Tag Archives: Kyle Stewart

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

COMPLETE BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO FIGHT CARD CONFIRMED FOR THIS FRIDAY NIGHT

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RYAN BADER DEFENDS HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST NO. 2 RANKED CHEICK KONGO IN MAIN EVENT REMATCH IN PARIS

MELVIN MANHOEF’S FAREWELL BOUT DELAYED AFTER THE DUTCHMAN WITHDRAWS DUE TO INJURY, YOEL ROMERO NOW MEETS NO. 7 RANKED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT ALEX POLIZZI IN CO-MAIN EVENT

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PARIS – A massive night of championship-level MMA guaranteed to bring fireworks is set for this Friday, May 6 from the Accor Arena in Paris and airs live at a special time of 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME.

Anchoring the card will be a heated rematch between BELLATOR Heavyweight World Champion Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) against French combat sports legend and No. 2-ranked heavyweight Cheick Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC). Both Bader and Kongo will be looking for closure when they run it back inside the BELLATOR cage, following a controversial no-contest stemming from a disputed eye-poke during their first meeting in 2019.

In an equally action-packed co-feature event, Yoel Romero (13-6) who was originally slated to take on Melvin Manhoef at 205-pounds, has agreed to meet No. 7 ranked-Alex Polizzi (10-1) on less than a week’s notice. Polizzi has won three consecutive contests en route to his opportunity in Paris against one of the sport’s most popular athletes.

Newly announced, No.6-ranked middleweight Lorenz Larkin (23-7, 1 NC) will now face Kyle Stewart (15-5) during the Bellator 280 main card. France’s Davy Gallon (20-7-2) will go to battle in front of his fellow countrymen and women when he faces Switzerland’s Benjamin Brander (13-8) at lightweight. Opening the Bellator 280 televised card, English middleweight Mike Shipman (14-3) will clash with proud Parisian Gregory Babene (21-11, 1 NC).

Nine titillating preliminary matchups have been announced, including a smash between former featherweight title challenger Pedro Carvalho (12-5) and newly signed Polish standout Piotr Niedzielski (16-4), plus a 160-pound contract weight clash between “The True Viking” Søren Bak (15-1) and England’s Charlie Leary (17-12-1).

The preliminary bouts will stream live three and a half hours earlier at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.

Limited tickets for the fight remain on sale at accorarena.com and bellator.fr. Follow Bellator France on Instagram @BellatorFrance and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BellatorFrance/

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BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 MAIN CARD:

SHOWTIME (U.S.) / RMC SPORT (FRANCE) / BBC Three & BBC iPlayer (U.K.) / Virgin Media Two & Virgin Media Sport (IRELAND)

Friday, May 6, 10 p.m. CEST/9 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

Heavyweight World Title Main Event: C-Ryan Bader (29-7, 1 NC) vs. #2-Cheick Kongo (31-11-2, 1 NC)

Light Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Yoel Romero (13-6) vs. #7-Alex Polizzi (10-1) 

Lightweight Bout: Davy Gallon (20-7-2) vs. Benjamin Brander (13-8)

Middleweight Bout: #6-Lorenz Larkin (23-7, 1 NC) vs. Kyle Stewart (15-5)

Middleweight Bout: Mike Shipman (14-3) vs. Gregory Babene (21-11, 1 NC)

BELLATOR 280: BADER VS. KONGO 2 PRELIMINARY CARD:

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

6:30 p.m. CEST/12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT

Featherweight Bout: Pedro Carvalho (12-5) vs. Piotr Niedzielski (16-4)

Welterweight Bout: Lewis Long (19-6) vs. Thibault Gouti (14-5)

Featherweight Bout: Fabacary Diatta (8-0) vs. Jordan Barton (6-2-1)

160-lb Contract Weight Bout Søren Bak (15-1) vs. Charlie Leary (17-12-1) 

Lightweight Bout: Yves Landu (16-9) vs. Gavin Hughes (10-2)

Welterweight Bout: Nicolò Solli (3-1, 1 NC) vs. Levy Carriel (3-0)

Flyweight Bout: Lucie Bertaud (3-3) vs. Katarzyna Sadura (5-4)

Middleweight Bout: Youcef Ouabbas (2-0) vs. Matthieu Duclos (2-1)

Welterweight Bout: Victor Verchere (5-1) vs. Bourama Camara (4-1)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

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Updated schedule of BELLATOR events

Fri. May 6 // BELLATOR 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2 // Accor Arena // Paris, FRA

Fri. May 13 // BELLATOR 281: MVP vs. Storley // The OVO Arena Wembley // London

Fri. June 24 // BELLATOR 282: Mousasi vs. Eblen // Mohegan Sun Arena // Uncasville, CT

Fri. Sep. 23 // BELLATOR DUBLIN // 3Arena // Dublin

About BELLATOR

BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries by an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Paramount, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About SHOWTIME

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

LFA, mixed martial arts, MMA

LFA BRINGS WELTERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE BOUT TO JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS

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LFA 46 – NAKASHIMA vs. STEWART
MAIN EVENT:
 
LFA WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
JAMES NAKASHIMA
vs.
U.S. MARINE CORPS SGT
KYLE “GUNZ UP” STEWART
 
WELTERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FIGHT
in celebration of the 100th Year Anniversary of Joint Base Langley-Eustis
 
 
FRIDAY, JULY 27th LIVE on AXS TV
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS in NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA
Tickets are on sale NOW through Eventbrite.com

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will head east at the end of July with a welterweight world title fight that will headline the promotion’s first event to take place at a U.S. military facility. The live nationally televised event will be part of the 100th Anniversary celebration of Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

 

 

 

The main event of LFA 46 will bring the top two welterweight prospects in the world to southeastern Virginia. The headliner will see undefeated LFA welterweight champion James Nakashima defend his title against undefeated U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Kyle “Gunz Up” Stewart. LFA 46 – Nakashima vs. Stewart takes place Friday, July 27th at the Felker Field Hangar at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Newport News, Virginia. The main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

 

 

 

“I am excited to bring an LFA world title fight to Joint Base Langley-Eustis on July 27th,” stated Soares. “James Nakashima has been one of the most formidable fighters in our promotion’s history. He will defend his title against #1 contender and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kyle Stewart. Nakashima and Stewart train about 30 minutes from each other and this has been a fight MMA fans have been wanting to see for a long time. It will finally happen with the LFA welterweight title on the line at LFA 46. This will also be part of the 100 Year Anniversary celebration for Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and I can’t wait to show the troops what the LFA is all about!”

 

 

 

Tickets for LFA 46 – Nakashima vs. Stewart are available for purchase NOW at Eventbrite.com.

 

 

 

Nakashima (8-0) has long been regarded as a special talent. Those prodigious abilities were finally realized by the masses when he was crowned LFA welterweight champion this past fall. His wrestling pedigree, shrewd striking ability, and willingness to learn every aspect of martial arts has made him the undefeated welterweight champion that he is today. The Illinois native and University of Nebraska wrestling standout has taken the 170-pound division by storm since making his professional MMA debut for RFA in 2015. He has defeated opponents that have a staggering combined record of 54-17 with half of those wins coming against undefeated fighters. Now sitting at 8-0 with the LFA welterweight title around his waist, Nakashima is eager to get back in the cage after healing up some injuries. The John Crouch protégé, who trains at The MMA LAB in Arizona, is once again eager to test himself against the best. That next challenge will come against fellow undefeated prospect and #1 contender Kyle Stewart.

 

 

 

Stewart (10-0) has been on a collision course with Nakashima since making his own professional MMA debut in 2015. The U.S. Marine Corps sergeant has amassed his own undefeated record, while training with Trevor Lally at Arizona Combat Sports just 30 minutes away from Nakashima. The decorated war veteran  who saw action in Afghanistan, while serving multiple tours overseas, has successfully brought his combat skills to the cage where he is considered one of the top two welterweight prospects in the world. The other would be Nakashima, the man Stewart has long had his eye on since their careers began three years ago. The reality of them finally meeting in the Octagon became even more real when Stewart  won his LFA debut last year. Stewart made a final statement for a title shot when he handed fellow top prospect Jaleel Willis his first loss in the main event of LFA 33 this past February. Next up for “Gunz Up”, Nakashima for the title, in front of his fellow soldiers and veterans at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

 

 

 

Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):

 

 

 

Main Event | Welterweight Title Bout (170 lb)

 

 

– James Nakashima (8-0) vs. Kyle Stewart (10-0)

 

 

 

Co-Main Event | Featherweight Bout (145 lb)

 

 

– Alexandre Bezerra (20-5) vs. Mike Pope (7-3)

 

 

 

Middleweight Bout (185 lb)

 

 

– Dashawn Boatwright (3-1) vs. Matt Semelsber (3-1)

 

 

 

Bantamweight Bout (135 lb)

 

 

– Ahmet Kayretli (7-2) vs. Shaun Spath (4-1)

 

 

 

Featherweight Bout (145 lb)

 

 

– Damon Minor (3-1) vs. Michael Lawrence (5-4)

 

 

 

Women’s Flyweight Bout (125 lb)

 

 

– Salina Rowland (0-0) vs. Whittany Pyles (0-1)

 

 

 

Featherweight Bout (145 lb)

 

 

– Cody Maltais (3-1) vs. Thomas Blair (3-1)

 

 

 

 

LFA 46 will serve as the third LFA event to take place on the east coast. It will also be the first time that LFA has traveled to “The Old Dominion” of Virginia before or after the merger.  The entire main card of LFA 46 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

 

 

 

Please visit LFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Legacy Fighting Alliance. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting.

 

 

 

In 2017 RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA launched the careers of over 130 athletes to reach the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.  In May of 2018 the promotion joined the London Trust Media Holdings group of companies.