean it, as it first connected on Musayev’s chest, this awarding Shabliy the victory.
Alexander Shabliy gets the TKO finish! @BellatorMMA#Bellator292’s Main Card is LIVE on @Showtime! pic.twitter.com/Uj5e71PCVF
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) March 11, 2023
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With the win, Shabliy furthers his impressive wining streak. The Russian standout is on an eight-fight winning streak, which includes notable victories over former Bellator champion Brent Primus and former UFC fighter Adriano Martins. Shabliy joined the Bellator ranks in 2021 and has established himself as one of the top fighters in just a couple of years.
Musayev suffered his first setback since joining Bellator. He entered tonight’s event coming off a successful debut where he knocked out Sidney Outlaw in the first round back in July at Belattor 283.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 292 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.
Check out our staff members’ picks for Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif., featuring the start of the lightweight grand prix.
| Nurmagomedov vs. Henson |
Musayev vs. Shabliy |
Moldavsky vs. Vassell |
Page vs. Yamauchi |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 23-14 |
 Nurmagomedov (68%) |
 Shabliy (57%) |
 Moldavsky (69%) |
 Page (66%) |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 27-13 |
Nurmagomedov |
Shabliy |
 Vassell |
Page |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 26-14 |
Nurmagomedov |
 Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Page |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 26-14 |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Page |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 26-14 |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Page |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 25-15  2018, 2022 Champion |
Nurmagomedov |
Shabliy |
Moldavsky |
Page |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 24-16 |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Page |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 24-16 |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
 Yamauchi |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 24-16 |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Yamauchi |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 23-17 2014 Champion |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Page |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 22-18 2017 Champion |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Page |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 22-18 |
Nurmagomedov |
Musayev |
Moldavsky |
Page |
Bellator is back in its Northern California home base this week with a lightweight title fight at the top of the lineup.
Bellator 292 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, 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.)
In the main event, lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line for the first time since he won the belt this past November against Patricky Freire. He takes on former UFC and WEC lightweight champ and two-time Bellator title challenger [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in a fight that doubles as a quarterfinal bout in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix.
Nurmagomedov is a massive favorite at -2500 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Henderson is +900. Henderson never has been worse than a +350 underdog in his UFC and Bellator career until now. Given the odds, it’s not surprising our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Nurmagomedov as a unanimous pick at 11-0.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) on the other side of the lightweight grand prix bracket. Shabliy is a slight favorite at the betting window, but our pickers may have taken into account Musayev’s 27-second KO win in his Bellator debut, and they have him with a big 9-2 picks lead.
Also on the main card, former interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) will try to make a case for another shot at champ Ryan Bader when he takes on [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA), who has won four straight. Moldavsky is more than a 3-1 favorite, though, and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 16-2 BMMA) is just a slight betting favorite at -125 in his welterweight bout against [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 14-4 BMMA). The winner will be in prime position to ask for a title shot. But despite the close numbers from the oddsmakers, our pickers have Page with a big 9-2 lead.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Nurmagomedov (80 percent), Shabliy (57 percent), Moldavsky (69 percent), and Page 66 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.
Promotional debuts don’t get much better than the one Tofiq Musayev had in July 2022.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Promotional debuts don’t get much better than the one [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] had in July 2022.
Musayev needed just 27 seconds to put Sidney Outlaw away with a knockout that had people buzzing. Although hardcore fans knew of Musayev from his fights for Rizin in Japan, much of the American audience didn’t get a chance to see him until his KO of Outlaw.
“It’s a great feeling to finish your first fight, and that fast,” Musayev told MMA Junkie at a Wednesday media day for Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif. “My goal here is to come to perform for the fans, to show great fights, to win the audience here – and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing. It’s a great feeling.”
Musayev (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on Alexander Shabliy (22-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in a quarterfinal bout in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix. They fight in Bellator 292’s co-main event just ahead of lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov, who puts his belt on the line against Benson Henderson in another opening-round tournament fight.
Even though Musayev knows who his next opponent will be – the winner of Patricky Freire vs. A.J. McKee later this year – he sees no need to put the cart before the horse.
“I don’t like talking too much,” he said. “I don’t care about the other seven guys in the tournament. I’m here to show my friends who I am, and my job is going to do the talking, not my words.”
Bellator 292 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out Musayev’s full media day interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.
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Take a look as the participants for the Bellator lightweight grand prix came face to fight for the first time.
LOS ANGELES – Bellator is hosting a lightweight grand prix this year, and for the first time Friday, the promotion brought all eight participants together for a news conference, followed by faceoffs.
The tournament kicks off March 10 at Bellator 292 in San Jose, Calif., where champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) defends the title against [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (30-11MMA, 7-6 BMMA) in a quarterfinal. Also that night, [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA).
On May 12 at Bellator Paris, [autotag]Mansour Barnaoui[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will take on [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in a quarterfinal. The remaining quarterfinal between [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (20-1MMA, 20-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) has yet to be booked for an event date and location.
In the video above, you can watch all the opponents come face to face.
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