Tag Archives: Cris Cyborg

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

BELLATOR MMA RETURNS TO OAHU FOR AN EXPLOSIVE TWO-NIGHT DOUBLEHEADER APRIL 22-23

March 10, 2022 FNU47 Leave a comment

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Description automatically generated — SATURDAY, APRIL 23 – *BELLATOR 279*
**BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX QUARTERFINALS**
**Champion Sergio Pettis vs. Raufeon Stots**
**Patchy Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi**

**PLUS, BELLATOR FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP**
**Champion Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe 2**
**And Hawaii’s Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Justine Kish**

***DETAILS FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 22 TO BE ANNOUNCED***

**LOS ANGELES –** BELLATOR MMA has announced its return to the Hawaiian island of Oahu, where Honolulu’s Neal S. Blaisdell Arena will play home to an extremely stacked duo of events on back-to-back nights Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23.

Friday night’s *BELLATOR 278* will be a special event free for current military, veterans, and first responders. Matchups and additional details for the event will be announced shortly.

Saturday night’s *BELLATOR 279* will feature the launch of the highly anticipated one-million-dollar BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix. The headliner will see current bantamweight world champion **Sergio Pettis** (22-5) take on No. 3-ranked **Raufeon Stots** (17-1), while the co-main event features a rematch between the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time, **Cris Cyborg** (25-2, 1 NC) and Australia’s No. 1-ranked **Arlene Blencowe** (15-8), who will look to claim gold in her third attempt at a world title.

Saturday’s *BELLATOR 279: Pettis vs. Stots / Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2* will air live on SHOWTIME at **4:30 p.m.** **HST** local time, **10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT**. The preliminary fights will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at **2 p.m. HST** local time, **8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT**.

Tickets for Saturday night’s *BELLATOR 279: Pettis vs. Stots / Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2* go on sale this Friday, March 11 and can be purchased through Bellator.com, as well as Ticketmaster.com or the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena Box Office. A special presale will take place on Thursday, March 10.

Also scheduled for a return to action, Honolulu’s own former Women’s Flyweight World Champion **Ilima-Lei Macfarlane** (11-1) will return home to compete against **Justine Kish** (7-5) as the No. 1 ranked women’s flyweight looks to start her journey back to a world title in the same arena two of the most memorable BELLATOR main events in recent memory took place. Opening the four-fight main card is another BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal matchup between No. 2-ranked bantamweight **Patchy Mix** (15-1) and former BELLATOR and Rizin Bantamweight World Champion **Kyoji Horiguchi** (29-4).

Current BELLATOR Bantamweight World Champion Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis sits at No. 7 on the promotion’s pound-for-pound list. He successfully defended his belt for the first time against former BELLATOR 135-pound titleholder Kyoji Horiguchi with a “knockout of the year” style finish at *BELLATOR 272* in December. The hard-hitting Midwesterner out of Milwaukee originally captured the crown by outpointing former champion Juan Archuleta. The younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will be in for one of the toughest fights of his career when he takes on Raufeon Stots. Stots, who used to train alongside Pettis for several years, has been flawless since making his promotion debut in December 2019. He most recently scored a dominant unanimous decision victory over Magomed Magomedov at *BELLATOR 264*.

Featherweight world champion and top-ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter Cris “Cyborg” has made three straight title defenses including a second-round submission of Arlene Blencowe in 2020, which surprisingly is the lone submission victory of her storied career. The Brazilian native who currently fights out of Las Vegas, Nev. is a “Grand Slam Champion” having won belts in four different organizations. She sports 20 wins by finish with victories over elite competition including Holly Holm, Leslie Smith (twice), Gina Carano and aims to further her legacy as the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time in the rematch versus Blencowe. Australia’s Blencowe is BELLATOR’s No. 6 pound-for-pound female fighter and the No. 1 ranked featherweight. She has won five of her last six fights and earned her shot at the world title rematch with a unanimous decision over Pam Sorenson at BELLATOR 271 in November.

Currently BELLATOR’s No. 2 ranked bantamweight, Patchy Mix recently defeated James Gallagher via submission in his last outing at BELLATOR 270 in Dublin. Mix has made a name for himself in the BELLATOR cage by displaying impressive submissions and his lone professional loss came to former champion Juan Archuleta. He now faces Horiguchi, another former world champion who hails from Takasaki, Japan. The American Top Team prodigy Horiguchi became a simultaneous, two-promotion champion in 2019 after he upset then-BELLATOR champion Darrion Caldwell while also holding the RIZIN Championship. After he was forced to relinquish his BELLATOR title due to an injury, Horiguchi nearly got his hands back on BELLATOR’s title but was stopped by current champion Sergio Pettis in December. The No. 5 ranked bantamweight now aims to get back in the winning column and recapture his belt, along with the million-dollar prize that awaits the winner of the BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix.

*BELLATOR MMA 279: Pettis vs. Stots / Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2* Main Card:
Saturday, April 23 – live on **SHOWTIME**
10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. HST (local)

*Bantamweight World Title Bout:* C-**Sergio Pettis** (22-5) vs. #3-**Raufeon Stots** (17-1)
*Featherweight World Title Bout:* C-**Cris “Cyborg”** (25-2, 1 NC) vs. #1-**Arlene Blencowe** (15-8)
*Flyweight Bout*: #1-**Ilima-Lei Macfarlane** (11-1) vs. **Justine Kish** (7-5)
*Bantamweight World Grand Prix Bout:* #2-**Patchy Mix** (15-1) vs. #5-**Kyoji Horiguchi** (29-4)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

Five New Preliminary Matchups Added to BELLATOR MMA 271 on Friday, Nov. 12, Live on SHOWTIME

October 30, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

FIVE FRESH PRELIMINARY MATCHUPS ADDED TO BELLATOR MMA 271: CYBORG VS. KAVANAGH ON FRIDAY, NOV. 12, LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

TONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA TALENT SET TO THRILL HOMETOWN CROWD AT HARD ROCK LIVE AT SEMINOLE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN HOLLYWOOD, FLA., AS BELLATOR™ RETURNS TO THE SUNSHINE STATE FOR FIRST TIME IN EIGHT YEARS

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LOS ANGELES – In addition to the Featherweight World Title main event pitting current 145-pound champion Cris “Cyborg” (24-2, 1 NC) against No. 5-ranked Sinead Kavanagh (7-4), BELLATOR MMA has added several star-studded matchups to the preliminary portion of BELLATOR MMA 271: Cyborg vs. Kavanagh on Friday, Nov. 12, at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

SHOWTIME will televise the fantastic five-fight main card live at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Additionally, the must-watch preliminary fights will stream live three hours earlier at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.

Tickets for BELLATOR MMA 271: Cyborg vs. Kavanagh are currently on sale at Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

In female flyweight action, Miami’s “Master” Valerie Loureda (3-1) hopes to steal the show yet again, as the 23-year-old star prepares for Knoxville’s Taylor Turner (5-7), while Brazilian sensation Bruna Ellen (5-3) challenges the heavy-handed Desiree “Dirty Dez” Yanez (5-3).

Fighting out of Key West, Fla., the undefeated knockout artist Roman Faraldo (5-0) returns to the BELLATOR cage to face fellow Floridian and Pensacola-native Robert Turnquest (11-7) in a 170-pound contest. Additionally, Roufusport product Jordan Newman (3-0) hopes to keep his perfect record intact in a middleweight showdown against Palm Beach, Florida’s Shane O’Shea (4-2).

Lastly, former Penn State wrestler and current American Top Team standout Cody Law (4-0) puts his unblemished professional mark on the line in a featherweight clash with Fort Smith, Arkansas’ Colton Hamm (4-3).

In the co-main event., top-10 heavyweights will go toe-to-toe as No. 5-ranked Tyrell Fortune (11-1, 1 NC) squares up with No. 8 Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC).

Rounding out the five-bout SHOWTIME telecast, the always electric and No. 5-ranked Aaron Pico (8-3) will square off against undefeated No. 8 Justin Gonzales (12-0), while No. 1-ranked Arlene Blencowe (14-8) attempts to cement her place as the next in line for a shot at the 145-pound crown against No. 7 Pam Sorenson (9-3). Kicking off the main card, undefeated No. 7-ranked Boca Raton, Fla., resident Steve Mowry (9-0) will continue his quest toward the top of the heavyweight ranks as he takes on veteran Rakim Cleveland (22-13-1, 1 NC).

Updated BELLATOR MMA 271: CYBORG VS. KAVANAGH MAIN CARD:

Friday, Nov. 12 – live on SHOWTIME

10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT 

Featherweight World Title Bout: C-Cris “Cyborg” (24-2, 1 NC) vs. #5-Sinead Kavanagh (7-4)

Heavyweight Co-Main Event: #5-Tyrell Fortune (11-1, 1 NC) vs. #8-Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC)

Featherweight Bout: #5-Aaron Pico (8-3) vs. No. 8-Justin Gonzales (12-0)

Featherweight Bout: #1-Arlene Blencowe (14-8)vs. #7-Pam Sorenson (9-3)

Heavyweight Bout: #7-Steve Mowry (9-0)vs. Rakim Cleveland (22-13-1, 1 NC)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV

7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT 

Flyweight Bout: Bruna Ellen (5-3) vs. Desiree Yanez (5-3)

Welterweight Bout: Roman Faraldo (5-0) vs. Robert Turnquest (11-7)

Featherweight Bout: Cody Law (4-0) vs. Colton Hamm (4-3)

Flyweight Bout: Valerie Loureda (3-1) vs. Taylor Turner (5-7)

Middleweight Bout: Jordan Newman (3-0) vs. Shane O’Shea (4-2)

For more information on upcoming BELLATOR MMA events, please visit BELLATOR.com. 

** Card subject to change **

Updated schedule of BELLATOR events

Fri. Nov. 5 // BELLATOR 270: Queally vs. Pitbull 2 // 3Arena // Dublin, Ireland

Fri. Nov. 12 // BELLATOR 271: Cyborg vs. Kavanagh // Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino // Hollywood, FL

Fri. Dec. 3 // BELLATOR 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi // Mohegan Sun Arena // Uncasville, Conn.

****

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

CRIS CYBORG RETURNS AGAINST SINEAD KAVANAGH IN WORLD TITLE FIGHT ON FRIDAY NOV. 12

October 16, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

FIGHT NIGHT RESULTS, QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR BELLATOR MMA 259: CYBORG VS. SMITH 2

May 26, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

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Description automatically generated — **COMPLETE FIGHT NIGHT PHOTOS HERE – (PLEASE CREDIT: BELLATOR MMA / LUCAS NOONAN)**

**POST-FIGHT VIDEO INTERVIEWS HERE**

c-**Cris Cyborg** (24-2, 1 NC) defeated #4-**Leslie Smith** (12-9-1) via TKO (strikes) at 4:51 of round five

*Cris Cyborg after retaining the title:*

**“I knew she was tough and I’ve fought her before. I know her and respect her and she’s a real fighter. I knew with her it would be a great match, because she’s capable and she’s tough.**”

“I was really working in sparring to keep going and going because I knew it was going to be this way. I noticed I enjoyed it a little more. It’s going to be 16 years as a professional fighter this month so I started to enjoy it in there.”

**“I’ve been working on grappling my whole life but I just feel like I’m getting better and better every day. I got a black belt, but it’s like a white belt because I’m always learning.**”

“I’ve been doing this 16 years, I’ve got four titles. But before you can be a G.O.A.T. you have to fight the ‘Cat.’ So, I’d like to fight with Cat Zingano and I will ask Scott Coker. Because before you can be a G.O.A.T. you have to fight the ‘Cat.’”

#6-**Leandro Higo** (20-5) defeated **Darrion Caldwell** (15-5) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for three years now. It’s exactly how I wanted it to go. I used my wrestling and I used my jiu-jitsu. I’m a complete fighter and I’m ready for any fighter on the planet because I believe I’m the best. I knew I had lost the first round, but in the second when he was throwing all those elbows and cut me open, I’m from a poor family in Brazil and that was nothing I hadn’t seen before. I felt happy being in that cage with blood all over me.

“He ended up taking me down in the second and I went for a kimura, which is something I’m very accustomed to doing, but he reversed it but then he didn’t do anything and I hit him with a lot of strikes on bottom. A lot of elbows and strikes and I stayed very on bottom and he wasn’t doing anything. That’s why I won the second and third round.”

“I think that I deserve a title shot. I just beat three of the biggest names in the game and I just beat a former world champion. And nobody has beaten the top three guys of this world-class caliber like I have done in three consecutive wins. I’m going for that world title and that’s what’s next for me. So let’s make it fast.”

#3-**Austin Vanderford** (11-0) defeated #4-**Fabian Edwards** (9-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

*Austin Vanderford following his unanimous decision win:*

“I like my fights bloody, whether it’s me or my opponent. I’ll get a scab. But hats off to Fabian who cut me up a little bit. But happy to get the win.”

“He was a big, strong guy. I started feeling him give me that head and arm choke. Unfortunately, I didn’t capitalize on it. But I knew what I was going to do. I was going to just grind it out. He’s a good striker so I had to be careful but I felt good. Wrestling … it’s my heart. I’m ready for the next step.”

**Jaleel Willis** (15-2) defeated **Maycon Mendonca** (11-5) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

**Hannah Guy** (3-1) defeated #8-**Valerie Loureda** (3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

*Hannah Guy following her first win inside the BELLATOR cage…*

“I felt like I had really good cardio, so that was awesome because I was really worried about that a little bit. I’m so thankful she took the fight and I’m so thankful BELLATOR gave me this opportunity.

“I thought I was going to finish with the triangle (choke), honestly. She just slipped right out of there, so that was awesome of her. Her defense was really good. I was really impressed with that. I didn’t know what her ground game was but it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.

“Grappling is just where I want to be if you’ve seen any of my other fights. My striking has really improved a lot though so I’m hoping to change that. But grappling has always been my strong suit. I didn’t want to just depend on my grappling, but I thought I landed some shots pretty well a few times. In this fight I thought I could see when the punches were coming. And I was able to defend a little bit better and how I’ve grown. So I’m just really proud of myself right now.”

**Preliminary Card:**
**Saad Awad** (24-13, 1 NC) defeated **Nate Andrews** (16-4) via KO (strikes) at 3:16 of round one
#7-**Grant Neal** (6-0) defeated #8-**Tyree Fortune** (5-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:20 of round one
**Sumiko Inaba** (2-0) defeated **Kristina Katsikis** (1-2) via TKO (strikes) at 3:35 of round three
**Aviv Gozali** (6-0) defeated **Sean Felton** (5-3-1) via submission (heel hook) at 1:17 of round one
#9-**Davion Franklin** (3-0) defeated **Tyler King** (12-10) via KO at 2:02 of round one
#7-**Leah McCourt** (5-1) defeated 6-**Janay Harding** (6-5) via submission (triangle choke) at 2:42 of round two
**Danny Sabatello** (11-1) defeated **Brett Johns** (17-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
**Alexander Shabliy** (20-3) defeated #9-**Alfie Davis** (14-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

BELLATOR MMA™ CONFIRMS FULL FIGHT CARD FOR BELLATOR 259 – LIVE ON SHOWTIME® NEXT FRIDAY, MAY 21 AT 9 P.M. ET

May 15, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

CRIS CYBORG SET TO DEFEND WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST LESLIE SMITH IN A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED REMATCH

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LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA has confirmed the full fight card for BELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 this Friday, May 21 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The event caps off an exciting month of action for BELLATOR, and airs LIVE on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

With plans to continue her dominance over the women’s featherweight division, Cris Cyborg (23-2, 1 NC) will put her world championship on the line against No. 4 ranked featherweight Leslie Smith(12-8-1) in a rematch to crown the world’s top 145-pound female athlete.

The BELLATOR MMA 259 main card on SHOWTIME is loaded from top to bottom, including former bantamweight champion Darion Caldwell (15-4) rematching No. 6 ranked bantamweight Leandro Higo (20-5) in a 135-pound contest, a top-five middleweight clash between the undefeated No. 3 ranked Austin Vanderford (10-0) and No. 4 ranked Fabian Edwards (9-1), and a welterweight matchup that will see the streaking Jaleel Willis (14-2) face off against former LFA champion Maycon Mendonca (11-4), who’ll be making his promotional debut. Capping off the main card action will be the undefeated Jackson Wink-product and No. 9 ranked light heavyweight Christian Edwards (4-0) challenging Mississippi’s Ben Parrish (4-1).

As part of the launch of BELLATOR MMA on SHOWTIME, the network is offering viewers who are new to the SHOWTIME streaming service a 30-day free trial, followed by a discounted monthly subscription fee of $4.99/month for the next six months. Viewers can sign up at SHO.com/BellatorMMA. Subscribers will be delivered two premier BELLATOR MMA events per month throughout 2021 and beyond, with all events scheduled to air live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT anywhere the SHOWTIME service is available.

The nine-fight preliminary card has no shortage of action-packed bouts, featuring a top-10 light heavyweight matchup between No. 7 ranked Grant Neal (5-0) and No. 8 ranked Tyree Fortune (5-0) and the return of Israeli lightweight superstar Aviv Gozali (5-0), as he looks to add to his five first round finishes and record breaking 11-second submission win. Plus, the charismatic No. 8 ranked women’s flyweight Valerie Loureda (3-0), the always-exciting Saad Awad (23-13, 1 NC), and No. 6 ranked Australian featherweight Janay Harding (6-4), who takes on No. 7 ranked Irish sensationLeah McCourt (4-1). Finally, No. 9 ranked lightweight Alfie Davis (14-3) makes his sixth promotional appearance against BELLATOR newcomer Alexander Shabliy (19-3).

All prelims will stream live at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV. Full bout listings are below:

BELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 Main Card:

SHOWTIME

9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Featherweight World Title Main Event: c-Cris Cyborg (23-2, 1 NC) vs. #4-Leslie Smith (12-8-1)

Bantamweight Co-Main Event: Darrion Caldwell (15-4) vs. #6-Leandro Higo (20-5)

Middleweight Bout: #3-Austin Vanderford (10-0) vs. #4-Fabian Edwards (9-1)

Welterweight Bout: Jaleel Willis (14-2) vs. Maycon Mendonca (11-4)

Light Heavyweight Bout: #9-Christian Edwards (4-0) vs. Ben Parrish (4-1)

Preliminary Card:

BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV

5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT

Lightweight Bout: Saad Awad (23-13, 1 NC) vs. Nate Andrews (16-3)

Light Heavyweight Bout: #7-Grant Neal (5-0) vs. #8-Tyree Fortune (5-0)

Flyweight Bout: Sumiko Inaba (1-0) vs. Kristina Katsikis (1-1)

Lightweight Bout: Aviv Gozali (5-0) vs. Sean Felton (5-2-1)

Flyweight Bout: #8-Valerie Loureda (3-0) vs. Hannah Guy (2-1)

Heavyweight Bout: Davion Franklin (2-0) vs. Tyler King (12-9)

Featherweight Bout: #6-Janay Harding (6-4) vs. #7-Leah McCourt (4-1)

Lightweight Bout: #9-Alfie Davis (14-3) vs. Alexander Shabliy (19-3)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

BELLATOR MMA™ CHAMP CRIS ‘CYBORG’ DEFENDS FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE IN REMATCH AGAINST LESLIE SMITH ON SHOWTIME®

April 3, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

BELLATOR MMA 259 AIRS LIVE ON FRIDAY, MAY 21 FROM MOHEGAN SUN ARENA

LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA and SHOWTIME Sports today announced BELLATOR MMA 259 on Friday, May 21, will be headlined by a featherweight championship rematch pitting current 145-pound titleholder and the top-ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter Cris “Cyborg” (23-2, 1 NC) against Northern California’s Leslie Smith (12-8-1). The event airs live exclusively on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and emanates from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

In addition to the main event, two matchups are confirmed, as No. 7 lightweight Adam “The Bomb” Piccolotti (12-4) takes on No. 10 Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan (30-11-1, 1 NC), while the undefeated No. 7Christian “Pain” Edwards (4-0) meets Ben “Big Tuna” Parrish (4-1) in a light heavyweight contest. Additional bouts will be announced at a later date.

“I believe in five years she’s going to be a better fighter. More training, more working and fighting. More experience. The first fight was very fast, so I think this one is going to be a longer fight. She’s a warrior. She likes to fight and it’s going to be nice to fight somebody like this,” said Cyborg, who appeared on tonight’s BELLATOR 255 broadcast to confirm the event.

“Of course, I want this fight. Everyone’s goal is to get a title in the premiere organization, which this is. This is the best organization for my weight class, and the best possible place I can be. I can guarantee it will be an entertaining fight,” added Smith.

Just the second BELLATOR woman’s featherweight champion in the company’s history, Cris “Cyborg” is coming off the first defense of her BELLATOR title, a victory against Arlene Blencowe, that also marked the first submission win of her illustrious career. An MMA legend at 35-years-old, “Cyborg” will be looking to further her legacy as the greatest woman’s mixed martial artist of all-time when she faces Leslie Smith for the second time on May 21. After winning BELLATOR gold in the 12th title fight of her career, the native of Curitiba, Brazil made history by becoming a world champion in her fourth major promotion, previously holding belts in both the UFC and Strikeforce. With a pro record of 23-2, 1 NC, including 19 wins by finish, the Brazilian-born fighter who now calls Southern California home, holds victories over tough competition, including Julia Budd, Holly Holm, Marloes Coenen and Gina Carano.

Known for an exciting in-your-face striking style, Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith will enter the BELLATOR cage on May 21 for the fifth time in her nearly 11-year MMA career. She gets a second shot at defeating “Cyborg,” following their first meeting at UFC 198 in Brazil on May 14, 2016. Since that bout, Smith has won four out of five fights with victories over Irene Aldana and Sinead Kavanagh among them. A teammate of fellow BELLATOR athlete Keri Taylor Melendez, Smith trains out of El Nino Training Center in San Francisco.

The preliminary card for BELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 will air LIVE in all U.S. markets on the BELLATOR and SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channels, as well as Pluto TV.

Updated BELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 Fight Card:

Featherweight World Title Bout: C-Cris “Cyborg” (23-2, 1 NC) vs. #4-Leslie Smith (12-8-1)

Lightweight Bout: #7-Adam Piccolotti (12-4) vs. #10-Georgi Karakhanyan (30-11-1, 1 NC)

Light Heavyweight Bout: #7-Christian Edwards (4-0) vs. Ben Parrish (4-1)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit BELLATOR.com for additional information.

Bellator, MMA, women's MMA

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED BELLATOR FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERFIGHT BETWEEN JULIA BUDD AND CRIS ‘CYBORG’ IS OFFICIAL

October 1, 2019 FNU47 Leave a comment

**MATCHUP SET FOR JANUARY 25 AT THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES AND LIVE EXCLUSIVELY ON DAZN**

***TICKETS ON SALE NEXT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4***

**LOS ANGELES** – Bellator is set to deliver one of the most anticipated bouts in the history of women’s MMA on Saturday, January 25 at the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. when reigning champ **Julia Budd** (13-2) defends her world featherweight title against **Cris “Cyborg”** (21-2, 1 NC) in the main event.

Tickets for *Bellator: Budd vs.Cyborg* go on sale to the general public Friday, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. A special presale is scheduled to take place Wednesday, Oct. 2 through Thursday, Oct. 3 using code “BELLATOR” upon purchase.

*Bellator: Budd vs. Cyborg* will stream live exclusively on the DAZN app at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com,DAZN and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Fighting out of Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada, Budd will enter the Bellator cage in January for the fourth time since claiming the inaugural Bellator women’s featherweight world title in 2017. Currently riding a winning streak of 11 bouts, including seven straight fights since joining forces with Bellator in 2015, “The Jewel” has her eyes set on a fourth consecutive world title defense when she finally has the opportunity to challenge “Cyborg.” Since knocking off Dutch legend Marloes Coenen for the 145-pound strap at *Bellator 174*, the Gibson MMA-product has since collected victories over top contenders **Olga Rubin**,**Arlene Blencowe** and **Talita Nogueira**. With seven of her 13 career wins coming by way of knockout or submission, the former kickboxing standout will look to derail the Bellator debut of “Cyborg.”

On the heels of signing the largest contract in women’s MMA history, Cris “Cyborg” will enter the Bellator cage for the first time on January 25, with the opportunity to lay claim to Bellator gold. Just like her upcoming opponent, “Cyborg” too was an inaugural champion, winning the inaugural Strikeforce Featherweight Championship in 2009 after defeating Gina Carano. The 34-year-old Curitiba, Brazil-native’s Bellator tenure follows a three-year run in UFC, multiple world title and a 20-fight unbeaten streak that includes notable victories against Holly Holm, Tonya Evinger, Marloes Coenen and **Leslie Smith**.

**Updated *Bellator: Budd vs. Cyborg* Fight Card:**

*Featherweight World Title Bout:* **Julia Budd** (13-2) vs. **Cris “Cyborg”** (21-2, 1 NC)

*Card subject to change

Please visit Bellator.com for more information.

***

boxing, women's boxing

Cyborg to Take Ring Walk with Shields This Saturday Night

December 8, 2018 FNU47 Leave a comment

‘Baddest Ladies on the Planet’ are Friends and Training Partners

The two baddest ladies on the planet will be side-by-side Saturday night when UFC Superstar Champion Cris Cyborg walks 2x US Olympic gold medal winner and current WBC/WBA/IBF Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields into the ring for T-Rex’s fight versus 168-lb champion Femke Hermans Saturday night live on HBO from Stub Hub Center in Carson, CA.

Cyborg will be taking time out from preparation for her December 29 PPV battle with Amanda Nunes to join Shields and be ringside for the final HBO boxing telecast this Saturday. Shields and Cyborg have a great mutual respect and have trained together in the gym.

“I’m excited to have Cris walk me out and carry my WBC championship belt on Saturday,” said WBC/WBA/IBF Champ Claressa Shields. “She’ll be supporting me on December 8 and I’ll be rooting big for her against Amanda Nunes on December 29. We are the two baddest ladies on the planet.”

“Both Claressa and Cyborg are leaders in their respective combat sports,” said Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “Women’s empowerment will be on display on Saturday night on the historic final night of HBO Boxing.”

“In addition to being a celebration of forty-five years of HBO Boxing, Saturday night is a celebration of a new era of women’s boxing and women’s sports,” said Mark Taffet, manager of Claressa Shields and a twenty-five year former HBO Boxing executive. “Claressa Shields and Cris Cyborg are the backbone of the new era, and I’m thrilled Cris will be walking Claressa to the boxing ring on this historic night.”

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