Tag Archives: Elina Kallionidou

BELLATOR’S TOP FOUR WELTERWEIGHTS CONVERGE ON LONDON’S OVO ARENA WEMBLEY FRIDAY, MAY 13

A group of men

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LONDON, UK – Today, BELLATOR MMA has added several explosive fights to BELLATOR LONDON: Amosov vs. MVP, taking place at OVO Arena Wembley – formerly known as The SSE Arena, Wembley – in London on Friday, May 13. 
 
With an electric atmosphere expected in London, fans will be treated to a mouthwatering welterweight co-feature as former champion and No. 2-ranked Douglas Lima (32-10) takes on No. 3-ranked Jason Jackson (15-4). British fan favorite Luke Trainer (5-0) will be looking to make the most of his home crowd advantage when he faces Simon Biyong (7-2) in a light heavyweight match up packed with knockout potential.
 
The promotion’s exciting return to OVO Arena Wembley for BELLATOR LONDON: Amosov vs. MVP, sees home favorite No. 1-ranked Michael “Venom” Page (20-1) look to steal the world welterweight title from the undefeated champion, Yaroslav Amosov. The Ukrainian, who is 26-0, will be aiming to spoil the party in MVP’s own backyard, and deny the Londoner a slice of MMA history in the process.
 
Also confirmed previously for what is already shaping up to be an incredible card is a women’s flyweight feature fight between No. 3-ranked Denise Kielholtz (6-3) and No. 4-ranked Kana Watanabe (10-1-1) and a featherweight feature fight between No. 8-ranked Daniel Weichel (41-13) and Robert Whiteford (16-4).  
 
BELLATOR LONDON: Amosov vs. MVP will be broadcast live in the UK at 9 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, following last week’s announcement of the major UK broadcast deal with the BBC. SHOWTIME will televise the fight live in America.
 
Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased online from axs.com/uk  and Bellator.com.
 
Douglas Lima is also set for another visit to the English capital, following his headline bout against MVP last year, with a return to winning form on his mind in familiar territory. He takes on Jason Jackson in what is set to be another exhilarating clash. Lima is one of the most experienced fighters on the Bellator roster and will be hoping to add to his 32 career victories. Standing in his way is the formidable challenge of “The Ass Kicking Machine” who is performing true to his nickname with five straight victories. Jackson’s most recent win was a convincing unanimous decision triumph over Paul Daley at Bellator 260 and he’ll be hoping to continue his strong professional record.
 
After a devastating knockout victory over Yanick Bahati in his biggest test to date at Bellator 267 in London last year, Luke Trainer will be looking to extend his unbeaten professional record to six fights as “The Gent” takes on Simon Biyong. With both fighters possessing genuine knockout power, the Cameroonian will hope to get on top in the striking exchanges and silence a partisan crowd. Trainer returns to home turf looking to continue his journey as one of Bellator’s fastest rising stars after an explosive performance last time out.
 
In addition to the aforementioned bouts, Londoner Alfie “The Axe Man” Davis (14-4) is also set to make a homecoming when he takes on fellow countryman Tim “The Experiment” Wilde (14-4) in a lightweight preliminary bout. The pair were due to meet in 2020 but will clash in front of their home faithful in a domestic clash that is certain to grab the attention of English fight fans. “The Axe Man” will be searching for the form that saw him go four fights undefeated prior to a unanimous decision loss last time out at Bellator 259. Wilde will not be in accommodating mood however, as he aims to string together three consecutive victories for the first time in his Bellator career.
 
There is another English talent on show in the women’s flyweight division as former title challenger Kate Jackson (11-5-1) takes on Greek athlete Elina “Gunner” Kallionidou (8-4). Jackson will be backed all the way by the London crowd but faces an opponent who was victorious on her last appearance in Wembley with a first-round stoppage victory at Bellator 267.
 
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UPDATED BELLATOR LONDON: AMOSOV VS. MVP MAIN CARD:
SHOWTIME (U.S.) / BBC Three & BBC iPlayer (U.K.) / Virgin Media Two & Virgin Media Sport (IRELAND)
Friday, May 13, 9 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
 
Welterweight World Title Main Event: #C-Yaroslav Amosov (26-0) vs. #1-Michael Page (20-1)
Welterweight Bout: #2-Douglas Lima (32-10) vs. #3-Jason Jackson (15-4)
Women’s Flyweight Bout: #3-Denise Kielholtz (6-3) vs. #4-Kana Watanabe (10-1-1)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Luke Trainer (5-0)vs. Simon Biyong (7-2)
 
UPDATED BELLATOR LONDON: AMOSOV VS. MVP PRELIMINARY CARD:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV (US)
BBC iPlayer (UK)
Friday, May 13, 5:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT
 
Featherweight Bout: #8-Daniel Weichel (41-13) vs. Robert Whiteford (16-4)
Lightweight Bout: Alfie Davis (14-4) vs. Tim Wilde (14-4)
Flyweight Bout: Kate Jackson (11-5-1) vs. Elina Kallionidou (8-4)
 
*Card subject to change.
 
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
 
Updated schedule of BELLATOR events
Sat., Feb. 19 / / BELLATOR 274: Gracie vs. Storley // Mohegan Sun Arena // Uncasville, Conn.
Fri. Feb. 25 // BELLATOR 275: Mousasi vs. Vanderford // 3Arena // Dublin, IRE
Fri. May 6 // BELLATOR PARIS: Bader vs. Kongo 2 // Accor Arena // Paris, FRA
Fri. May 13 // BELLATOR LONDON: Amosov vs. MVP // The OVO Arena Wembley // London
 

‘KING MO’ DEFEATS SATOSHI ISHII WITH A SHUTOUT DECISION VICTORY AT ‘BELLATOR 169’

JAMES GALLAGHER & SINEAD KAVANAGH SCORE WINS FOR THEIR HOMETOWN FANS WHO PACKED THE 3ARENA IN DUBLIN

CLICK HERE FOR ALL FIGHT NIGHT PHOTOS

DUBLIN, IRELAND. (Dec. 16, 2016) – In the evening’s main event, it was wrestler versus judo practitioner as Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (20-5, 1 NC) returned to moneyweight to face Olympic Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii (14-7-1). King Mo avoided Ishii’s crafty throws as he scored a couple takedowns of his own throughout the fight. The contest finished with a shutout unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) for “King Mo.”

Now, after yet another impressive performance during the main event of “Bellator 169,” Lawal looks to end 2016 in style by repeating his domination over Rizin Fighting Federation opponents, when the 2015 eight-man Rizin heavyweight tournament winner returns to grand prix action during the Japanese-based promotion’s New Year’s Eve weekend of events.

Fresh off his victory in Dublin tonight, Lawal now sets his sights on the fellow contestants competing in the quarterfinals of the open-weight grand prix on Dec. 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan – the semifinals and finals are set for Dec. 31.

The 35-year-old former Strikeforce Champion defeated Brett McDermott, Teodoras Aukstuolis and Jiri Prochazka en route to winning the heavyweight tournament last year, now the “King” looks to retain his crown against the likes of: Shane Carwin, Amir Aliakbari, Mirko Filipovic, Kaido Hoovelson, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Valentin Moldavsky, and Szymon Bajor.

With a second tournament victory in Japan, “King Mo” would cap off a stellar 2016 campaign, a 365-day run where in addition to Ishii, the American Top Team standout took current Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Champion Phil Davis to the limit during their “Bellator 154” tussle back in May

Gallagher Sinks in RNC During Third Frame of Co-Main Event

 

In what many considered “the people’s main event,” the highly touted SBG prospect James Gallagher (5-0) kept his composure through the first two hard fought rounds against Anthony Taylor (1-2). The American threw several powerful strikes, connecting on multiple occasions as Gallagher fought from safe range. Not long after the start of the final round the “Strabanimal” took the back of “Pretty Boy” Taylor with a body triangle actively looking to find a choke. It looked as though Taylor had it under control, walking across the cage toward his corner, pandering to the camera with a smile but seconds later, he was on his stomach, where he succumbed to a rear naked choke at 1:52 of round three. At the time of the stoppage, the judges were split with the cards reading 20-18, 18-20 and 19-19 after the first two rounds.

Kavanagh Gets the Irish Crowd Started with UD Victory

Sinead Kavanagh (4-0) was determined to put one on the board for the home team and that’s exactly what she did when she defeated Elina Kallionidou (5-1) by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27). Kavanagh stalked the Greek regional champion around the cage and scored on a great deal of combinations up against the fence. Kallionidou showed impressive resiliance, toughing out firestorm after firestorm of punches and bouncing back as though unfazed.

“Drake” Weichel Wants Another Shot at the Title

In the first televised fight of the evening, the crowd was loud, hoping to propel their Irishman Brian “Pikeman” Moore (9-5) to victory against Daniel Weichel (38-9). Moore looked sharp on his feet, throwing crisp jabs before getting taken to the canvas. From the ground, Moore fought off several rear-naked choke attempts before rolling into a triangle choke 4:44 into the first frame, making it 0-2 for the Irish-born fighters to start the card.

Who Else but Cameron Else to Spoil Hot Prospect Dylan Tukes Night

 

An electric Irish partisan crowd was on hand at the 3Arena in Dublin, but it didn’t take long for Great Britan’s Cameron Else (4-3) to silence them all with a jaw-dropping knockout victory over the highly-touted hometown fighter Dylan Tuke (3-1) only 20 seconds into round one.

ALL FIGHTERS SUCCESSFULLY MAKE WEIGHT –  BELLATOR MMA & BAMMA DOUBLE HEADER EVENT SET TO TAKE PLACE TOMORROW NIGHT INSIDE 3ARENA IN DUBLIN

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Complete Weigh-In Photos Here

 

DUBLIN, IRELAND. (Dec. 15, 2016) – The official weigh-ins for both “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” and “BAMMA 27” took place this afternoon at the 1878 club inside 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The competitors are now ready for action tomorrow at 3Arena, with the event airing on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

 

The Spike-televised main card will be highlighted by a heavyweight main event pitting “King Mo” (19-5, 1 NC) against Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1). In addition, Anthony Taylor (1-1) will look to quite the crowd as he enters enemy territory to challenge Northern Ireland’s own James Gallagher (4-0) in a featherweight co-main clash.

 

In addition to a full card of Bellator action, ticketholders will also have the unique opportunity to experience an additional fight card from Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, BAMMA. The bantamweight belt will be on the line at “BAMMA 27,” as Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) and Alan Philpott (16-8) prepare to duke it out for the division gold.

 

“Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” takes place inside 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, and will air free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

 

 

“Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” Card: (SPIKE TV – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT)

 

Heavyweight Main Event: Satoshi Ishii (236.6 lbs.) vs. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (213 lbs.)

 

Featherweight Co-Main Event: Anthony Taylor (145.8 lbs.) vs. James Gallagher (145.6 lbs.)

 

Featherweight Feature Bout: Brian Moore (146 lbs.) vs. Daniel Weichel (145.6 lbs.)

 

Bantamweight Feature Bout: Elina Kallionidou (135.8 lbs.) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (135.2 lbs.)

 

Bantamweight Feature Bout: Cameron Else (145.2 lbs.) vs. Dylan Tuke (144.6 lbs.)

QUOTES AND PHOTOS FROM THE ‘BELLATOR 169’ & ‘BAMMA 27’ OFFICIAL PRESS CONFERENCE IN DUBLIN  

 

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OFFICIAL WEIGH-INS FOR INTERNATIONAL DOUBLE HEADER TO BE HELD AT 4 P.M. THURSDAY AT 3ARENA

 

Additional photos

 

DUBLIN (December 14, 2016) – Two of the top MMA promotions in the world, Bellator and BAMMA have joined forces to deliver an early Christmas gift for MMA fans everywhere with a unique doubleheader event at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland this Friday, Dec. 16.

Despite the cold and rainy weather in Dublin, the main and co-main event fighters turned up the heat at the Official Fight Week Press Conference for the co-promoted event inside the Gibson Hotel. Bellator MMA President Scott Coker took center stage alongside BAMMA CEO David Green, and the two were flanked by “Bellator 169” combatants King Mo(19-5, 1 NC) and Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1) along with James Gallagher (4-0), and Anthony Taylor (14-2), as well as BAMMA main eventers Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) and Alan Philpott (16-8), a Chris Fields (11-7-1), who takes on Andrew Clamp (8-1, 1 NC).

Below are several transcribed quotes from the press conference.

King Mo:

“The cold weather (in Ireland) gets me, you know what I’m saying. But it’s gonna be hot in the venue, because I’m gonna bring the heat.” It’s gonna be action packed. I’m ready to scrap.”

 

“I’m shocked (by the support from the Irish fans). I came here to do PR last time and everyone was cool, but this time around its been even better. I went to Nandos (chicken restaurant) and got hooked up with like $70 worth of food. If y’all haven’t eaten at Nandos yet I suggest you try it out because that place is good.”

 

(To Ishii)

“Don’t run around the cage. Fight me square, entertain the fans, and put on a good show.”

 

“All the people out there, ya’ll better tune in and watch me kick and beat Ishii’s a** out the cage.”

 

Satoshi Ishii:

“It’s an honor to fight in Dublin. I’m looking forward to the fight, I’m excited, and I will do my best.”

James Gallagher:

“At the end of the day I can say whatever I want and he can say whatever he wants, but, you step in there and none of that means jack s***. It’s a fight between me and him, and that’s all that matters, and I’ll come out the winner.

 

“I literally do not care about him. I just care about me and what I’m going to do. I’m just going to go in there and smash his face in and that’s that. Simple answer.”

 

“Everything he is saying is a load of old bullsh**. Tune in on Friday night and you’ll see who’s going to the hospital after.”

 

“It’s amazing to fight in your own country and right here in the 3Arena. Walking out into that crowd, that feeling of pride is something you will always remember for the rest of your life.”

 

Anthony Taylor:

“Oh man, everything is going my way. The fact that I’ve got him, one-on-one, with the pretty one, it’s going tremendously fine. The atmosphere in Ireland is so beautiful. The weather, the women…oh my gosh the women! This is cuddling season

and I’m on Tinder just swiping right.

 

“I’m excited for the opportunity to showcase my skills. Everyone is looking at me as the underdog and saying this is a test. This ain’t no test, this is finals, and guess what? He’s going to fail.”

 

“I’m going to shock the world on Friday, and let them know who the hell is Anthony Pretty Boy Taylor, the most electrifying man in Bellator MMA. That’s what’s up, and I’m going to put on a show for all the people out there.”

 

“I get a lot of criticism, but I’ve also got a lot of Irish fans, just as much as he’s got, so it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t have the pressure, it’s on him. I’m coming here to do my thing. If I lose, I suck it up like a man. But if I win, I’m gonna be a superstar. I already know I’m going to win, he can’t stop me.”

 

Scott Coker

“We’ve been on the road quite a bit this year with 25 fights, 28 if you include kickboxing.  This is something that David and I started talking about a year ago. It’s been seamless and a lot of fun. David’s been a great partner to work with, BAMMA’s been great.”

 

“We’ve been following this league for a couple years now. We know that they’re the powerhouse here in the UK and were happy to team up with them and bring our top fighters.”

 

“This is going to be a great show that is going to be televised all over the world. It will be on SPIKE UK, which airs here in Ireland as well on Saturday at 11 p.m. local time, as well as on SPIKE in the United States at 9 p.m. ET. It will also air in 140 countries around the world, so this is an event that brings worldwide recognition to this event here in Ireland, and we’re very proud to be here.”

 

(Is this somewhat of a scouting mission for you on Friday?)

“The mission statement of the company is to bring the best fighters in the world to Bellator. So we’re going to be watching very closely I know there is some great talent here, and I’m excited to watch it and see what the future holds.”

 

(On the event coming together)

“David (Green) and I became friends a little more than a year ago, and has a big television producing background, and he’s done stuff for Spike and Viacom in the past. He’s a very big producer here in the United Kingdom. But as far as coming together, if you look at the background of Strikeforce or even before that in kickboxing, we were never opposed to having fighters in one organization against fighters in another organization. In the earliest parts of the Strikeforce career in MMA, we sent Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson (among others) to Pride against some of the Japanese fighters and they sent over (Shinya) Aoki, (Tatsuya) Kawajiri and some of the best fighters they had. To me, this is what martial arts is all about. We should have more events like this where top guys from different leagues compete against each other to find out who the best is. We’re not going to be opposed to that. That’s always been our philosophy

 

(On doing it again)

“That’s something David and I will talk about once this is over. We both individually have a big schedule for next year. We (Bellator) are going to go to more international events and more cities across the world. We are going to go to Latin America next year with shows on Mexico and Brazil.

 

“So we are going to have an exciting schedule to announce soon. This (Dublin event) is something that has worked out fantastic. The schedule and the timing was perfect. The door is always going to be open, these guys are a great partner and have been fantastic to work with and we look forward to doing more events.”

 

EVENT INFO

 

BAMMA and Bellator MMA will hold a unique doubleheader event in Dublin, Ireland this Friday, Dec. 16, which will feature multiple BAMMA world title bouts and an incredible Bellator MMA heavyweight main event rematch pitting “King Mo” against Satoshi Ishii. But before our ‘Bellator 169’ and ‘BAMMA 27’ competitors meet inside the cage, join us for an afternoon of verbal submissions at the official press conference inside The Gibson Hotel in Dublin.

 

Also on Friday night, Anthony Taylor enters enemy territory with a featherweight bout against Northern Ireland’s own James Gallagher. Also hailing from Ireland, Brian Moore will look to take advantage of the home crowd when he faces off against Daniel Weichel. The BAMMA bantamweight belt will be on the line at “BAMMA 27,” as Tom Duquesnoy challenges Alan Philpott for the division gold. Lastly, the stacked event features a featherweight world title fight pitting former Bellator competitors Ronnie Mann against Martin Stapleton.

 

 

B-Roll:

 

FIGHT WEEK FOR ‘BELLATOR 169’ IN DUBLIN HAS ARRIVED

 

 

NEW WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT FIGHT ADDED TO THE LAST EVENT OF THE YEAR

 

SANTA MONICA, CALIF (December 12, 2016) – After an incredible year that saw Bellator MMA host events in international territories all around the globe, it is only fitting that the promotion’s year-ending event, “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii,” takes place this Friday, December 16 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

 

Shortly after her fight against Helen Harper (4-1) was announced, Bruna Vargas (2-1) has withdrawn from the bout due to injury. Harper will be paid her show money and a new women’s featherweight bout has been added to the SPIKE-televised card between undefeated fighters Sinead Kavanagh (3-0) and Elina Kallionidou (5-0).

 

The Spike-televised main card will be highlighted by a heavyweight main event pitting “King Mo” (19-5, 1 NC) against Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1). In addition, a pair of anticipated featherweight scraps will see Anthony Taylor (1-1) look to quiet the crowd as he enters enemy territory to challenge Northern Ireland’s James Gallagher (4-0) and, Ireland’s Brian Moore(9-4) take on the always-game Daniel Weichel (37-9).

 

Tickets for “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” are on sale now and start at 35€ at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.ie and the 3Arena Box Office. The event can be seen free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, and will be immediately followed by “Bellator Kickboxing: Florence.”

 

Fighting out of Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Dublin, “KO” Kavanagh has fought all three of her professional bouts with BAMMA, and has earned her nickname bye scoring two knockouts in her first three fights. Kavanagh fought in BAMMA’s first-ever women’s fight, and ended her opponent’s night in just 17 seconds. Originally slated to compete in a bantamweight fight against Eeva Siiskonen (5-4-2) on the BAMMA portion of this co-promoted night of fights, Kavanagh now moves up in weight to face Kallionidou under the Bellator banner.

 

At only 18 years of age, Kallionidou has already made a name for herself in her home country Greece, where she holds the Cage Survivor women’s featherweight title. Incredibly, “Gunner” started her professional career off with a bang, scoring a first-round TKO just a month after her 16th birthday.  Since then, the Greek fighter has gone 5-0, with three knockouts. The fight this Friday night, will be her first fight outside of Greece.

 

In addition to a full card of Bellator action, ticketholders will also have the unique opportunity to experience an additional fight card from Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, BAMMA. The bantamweight belt will be on the line at “BAMMA 27,” as Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) and Alan Philpott (16-8) prepare to duke it out for the division gold. Lastly, the stacked event features a featherweight world title fight pitting former Bellator competitors Ronnie Mann (25-8-1) against Martin Stapleton (18-4).

 

 

Complete “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” Main Card:

Heavyweight Main Event: Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (19-5, 1 NC) vs. Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1)

Featherweight Co-Main Event: James Gallagher (4-0) vs. Anthony Taylor (1-1)

Featherweight Feature Bout: Daniel Weichel (37-9) vs. Brian Moore (9-4)

Featherweight Feature Bout: Sinead Kavanagh (3-0) vs. Elina Kallionidou (5-0)

Bantamweight Feature Bout: Shay Walsh (14-4) vs. Luiz Tosta (9-2)

 

Updated “BAMMA 27” Main Card:

Bantamweight World Title Bout: Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) vs. Alan Philpott (16-8)

Featherweight World Title Bout: Ronnie Mann (25-8-1) vs. Martin Stapleton (18-4)

Featherweight Main Card Bout: Dylan Tuke (3-0) vs. Sean Tobin (4-2)

Featherweight Main Card Bout: Brian Moore (9-4) vs. Niklas Backstrom (10-2)

Welterweight Main Card Bout: Kiefer Crosbie (1-0) vs. Conor Riordan (Debut)

Welterweight Main Card Bout: Nathan Jones (9-5) vs. Walter Gahadza (16-0)