Latest Bellator MMA news. The fight league is owned by the Professional Fighters League (PFL), was founded in 2008, and is based out of Santa Monica, California.
Peter Queally witnessed a successful free workshop at his gym where 30 women showed up to participate.
On February 25, Queally will fight Kane Mousah on the main card at Bellator 275. The #6-ranked Bellator lightweight trains alongside UFC‘s Conor McGregor at Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, Ireland.
In between training for bouts, Queally coaches MMA at SBG. On January 22, he saw a massive turnout with 30 women present at his first free workshop.
Peter Queally and members of SBG, Photo Credit: Straight Blast Gym Facebook Page
The free class was in response to the killing of Ashling Murphy, another victim of gender-based violence. Her body was found in Tullamore on January 12.
Since the training session, Queally wants more women to get into MMA gyms. It is an empowering sport that teaches discipline along with the fundamentals to break your opponent.
Outside of self-defense, women can build their confidence and become healthier through MMA.
“To be honest, these self-defence classes are good, but what a girl should do really is just join a gym, and start learning how to defend herself. And not only will she be able to defend herself, in the rare, rare case that something happens, but also she’ll develop confidence, become physically fit and make friends,” Queally explained toDublin Live.
Not to mention, a gym community is a safe place to practice and broaden social skills. Many people are shy and timid when starting at a new gym, or anywhere, but as their skills develop so does their self-esteem.
“I think women would benefit from this as well. Taking out the danger in society of being attacked, just having a bit more confidence is always a good thing. And the social aspect of it is great as well when you’re just making new friends, and all this different stuff,” Queally continued.
2022 is already proving to be a good year for women’s growth in MMA. Canada began its very first all-women MMA league, the PAWFC, which saw its first live event on January 15. And, last November, MMA legend Cris Cyborg helped get the ball rolling on Africa’s first MMA Women’s Commission.
Peter Queally’s workshop success puts more spotlight on introducing women to the sport.
What are your thoughts on the increasing growth of women in mixed martial arts?
Bellator featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino has hit back at Cat Zingano after she accused the champion of potentially doping.
Justino is expected to potentially face Zingano for her next appearance in the cage. But, Zingano has alleged that she has a matchup with another opponent set in March as a No. 1 contender fight.
“Cat Zingano, why are you lying?” Justino said. “I haven’t refused any drug tests. I’m ready whenever you are. Behind the scenes you keep saying to Bellator you need more time to prepare for me, you need a different opponent first, now you go on social media with lies and smear campaigns and excuses? Sad.” (h/t BJPenn)
Justino last competed against Sinead Kavanagh back in November, earning a first-round knockout. It was speculated that Justino could potentially face Kayla Harrison next, but Harrison’s free agency appears to be headed in the PFL’s favor and not Bellator’s.
Zingano, a former UFC title challenger, has yet to fight for the belt since making the move to Bellator. Following a loss to Megan Anderson in her UFC finale, she’s earned back-to-back wins over Olivia Parker and Gabrielle Holloway.
Justino has had a complicated legacy in MMA. She tested positive for steroids earlier in her career and had her license suspended to compete in California.
It’s unclear if and when Justino and Zingano will settle their beef in the Bellator cage, but it’s sure to be quite the buildup to their fight.
What are your thoughts on the Cat Zingano/Cris Cyborg controversy?
Bellator MMA’s first event of the year has just wrapped up, and it featured a heavyweight title fight to determine their undisputed champion. Sitting champ Ryan Bader was in the light heavyweight World Grand Prix, so to keep the heavyweight division moving, an interim title fight between Timothy Johnson and Valentin Moldovsky went down last June with Moldavsky emerging as the victor.
Bader lost his semifinal bout in the Grand Prix, so at Bellator 273, he returned to heavyweight to determine who the true champion is. At media day on fight week, Bader said, “The last fight (in Phoenix at Bellator 268 on Oct. 16, 2021) was not the result we wanted. The crowd showed up. Arizona showed up. We packed the house. Let’s get a little redemption here in front of the home crowd.”
Below, you can find highlights from the main event that saw Bader retain the heavyweight championship.
Three years ago, heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko had just lost to Ryan Bader via TKO in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Final. Despite having won two of his last three fights coming into that bout, a former foe of Fedor, Dan Henderson, considered the possibility that the then 42-year-old Emelanenko was, as he put it, “used up.”
The following article was published on this day three years ago and it is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 29, 2019, 1:45 PM]
Headline: Dan Henderson Believes Fedor May Be All Used up After Bellator 214 Loss
Author: Andrew Ravens
MMA Legend Dan Henderson has sounded off the state of Fedor Emelianenko’s career after suffering his most recent loss.
This past Saturday night in the headliner of Bellator 214 at The Forum in Inglewood, California on the Paramount Network, Ryan Bader finished Fedor Emelianenko to win the vacant Bellator heavyweight title.
Emelianenko is a historic figure in the history of the MMA game and no doubt an MMA Legend. In the eyes of Henderson, he praised Bader for a job well done but also thinks that Fedor’s chin is suspect and could be all used up.
“Damn good job from Bader, for sure. Fedor’s had kind of a suspect chin,” Henderson told Fight Hub TV (H/T to MMAMania). “He’s still super dangerous. I figured [Bader] would win but not quite in that manner. It seems like [Fedor] could be all used up, unfortunately, I would love to see him out there more, but.”
The MMA legend finished former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the main event of the Bellator 198 event at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois via strikes in the first round in a Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal bout. His next fight saw him beat Chael Sonnen on at Bellator 208 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York by first-round TKO.
Bellator fighter and former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano thinks Cris “Cyborg” Justino may be doping again ahead of their potential fight.
Zingano hasn’t fought since her first-round submission over Olivia Parker at Bellator 256. After an up-and-down tenure in the UFC, she is undefeated through two fights in the Bellator cage.
Zingano is on the rise in the Bellator featherweight division and could face the champion, Justino sooner rather than later. Justino most recently earned a vicious first-round knockout over Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 271.
While Justino is widely considered to be one of the greatest female MMA fighters of all time, her legacy remains complicated. She’s tested positive for steroids in the past and even had her license suspended in California.
“Hearing [Justino] is refusing to drug test,” Zingano tweeted.
Zingano could be on the verge of a matchup with Cyborg with another win. The two had informally agreed to fight one another next, but now Zingano is alluding to her next matchup being set for the spring and a potential fight with the featherweight champ in the summer.
I have been told my opponent and that it’s a number one contender match set for March 11… That’ll give someone plenty of time to get their shit together enough to fight me by summer.
“I have been told my opponent and that it’s a number one contender match set for March 11,” Zingano said. “That’ll give someone plenty of time to get their shit together enough to fight me by summer.”
Zingano is one of the few Bellator featherweights who hasn’t competed against Justino in the cage. The promotion was in preliminary talks to sign PFL champ Kayla Harrison to the roster, but it sounds like Harrison will likely re-sign with the PFL in free agency.
Justino has yet to respond to Zingano’s comments and allegations.
Bellator star Michael Page believes UK MMA is on fire right now, and he expects to see a number of champions emerging from the region soon.
He’ll hope to set that tone when he returns to action in May. After avenging his sole MMA loss to Douglas Lima with a split decision victory over the Brazilian in London last October, “Venom” now has his sights set on welterweight gold.
As well as Page’s ongoing success, a host of new names and talents from the UK have broken through, both in Bellator and the UFC.
While the likes of Darren Till and Leon Edwards remain well-known names in the world’s premier MMA organization, up-and-comers like Paddy Pimblett, Jack Shore, and Tom Aspinall have started to make a real splash on the global stage.
Meanwhile, individuals such as Fabian Edwards, Leah McCourt, and Brett Johns have been flying the British flag in the Scott Coker-led promotion.
During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Page praised the current state of UK MMA and the upcoming crop of future stars. The 34-year-old believes a number of his compatriots and fellow UK fighters will earn championship status soon enough, hopefully beginning with himself in four months’ time.
“Definitely (UK MMA is on fire right now). I think there’s a buzz. I think we’ve got a big wave coming through, and we should see a lot of champions. I’m hoping to be one of them.”
UFC Returns To London In March
While Bellator prepares to thrill the UK audience in May, the UFC will have the first opportunity to showcase their roster of talent from across the Atlantic.
Earlier today, the promotion confirmed rumors that the March 19 UFC Fight Night event will mark its return to London, England, a destination the company hasn’t been able to venture to since 2019.
LONDON STAND UP!!! 🇬🇧
We are finally coming back to #UFCLondon on March 19! Register now to get early access to tickets ⤵️
While the card is yet to be finalized, early indications suggest the batch of UK names in action will include Pimblett, Shore, and Aspinall, as well as Molly McCann, Mike Grundy, Jake Hadley, Cory McKenna, and the debuting Muhammad Mokaev.
Do you agree with Michael Page? Will we see a host of UK-born MMA champions in the months and years to come?
After 17 fights in the promotion, England’s Michael “Venom” Page is finally set for his first world title fight in Bellator.
On social media today, Bellator Europe announced that Page will challenge for Yaroslav Amosov’s welterweight gold in the main event of Bellator London. The promotion’s trip across the Atlantic is set for Friday, May 13, and will see fights go down from inside The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Page boasts an impressive 20-1 record in professional MMA and has long been a top contender in Bellator’s 170-pound weight class. Since his one and only defeat, a knockout loss to former three-time titleholder Douglas Lima in 2019, MVP has been on a tear.
In his last six fights, Page has gone 6-0, recorded two first-round knockouts, and avenged his setback against Lima. In the main event of Bellator 267 last October, an event that represented the promotion’s return to the UK for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, “Venom” secured a split decision triumph over “The Phenom”. He’ll hope to replicate that London success when he returns to his country’s capital on May 13.
In his way of championship glory will be Amosov, an unbeaten Ukrainian who reached the top of the welterweight mountain after seven fights in Bellator. After victories over the likes of David Rickles, Ed Ruth, and Logan Storey, “Dynamo” had his chance to fight for gold at Bellator 260 last June. In a mightily impressive performance, Amosov dethroned Lima after securing a unanimous decision win.
Across his unblemished 26-0 record, Amosov has recorded 10 submission and nine knockouts. But despite his finishing record, the 28-year-old has gone the distance in three of his last four appearances. Page will be looking to save the judges some work by adding a 13th knockout to his own résumé when he enters the cage with Amosov.
The original story was published on this day five years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 9:21 AM]
Headline: Meryl Streep Says MMA is Not an Art, Scott Coker & Fighters Disagree
An unlikely name has entered the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) overnight. Renowned actress Meryl Streep accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement award last night (Jan. 8, 2017) at the 74th Golden Globe Awards. During her speech, Streep gave MMA a mention, although it wasn’t a flattering one.
Here is what she said:
“Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. And if we kick them all out you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.”
This prompted responses from some MMA fighters and even Bellator President Scott Coker chimed in. He offered Streep an invitation to see Bellator 170 live in Inglewood, California (via Twitter). Here is his invitation:
“Meryl,
I’m a lifelong fan of your work but also a lifelong martial artist who happens to promote mixed martial arts around the world.
The global sport of mixed martial arts celebrates male and female athletes from all around the world who work years tirelessly honing their craft and- yes- art. They come from every country and every walk of life. We at Bellator support them and honor their skill.
Please be my guest at the LA Forum on January 21st and you will see that Mixed Martial Arts is truly artistic – which will feature fighters from all over the world competing at a world class level.
Scott Coker
President Bellator MMA”
Others weren’t as kind in their responses. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Tamdan McCory was none too pleased with Streep’s words:
Ranked Bellator welterweights Neiman Gracie and Logan Storley will headline the promotion’s February 19th event, as announced Tuesday.
The fight between Gracie and Storley headlines Bellator 274, which will see the promotion return to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, USA.
While known for his grappling skills, Gracie showed his striking in September when stopping Mark Lemminger in the second minute of action. That win put him back on the right track after suffering a loss to Jason Jackson five months prior.
Storley will be competing in his first-ever Bellator main event. He has fought in the promotion since 2017, picking up seven wins through eight appearances. He was given his sole pro loss came in 2020 against Yaroslav Amosov. Just one fight later, Amosov defeated Douglas Lima to become the new Bellator Welterweight Champion.
Storley returned to the win column in August, defeating Dante Schiro via split decision.
Bellator Unveils Nine-Fight Card For February
As of this week, Bellator has nine bouts in total set for their return to the Mohegan Sun Arena. Promotional veteran Andrey Koreshkov is scheduled to appear in the co-main event. He will face Mukhamed Berkamov, who is riding a long winning streak and coming off a successful Bellator debut.
Looking lower on the card, veteran names like Georgie Karakhanyan and Adam Piccolotti are also set to appear.
Also on the prelims, viewers will see a clash of two prospects when flashy fighter Mandell Nallo meets former LFA Lightweight Champion Nick Browne.
Full Lineup:
Main Card (Showtime/9 p.m. ET)
Welterweight Main Event Bout: Neiman Gracie (11-2) vs. Logan Storley (12-1)
Bellator President Scott Coker has reiterated his willingness to bring Jake Paul over to MMA should the YouTuber-turned-boxer wish to switch sports.
As unlikely as it would have seemed a few years ago, Paul, a successful online personality and former Disney star, has become the newest sensation and big name in combat sports. Whether fans like him, hate him, respect him, or wish him to be gone, Paul’s impact in boxing can’t be denied.
In 2020, Paul began professional boxing venture. “The Problem Child” has built a perfect 5-0 record, with his level of opposition increasing with each appearance. After finishing fellow YouTube celebrity AnEsonGib and former NBA star Nate Robinson, Paul turned his attention to MMA fighters.
First came Ben Askren. The former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion was stopped inside one round. His friend and teammate Tyron Woodley then took up the challenge. As a former 170-pound UFC titleholder, many expected him to be the one to halt Paul’s presence in the sport.
Instead, the 24-year-old defeated Woodley twice, once via split decision last August and then by way of a brutal knockout four months later.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXp4XEWlcyd/
Coker Is Open To Doing Business With Paul
Paul’s ongoing journey in combat sports has certainly split opinion. While some, criticize the money he earns in boxing, the opposition he’s faced, and his outgoing personality, others have praised his impact in the sport, his willingness to face professional MMA stars, and his decision to speak out against the fighter pay structure in the UFC.
“I always said, ‘Look, these guys are real athletes, and they’re young, they work hard, they’re grinding it out. They’re putting in the work. You can’t take that away from them, and they’re getting better and better and better. What you saw with Woodley, that’s a lot of hard work to get to that point. I’ve never seen Woodley get knocked out like that, right? And so, is it just boxing? Yes. So, I always said, ‘Look, man, don’t underestimate these guys,’ and this was like a year-and-a-half ago.”
Coker went on to reiterate his openness for a business deal between his promotion and Paul. The former Strikeforce CEO suggested that if the 24-year-old wants to make the transition to mixed martial arts, Bellator will be waiting with open arms.
“If you want to come into MMA, we would gladly do it,” Coker said. “Think about this: He’s not saying, ‘I’m going to go train here. I’m going to go train there.’ He’s going to come to one of the best gyms in the planet, where Khabib is, where Daniel Cormier is still training, where Cain Velasquez is teaching there now, and he’s going to go into an environment that he is going to flourish, and he has a wrestling background already. He has great striking, obviously. You’ve seen it, and so this guy is just going to get better and better and better. The days of him fighting basketball players or whatever, those days are over.
“He wants to do it. The only thing I will say is, my understanding is he wants to get 10 fights into boxing, and then after that come over to mixed martial arts. I know certain people feel a certain way, but I tell you, don’t underestimate these guys because when they have their minds made up, it just seems like that they’re able to fulfill their destiny, and so to me, it’s something that if they want to make it happen, we would love to do something with them and put them in some big fights and really test them out.”
How many current and former UFC fighters are actually going to get behind my offer to Dana?
Although seemingly committed to more fights inside the squared circle, Paul has appeared open to a move to the cage. In a challenge recently sent to UFC President Dana White, Paul suggested he’d fight welterweight Jorge Masvidal inside the Octagon should White meet a number of clauses, including an increase in the minimum fighter pay number.
Whether Paul is really open to testing the waters of MMA and the UFC or simply playing on a challenge he knows White won’t accept is up for debate. But one thing is for certain, “The Problem Child” has gone beyond expectation so far. Perhaps he’ll do the same in MMA over the coming years.
Would you like to see Jake Paul fight inside a UFC or Bellator MMA cage?
Anthony Johnson may not fight again for a little while.
Johnson was supposed to face Vadim Nemkov in the light heavyweight semifinals but was forced to pull out of the fight with an undisclosed illness. Now, according to Bellator President Scott Coker, “Rumble” is still dealing with that and remains out.
“I talked to him about a week ago and we had a very good conversation,” Bellator president Coker told MMA Junkie. “Without getting too much into his medical condition, he’s got to worry just about being healthy first. Fighting will always be there. I told him to keep doing what he’s doing, keep listening to the doctors and keep at it. We’re going to be here, we’re not going anywhere. If you get cleared at some point, we’ll definitely have you back.
Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea of USA Today Sports
“I think he has a little ways to go, to be honest, and we’re going to be there rooting him on. But until he gets clearance – I don’t look at it like he’s going to be fighting in six months or four months or eight months,” Coker continued about Johnson. “Let him take his time, let him get healthy and when he gets healthy we can have a conversation. If it’s a year from now, 18 months from now, or six months from now, we’ll get at it. But until then, he’s got to heal up and get healthy because there’s so much more in life than just fighting. I want him to have a long, healthy life and that’s the most important thing.”
Anthony Johnson had a successful Bellator debut back in May at Bellator 221, where he knocked out Jose Augusto in the opening round of the grand prix. It marked his first fight since UFC 210 where he was submitted by Daniel Cormier for the UFC’s light heavyweight title.
In his career, Rumble holds notable wins over Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, Alexander Gustafsson, Andrei Arlovski, Phil Davis, and Jimi Manuwa. He is also a fan-favorite due to his one-punch KO power, so the hope is he will be able to fight sometime in 2022.
Who would you like to see Anthony Johnson fight when he returns?
Bellator Featherweight Champion AJ McKee is hoping to test his skills against the best in combat sports, including Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.
McKee has quickly developed into one of the top mixed martial artists in the world. At the age of just 26, “Mercenary” has built an unblemished 18-0 record, which includes 13 finishes, beating the likes of Darrion Caldwell and Patricio Pitbull, and having Bellator’s 145-pound strap wrapped around his waist.
After an incredible neck crank submission victory over Caldwell in November 2020 sent him to the final of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix, McKee established himself as the top dog in the division by dethroning then-double champ Pitbull. A first-round choke secured his place on the throne and his spot amongst the global featherweight elite.
At such a young age, McKee has plenty of time to boost his skills and close any gap there might be between himself and the likes of Volkanovski and Max Holloway, and perhaps even crossover to MMA’s premier organization to challenge them. But his ambitions don’t end at facing the best in the cage.
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, McKee revealed his aspirations to challenge the greatest across all realms of combat. With that in mind, he’s hoping to test his abilities against former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor and legendary undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather inside the squared circle.
“Hell yeah (I’ll box McGregor), what’s up, he’s got a couple fights left, Showtime Boxing, let’s do it. Definitely, I’ll box anybody… I’m a fighter. I want to test my skills against the best. That’s why I’ve always called out Floyd. It’s not like, ‘Ah, I wanna beat Floyd.’ I wanna test my skills, hand-to-hand combat, with one of the best athletes in hand-to-hand combat.
“I’m down for anybody. If it’s 145, ’55, 170, boxing I’ll go up three weight classes, what do I have to lose? It ain’t affecting my mixed martial arts career record. For me, it’s all money moves and fun and games.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXUFj3AvnQX/
With Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva, Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir, Ben Askren, and Tyron Woodley all crossing over to the ring across the past year, a Mayweather and McGregor callout from a rising MMA champion isn’t as crazy as it would have seemed prior to 2021.
Should McKee continue his dominance in Bellator and possibly make the transition to the UFC, perhaps we’ll see him lace the boxing gloves against top names like “The Notorious” McGregor and “Money” Mayweather in the coming years. Having previously called out the latter, it seems that’s who McKee really has his sights set on.
Would you like to see AJ McKee test his skills in the ring against Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather?
MMA heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko wants a title shot against Ryan Bader for his retirement bout, according to Bellator’s Scott Coker.
Emelianenko most recently made his return to the Bellator cage at the promotion’s Russia event in October. After a two-year hiatus, he knocked out former interim title challenger Tim Johnson less than two minutes into the fight with a barrage of punches.
Bader is slated to face interim champion Valentin Moldavsky for the title unification at Bellator 273. Depending on how things play out, Coker says Emelianenko could get the next title shot, as he’s allegedly already requested.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Coker revealed a recent conversation with Emelianenko for his next, and more than likely last, appearance in the cage.
“That’s what Fedor asked me,” Coker said. “If Ryan Bader beats Moldavsky, I want Bader, that’s what he said. I’m going to give him some other options for the beginning of January and go from there. So we’re going to see how the fight plays out, and then make a business decision.”
Fedor Emelianenko Fell To Ryan Bader In 2019
Emelianenko lost to Bader back at Bellator 214 for the then-vacant heavyweight championship via first-round TKO. Many speculated that the Russian legend would retire following the loss, but he ended up taking a fight against Rampage Jackson later that year, earning a knockout.
Emelianenko is arguably the greatest heavyweight in MMA history, with a decorated record against some of the top names in the sport. He won 31 of his first 32 professional fights, including titles in Strikeforce and PRIDE.
As of now, Emelianenko is the third-ranked Bellator heavyweight in the latest rankings, and a title shot next wouldn’t be too far-fetched. Depending on how things play out, we could see Bader and Emelianenko battle in the cage once again before ‘The Last Emperor’ calls it quits.
What are your favorite memories from Fedor Emelianenko’s career?
Bellator is currently working to put flashy welterweight Michael “Venom” Page against champion Yaroslav Amosov for a card in London, England.
Bellator President Scott Coker revealed the plans in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. He mentioned he hopes to make the fight for early 2022, although an exact date hasn’t been worked out yet.
“I know MVP was kinda back-and-forth, ‘do I want to fight Lima again, do I want to fight Amosov’ and then we said hey, just go think about it,” Coker said. “Our opinion as a company is you want to take the next step. You want to go fight for the belt now. This is your time. If you don’t do it now, when are you gonna do it? and then you can come back and fight Lima again in the future. So to me, it’s the right fight to put together. I think it’ll happen in the second quarter. It will be in London and it will be a massive fight over there because he’s such a big star.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Page Getting Title Fight Following Important Win
Page is being put in a title fight position for the first time in his career. He is also coming off arguably the biggest win of his career thus far.
Page is being put in the title fight after avenging the sole pro loss in his career. He recently defeated former champ Lima, beating him via split decision.
The potential fight could be Amosov’s first fight as the Bellator Welterweight Champion. He earned the belt in June, going five rounds against Lima for a decision win. The victory continued his flawless pro career that includes 26 wins as a whole and seven victories in Bellator.
Who would you pick in a fight between Yaroslav Amosov and Michael “Venom” Page?
The entire MMA world was abuzz over Ronda Rousey’s second KO straight loss in what would ultimately be her final bout in the UFC. Among those to chime in was Bellator’s Michael Venom Page (MVP).
The following article was published five years ago today. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 1, 2017, 3:25 PM]
Headline: Michael Page Pokes Fun at Ronda Rousey With Dance
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
It’s no secret that Bellator’s Michael Page is flashy and flamboyant. The welterweight has turned some heads with his fighting style and highlight-reel knockouts. His stunning flying knee knockout of Evangelista Santos caused “Cyborg” to suffer a fractured skull.
“Venom’s” flashiness has transitioned outside the cage. He took to his Instagram account to ring in the new year. He has created a new “Do the Rousey” dance. In the video, Page mocks “Rowdy’s” defense in her women’s bantamweight title fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30XOnleTw_w
Rousey was starched by “The Lioness” in 48 seconds at the final Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event of 2016. It was “Rowdy’s” first bout since she was knocked out by Holly Holm in Nov. 2015. Following her second straight knockout defeat, the Internet has exploded with jokes and memes at her expense.
Count “MVP” in as one of those taking full advantage.
Page has yet to taste defeat with a 12-0 record and has competed for Bellator eight times. While Page is known for his exciting style, his last bout with Fernando Gonzalez was seen by many as a snoozer. “Venom” walked away with a split decision win.
Despite many perceiving it to be the biggest upset in UFC history, Bellator champion Cris Cyborg wasn’t surprised to see Julianna Peña beat Amanda Nunes at UFC 269.
Closing the year in style at 2021’s final pay-per-view, Peña shocked the world inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena by dethroning the “Lioness.” Ahead of the clash, not many were giving “The Venezuelan Vixen,” who entered the contest off the back of two wins and two losses in her previous four fights, much of a chance.
The general consensus was that Nunes, a dominant two-division champion who hadn’t lost since 2014, was on a 12-fight win streak and had beaten the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, and Holly Holm, would shut Peña’s confidence down in emphatic fashion.
Instead, the underdog took the fight to Nunes on the feet before taking the Brazilian down and submitting her in the second round. The debate over whether it’s surpassed upsets like Matt Serra’s win against Georges St-Pierre and Holm’s victory over Rousey will rage on, but it’s certainly up there with the most shocking moments in UFC history.
But one person who was not at all surprised was former UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg. The Brazilian, who now competes under the promotional banner of Bellator MMA, knew Peña had what it takes and predicted an upset last weekend.
Speaking about the result in an interview with Combat Sports on Fanatics View, Cyborg explained why she expected “The Venezuelan Vixen” to get the job done on December 11, a feat that Cyborg failed to accomplish herself in 2018.
“You know, I was not surprised. I (picked) Julianna Peña because the five losses for Amanda Nunes, four were the same style as Julianna Peña. And before, we knew Amanda Nunes danger is in the beginning, in the first round. If you pass the first round with her, you can get in the fight. We knew this. Of course, when you fight her, you go fire to fire and that happens, you know, what happened.
Image Credit: Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“We knew that when she goes past the first round, she sees she cannot finish you, so she’s either gonna run away or quit on the floor or something, and this is what happened for Julianna Peña.”
Despite praising the newly-crowned champ’s ability to bring the fight to Nunes and force her into a position she hadn’t been in since 2014, Cyborg also questioned the fight-ending sequence. According to the 36-year-old, Peña didn’t have a submission locked in when the “Lioness” tapped out. Echoing the thoughts of many, the Bellator featherweight titleholder believes Nunes “quit.”
“I don’t feel like Julianna did any sort of submission because she didn’t have a submission the way she finished the fight. I feel like Amanda Nunes, at one point, she sees she cannot finish, and Julianna Peña continued going forward and she tapped, but (Peña) didn’t have any submission… I don’t know what was passing through her mind in the second round ’cause when you’re gonna fight for the title, you’re ready for seven rounds, and that was the second.
“I feel like Julianna did very good jabs. In the second round, Amanda wanted to finish the fight, to KO her as fast as she can, but Julianna was keeping her on the jab. The jab really opened a lot of doors for Julianna. The reality is when they stopped the fight, I didn’t think they’d finished the fight because she didn’t have a submission there, and I didn’t see the tap, too… I believe Amanda, I don’t know what passed through her mind there, but I believe she quit at that time.”
With Nunes’ reign atop the bantamweight mountain now over, the debate over who is the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time has now been re-ignited.
While the consensus had been that Nunes’ form and prior victory over Cyborg had her ahead, a portion of the MMA community believes the elder Brazilian, whose setback against the “Lioness” is the only blemish on her record since her MMA debut loss in 2005, holds the GOAT title.
Do you agree with Cris Cyborg? Did Amanda Nunes quit at UFC 269?
At Bellator 250, Gegard Mousasi became a two-time Bellator middleweight champion when he defeated Douglas Lima to capture the vacant title. Earlier this year, the 57-fight veteran successfully defended his title with a TKO victory over John Salter. The 36-year-old champion has a promotional record of 6-1 after joining the promotion in 2017. Throughout his lengthy MMA career, Mousasi has defeated names such as Chris Weidman, Rory MacDonald, Dan Henderson, and Thiago Santos, to name a few.
Mousasi will be tasked with trying to hand Austin Vanderford the first loss of his professional career. Vanderford may be best known for being the husband of Paige VanZant, but he is making quite the name for himself with his work inside of the cage. 6 of Vanderford’s 11 wins have come under the Bellator umbrella. Most recently, Vanderford defeated veteran Fabian Edwards at Bellator 259.
MMA News will be bringing you full coverage of this Bellator event when that February night arrives. In the meantime, let us hear your predictions! Does Gegard Mousasi pick up a second consecutive title defense, or does Austin Vanderford remain undefeated while picking up championship gold?
Ryan Bader will finally be defending his heavyweight title again.
Bellator announced on Monday that Bader will defend his heavyweight title against the interim champ, Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 273 on January 29. The event will take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona and air live on Showtime.
Ryan Bader (28-7) has not fought at heavyweight since September of 2019 where he fought Cheick Kongo to a No Contest. Since then, he suffered a knockout loss to Vadim Nemkov to lose his light heavyweight title. “Darth” was then in the light heavyweight grand prix where he beat Lyoto Machida in the opening round before suffering a 51-second TKO loss to Corey Anderson in the semifinals.
Ryan Bader
At heavyweight in Bellator, Bader is 3-0 with one No Contest and won the vacant title after winning the grand prix. In the opening round, he knocked out King Mo in 15 seconds before winning a decision over Matt Mitrione. In the finals, he knocked out Fedor Emelianenko in 35 seconds to win the belt.
Valentin Moldavsky (11-1) is undefeated in Bellator and is the pupil of Emelianenko. In his last fight, he earned a clear-cut decision over Tim Johnson to win the interim heavyweight title. He’s 6-0 in Bellator with notable wins over Roy Nelson, Javy Ayala, and Linton Vassell. Prior to signing with Bellator, he competed in RIZIN and beat Karl Albrektsson among others.
Along with Bader vs. Moldavsky, Bellator announced former bantamweight champion, Darrion Caldwell will take on TUF: Latin America 2 featherweight winner and UFC veteran, Enrique Barzola. The fight will serve as Barzola’s Bellator debut, as he went 6-3-1 in the UFC and was not re-signed by the promotional after a draw against Rani Yahya back in March of 2020.
Who do you think will win, Ryan Bader or Valentin Moldavsky?
Bellator 272 took place tonight from the Mohegan Sun Arena with a title fight in one of their most challenging divisions.
Sergio Pettis took on the former Bellator MMA and RIZIN bantamweight champion, Kyoji Horiguchi. This was Pettis’ first title defense since winning it from Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258. Fans might remember that when Horiguchi held the two coveted 135-pound titles he had to relinquish them when he was injured in 2019.
Oddly enough, the injury happened just before the end of the year and before COVID-19 rocked the world. It gave Horiguchi enough time to rest and return to action at the end of 2020 at RIZIN 26 where he avenged his non-title fight loss to Kai Asakura.
Check out the highlights from the main event between Sergio Pettis and Kyoji Horiguchi below followed by the Bellator 272 fast results!
