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Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 264, which took place Friday in Uncasville, Conn.
Bellator 264 took place this past Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
[autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (48-7-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) defended his Bellator middleweight title in the main event when he picked up a third-round TKO of [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 8-2 BMMA).
For more on the numbers, check below for 22 pre-event facts to come out of Bellator 264.
Ty Gwerder prepared for his matchup with Khadzhimurat Bestaev with the help of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Going up against the tallest opponent he’s ever faced, [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] prepared for his Bellator 264 matchup against [autotag]Khadzhimurat Bestaev[/autotag] with the help of UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].
“I sparred with Francis Ngannou and all those guys that are like 6’4″ and maybe some change,” Gwerder told MMA Junkie. “But 6’6″ is a whole different story.”
He continued, “You can feel his (Ngannou) presence in there. Especially with his size, you almost feel like – it’s almost like you’re in a telephone booth really when you’ve got a whole mat space. It still feels that way, especially with his power. We all know what it looks like. Imagine what it feels like, so going into a sparring session with him is like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.'”
Bellator 264 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out the full interview with Gwerder in the video above.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 264 main card, which features middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi vs. John Salter.
| Mousasi vs. Salter |
Homasi vs. Koreshkov |
Magomedov vs. Stots |
Cummings vs. Franklin |
Bestaev vs. Gwerder |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 120-72 |
 Mousasi (82%) |
 Koreshkov (85%) |
 Magomedov (76%) |
 Cummings (51%) |
 Bestaev (64%) |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 119-73 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
 Stots |
 Franklin |
Bestaev |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 118-74 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Stots |
Franklin |
Bestaev |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 118-74  2018 Champion |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Franklin |
 Gwerder |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 115-77 2020 Champion |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Franklin |
Gwerder |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 114-78 2014 Champion |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Franklin |
Bestaev |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 114-78 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Cummings |
Gwerder |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 113-79 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Cummings |
Bestaev |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 112-80 |
Mousasi |
 Homasi |
Magomedov |
Cummings |
Gwerder |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 112-80 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Cummings |
Gwerder |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 112-80 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Stots |
Cummings |
Gwerder |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 110-82 2017 Champion |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Cummings |
Gwerder |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 108-84 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Cummings |
Gwerder |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 2021: 43-33 |
Mousasi |
Koreshkov |
Magomedov |
Cummings |
Gwerder |
Bellator is back in Connecticut this week, and the middleweight title is on the line.
Bellator 264 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. 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, middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) puts his title up against challenger [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA). Mousasi is fighting for the first time since he recaptured the 185-pound title in October 2020 against Douglas Lima, and all 13 of our editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are picking him to defend the belt.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) takes on former welterweight champion [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA). Our staff members are picking the ex-champ by a wide margin at 12-1.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) is a runaway pick in his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). Magomedov has a 10-3 lead in the picks.
Our most contentious fight is at heavyweight between [autotag]Everett Cummings[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA). The top five pickers in our standings all like Franklin. But the lower eight all are going with Cummings.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Khadzhi Bestaev[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) in a middleweight bout. Hawaii’s Gwerder has a sizable 9-4 edge in the picks from our staff members.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Mousasi (82 percent), Koreshkov (85 percent), Magomedov (76 percent), Cummings (51 percent) and Bestaev(64 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
One final time before Bellator 264, Gegard Mousasi, John Salter and the rest of the card went face to face at the ceremonial weigh-ins.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday, and the promotion’s middleweight title will be on the line.
Bellator 264 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. Atop the card, 185-pound titleholder [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (47-7-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) defends his championship against surging contender [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA).
Also, former welterweight champion [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 4-3 BMMA), and bantamweight contenders Magomed Magomedov (18-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) meet in a pivotal clash.
Following Thursday’s Bellator 264 official weigh-ins, the fighters came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.
Check out the faceoffs below, including Mousasi vs. Salter, Koreshkov vs. Homasi, and Magomedov vs. Stots.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 from July 26-Aug. 1:
On the day of the show, Bellator 250 has lost two fights, including one from the main card.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – On the day of the show, Bellator 250 has lost two fights, including one from the main card.
[autotag]Veta Arteaga[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) is out of her women’s flyweight fight to open the main card against [autotag]Desiree Yanez[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). And [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) is out of his lightweight fight against [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) on the preliminary card. Both fights have been scratched from the lineup.
A Bellator official on Thursday confirmed the fights’ removal to MMA Junkie, saying Arteaga and Newell “couldn’t receive clearance” from the Mohegan Tribe commission overseeing the event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Yanez first announced the scratching of her fight with Arteaga on Instagram and said Arteaga tested positive for COVID-19.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG7j0OepaW2/
Both Arteaga and Newell weighed in Wednesday. Arteaga was 0.2 pounds overweight at 126.2.
A middleweight bout between [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Dalton Rosta[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has been elevated from the prelims to open the main card, a promotion official told MMA Junkie.
Bellator 250 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network following prelims on MMA Junkie.
The second half of Bellator’s shows on two consecutive nights has additions, including the debut of a former UFC title challenger.
The second half of Bellator’s shows on two consecutive nights has some new additions, including the promotional debut of a former UFC title challenger.
[autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will fight in Bellator for the first time when she takes on [autotag]DeAnna Bennett[/autotag] (10-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout on the Bellator 246 main card. Plus, [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) is set to take on [autotag]Roger Huerta[/autotag] (24-12-1 MMA, 1-5 BMMA) in a lightweight bout.
On the prelims, [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) fights [autotag]George Tokkos[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at middleweight and [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Ras Hylton[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in a heavyweight bout.
Bellator 246 takes place Saturday, Sept. 12, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. One night prior, the same venue hosts Bellator 245.
Carmouche in 2013 made history when she became the first woman to step into a UFC cage for a fight when she challenged Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title. She lost with a first-round submission. In 2017, she dropped to flyweight and after back-to-back wins got a shot at UFC champ Valentina Shevchenko in August 2019. She lost that fight by unanimous decision. Now she makes her way to Bellator with a resume that includes 10 UFC fights, a pair of Invicta FC bouts and three fights in Strikeforce, where she also fought for a title.
Bennett fought on Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” She fought to a draw with Melinda Fabian at the TUF 26 Finale, which was her only official UFC bout. Most recently, she’s been with Invicta. In September 2019, she won her first two fights in the promotion’s single-night women’s flyweight tournament, but was submitted by Miranda Maverick in the third round of the tourney’s final.
With the additions, the Bellator 246 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)
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Ty Gwerder had an inkling he was on Bellator’s radar and that he might be getting a phone call. It came sooner than he thought it would.
HONOLULU – [autotag]Ty Gwerder[/autotag] had an inkling he was on Bellator’s radar and that he might be getting a phone call. But it came sooner than he thought it would.
Gwerder tore through his first four opponents in quick order, including three first-round knockouts for LFA. When Bellator called to swoop him up, the promotion didn’t just want him for one spot on the prelims with other local fighters. He got a multi-fight deal right out of the gate. And the whole thing happened even sooner than he thought it would.
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Friday, Gwerder (4-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his promotional debut against Joseph Creer (6-1-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) at Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”), which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
To hear from Gwerder about Friday’s fight, check out the full interview above.
Bellator 235: Ty Gwerder full pre-fight interview
Bellator 235: Ty Gwerder full pre-fight interview
