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 May 22-28.
Kai Kamaka is ready to jump straight back to action after Bellator 295.
HONOLULU – [autotag]Kai Kamaka[/autotag] is ready to jump straight back to action after Bellator 295.
Kamaka (11-5-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) defeated Adli Edwards by unanimous decision this past Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena.
Kamaka wants a ranked opponent or [autotag]Weber Almeida[/autotag] – who was booked to face Keoni Diggs on the same night before the fight was scrapped due to weight-cutting issues from Diggs’ side.
“Give me anybody, 7,8,9,” Kamaka told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “Keoni Diggs missed weight. Give me Weber Almeida. Give me any of those guys. Just give me somebody and get me in quick. I’m healthy, I’m always getting better, I don’t take any shortcuts.
“I make weight. I don’t ask for catchweight. I do my part so the promotion, they’ve got to see that. I show up anywhere. I show up for people. A lot of times I show up for people that don’t show up, and I make weight every single time. That’s the main thing.”
Kamaka, who stopped Kevin Boehm in his past outing at Bellator 289, was hoping to finish Edwards but felt in control of the fight regardless.
“I feel like I let him stay in the fight longer than I should have,” Kamaka said. “I should have finished him. I should have seen my wife a lot earlier, but it was a lot easier, and I wanted to make it a fight. I came to do that, and I’ve seen everything in there. That’s how I know I made it easier. I slowed everything down. I could see it all, and I was just kind of making sure I’d seen it all. But time ran out before I could finish him.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.
Patricio Freire added to his records for most wins and title-fight victories in Bellator history with a dominant defense at Bellator 286.
The final stretch of Bellator’s 2022 schedule kicked off Saturday with Bellator 286, which took place at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif., and featured a 13-fight lineup.
The main event saw the most decorated fighter in company history further enhance his legacy when [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-5 MMA, 22-5 BMMA) cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision over [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) to defend his featherweight title for the first time in what’s his third title reign in the division.
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 286.
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 from June 13-19.
Fabricio Franco writhed in pain at what was initially deemed a fight-ending low blow, but replay showed a leg kick instead so the decision was reversed.
HONOLULU – The final Bellator 278 prelim ended in bizarre fashion Friday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center when Lyoto Machida protege [autotag]Weber Almeida[/autotag] kicked opponent [autotag]Fabricio Franco[/autotag].
At first glance, Franco’s reaction signaled a low blow. The referee called timeout immediately and Franco dropped to the canvas. As he writhed in pain, however, the replay rolled in the arena. The shot in question appeared to hit the upper inside thigh – not the groin.
Franco continued to scooch around on the ground, as the referee frequently checked in on him. Although he rose to his feet on multiple occasions, the referee eventually deemed him unable to continue and the contest was waved off.
The Hawaii State Boxing Commission allows for the use of instant replay, and put it into play. Upon replay, officials deemed the strike legal – and since Franco couldn’t continue, Almeida (5-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) was named the winner by TKO.
Through the final decision reading, Franco (8-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) continued to display signs of pain. He spiked his mouthpiece into the canvas and was assisted out of the cage by members of his team.
Elite acting by Franco LMAOOO pic.twitter.com/zGKb14RXB7
— Follow @FTB_VIDS (@FTB_VIDS) April 23, 2022
A kick ended the final #Bellator278 prelim, as Fabricio Franco grimaced and Weber Almeida was declared the winner. 🤔#Bellator278 results: https://t.co/T9jTsmHBLi pic.twitter.com/66l8r2tVxv
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 23, 2022
With the win, Almeida reenters the win column after a May 2021 loss to Johnny Soto. Meanwhile, Franco finds himself on a two-fight skid.
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Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 258, including Michael Page’s takeover of the company KO record.
Bellator saw its first title change of the year happen on Friday in the Bellator 258 headliner.
[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) claimed the bantamweight title from [autotag]Juan Archuleta [/autotag](25-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) in their main event clash, taking a unanimous decision at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
For more on the numbers, check below for 20 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 258.
Three fights have been added to Bellator’s first 2021 event.
The bantamweight theme continues for Bellator 258.
Like the first three additions to the May 7 card, the fourth is also a fight between two of the promotion’s 135-pound notables. [autotag]Henry Corrales[/autotag] and [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] are set to square off at the event, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
[autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Madrid[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at middleweight, and [autotag]Weber Almeida[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) vs. [autotag]Johnny Soto[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at featherweight, also have been added to the preliminary card.
Bellator officials confirmed the bookings to MMA Junkie on Tuesday. All three fights first were reported by Sherdog.
Corrales (18-5 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) drops to bantamweight for the first time in his Bellator career. The move down a weight class comes after a split decision win over Brandon Girtz at Bellator 250 in October. Corrales is 1-2 in his most recent three appearances.
Lee (7-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) most recently competed at Bellator 253 in November when his four-fight winning streak was snapped by Raufeon Shots via unanimous decision. The loss was Lee’s first in Bellator. He holds promotional wins over Vinicius Zani and Shawn Bunch.
With the addition, the Bellator 258 lineup includes:
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Could Weber Almeida be Bellator’s first champion turned movie star?
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Weber Almeida[/autotag]’s main goal is to become a Bellator champion, but it’s not his only aspiration.
Almeida (4-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), a protege of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, brutalized Salim Mukhidinov (7-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) before earning a first-round TKO on Friday night at Bellator 244. The win was the fourth in as many career fights – all of which have ended by knockout or TKO.
In a post-fight news conference, Almeida revealed he had recently been featured in a movie. He hopes to pursue more acting gigs but only after he becomes Bellator champion.
Bellator 244 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card simulcasted on Paramount Network and DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out Almeida’s full Bellator 244 post-fight news conference in the video above.
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