Tag Archives: Mads Burnell

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

Multiple High-Profile Fights Added to Both Nights of BELLATOR MMA’s Hawaii Double-Header on April 21 and 22

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BELLATOR 295 MAIN CARD GETS AN UPDATED MAIN CARD START TIME OF 11 P.M. ET/8 P.M. PT

FRIDAY’S SHOW IS FREE TO ALL FIRST RESPONDERS, MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES, WHILE TICKETS FOR SATURDAY’S EVENT ARE CURRENTLY ON SALE

LOS ANGELES – The two main cards for BELLATOR MMA’s annual doubleheader on the Hawaiian island of Oahu are complete with the addition of today’s confirmed bouts. 

Honolulu’s Neal S. Blaisdell Arena will play home to a pair of events on back-to-back nights with BELLATOR 294 taking place Friday, April 21 and BELLATOR 295 taking place Saturday, April 22. 

BELLATOR 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2 – Friday, April 21

Main card airs live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT/4 p.m. local HST

BELLATOR 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2 on Fridayhas two new main card contests, bringing Friday’s slate to five fights in total. Former BELLATOR bantamweight title challenger and No. 5-ranked Danny Sabatello (13-2) will return to action for the first time since his shot at the world championship, when he competes against Marcos Breno (15-2), who surprised many people when he bested Josh Hill on the scorecards in his BELLATOR debut. A welterweight contest pitting Levan Chokheli (11-2) and American Top Team’s Michael Lombardo (13-3) is also official for the SHOWTIME-aired portion of the event.

The preliminary card for BELLATOR 294 currently features four fights, including No. 4-ranked heavyweight Tyrell Fortune (12-3), who looks to get back to his winning ways against Russia’s Sergei Bilostennyi (10-2). No. 5-ranked light heavyweight Alex Polizzi (10-2) returns to the BELLATOR cage and will compete against a streaking Karl Moore (11-2), who holds the No. 8 ranking. A lightweight tilt between five-fight BELLATOR veteran Killys Mota (14-3) and promotional newcomer Kenneth Cross (13-3) is official, as is a 145-pound bout between Oregon’s Cris Lencioni (10-3) tangling with Blake Smith (7-3). Rounding out the preliminary card is a middleweight affair between Colorado’s Anthony “Sugafoot” Adams (9-3) and Tajikistan’s Sharaf “Sherkhan” Davlatmurodov (18-4-1).

The card is headlined by a Women’s Flyweight World Championship main event rematch pitting current champion and U.S. Marine Liz Carmouche (18-7) against No. 4 ranked flyweight challenger, DeAnna Bennett (13-7-1). In the evening’s co-main event, No. 6-ranked heavyweight and Minnesota National Guardsman Tim Johnson (15-9) will compete against Said Sowma (8-4). A women’s featherweight contest featuring former UFC title challenger Sara McMann (13-6), who makes her highly anticipated BELLATOR debut against former No. 1 contender, Arlene Blencowe (15-9).

Friday night’s event is being held in honor of America’s Military, Veterans and First-Responders, all of whom are eligible to attend the event with a guest for free entry the day of with valid proof of ID. Free admission is based on a limited capacity and available on a first come-first serve basis.

The BELLATOR 294 preliminary card will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT/2 p.m. HST. The complete bout listing for both events can be found below.

BELLATOR 295: Stots vs. Mix – Saturday, April 22

Updated Start Time – Main card airs live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT/5 p.m. local HST

The main card for Saturday’s BELLATOR 295: Stots vs. Mix event has also been sweetened with the addition of homegrown BELLATOR talent and No. 3-ranked Aaron Pico (10-4), who returns from his highly publicized shoulder injury to square off against Brazil’s Otto Rodrigues (13-1), who makes his BELLATOR debut.

The preliminary portion of Saturday’s event also features multiple new, high-profile additions confirmed including a marquee bout pitting two top-ten contenders against each other at featherweight, when No. 6-ranked Mads Burnell (16-4) tests his skills against No. 7-ranked Justin Gonzales (14-1). No. 8-ranked Ilara Joanne (11-6) meets fellow Brazilian Bruna Ellen (6-4) in a women’s flyweight contest, and a welterweight tilt between Alexey Shurkevich (13-5) and Japan’s Masayuki Kikuiri (8-2-1). 

BELLATOR 295 on Saturday is main evented by the Finals of the BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix, which will see current Interim Champion Raufeon Stots (19-1) face No. 2-ranked Patchy Mix (17-1). In the co-main event, the pride of Honolulu, No. 3-ranked Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (12-2) looks to defend home turf against Japan’s No. 2-ranked Kana Watanabe (11-1-1). Also, at 125-pounds, former BELLATOR World Champion Kyoji Horiguchi (31-5) moves down a division to welcome former UFC Title Challenger Ray Borg (16-5) to the Paramount-owned promotion.

Tickets for BELLATOR 295: Stots vs. Mix are on sale now and are available at Ticketmaster and Bellator.com.

The BELLATOR 295 preliminary card will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT/1 p.m. HST. The complete bout listing for both events can be found below.

BELLATOR 294: CARMOUCHE VS. BENNETT 2 MAIN CARD:

Friday, April 21 – live on SHOWTIME

10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT/4 p.m. HST (local)

Flyweight World Title Bout: C-Liz Carmouche (18-7) vs. #4-DeAnna Bennett (13-7-1)

Heavyweight Co-Main Event: #6-Tim Johnson (15-9)vs. Said Sowma (8-4)

Featherweight Bout: #2-Arlene Blencowe (15-9) vs. Sara McMann (13-6)

Bantamweight Bout: #5-Danny Sabatello (13-2) vs. Marcos Breno (15-2)

Welterweight Bout: Levan Chokheli (11-2, 1 NC) vs. Michael Lombardo (13-3, 1 NC)

BELLATOR 294: CARMOUCHE VS. BENNETT 2 PRELIMINARY CARD:

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

8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT/2 p.m. HST (local)

Light Heavyweight Bout: #5-Alex Polizzi (10-2) vs. #8-Karl Moore (11-2)

Lightweight Bout: Killys Mota (14-3) vs. Kenneth Cross (13-3)

Heavyweight Bout: #4-Tyrell Fortune (12-3, 1 NC) vs. Sergei Bilostennyi (10-2)

Featherweight Bout: Cris Lencioni (10-3) vs. Blake Smith (7-3)

Middleweight Bout: Anthony Adams (9-3) vs. Sharaf Davlatmurodov (18-4-1)

BELLATOR 295: STOTS VS. MIX MAIN CARD:

Saturday, April 22 – live on SHOWTIME

11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT/5 p.m. HST (local)

Bantamweight World Grand Prix Final: IC-Raufeon Stots (19-2) vs. #2-Patchy Mix (17-1)

Flyweight Bout: #3-Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (12-2) vs. #2-Kana Watanabe (11-1-1)

Featherweight Bout: #3-Aaron Pico (10-4) vs. Otto Rodrigues (13-1)

Flyweight Bout: Kyoji Horiguchi (31-5) vs. Ray Borg (16-5)

BELLATOR 295: STOTS VS. MIX PRELIMINARY CARD:

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

7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT/1 p.m. HST (local)

Featherweight Bout: #6-Mads Burnell (16-4) vs. #7-Justin Gonzales (14-1)

Lightweight Bout: Yancy Medeiros (16-8, 1 NC) vs. Charlie Leary (17-13-1)

Featherweight Bout: Kai Kamaka III (10-5-1) vs. Adli Edwards (9-2)

Flyweight Bout: #9–Sumiko Inaba (5-0) vs. #7-Veta Arteaga (7-4)

Featherweight Bout: Keoni Diggs (10-2) vs. Weber Almeida (7-1)

Lightweight Bout: Bobby King (12-5) vs. Aalon Cruz (10-4)

Heavyweight Bout: Davion Franklin (5-1) vs. Kasim Aras (7-1)

Flyweight Bout: #8-Ilara Joanne (11-6) vs. Bruna Ellen (6-4)

Welterweight Bout: Alexey Shurkevich (13-5) vs. Masayuki Kikuiri (8-2-1)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

Updated schedule of BELLATOR events – click links for updated fight cards

Fri. Mar. 31 // BELLATOR 293: Golm vs. James // Pechanga Resort Casino // Temecula, CA

Fri. Apr. 21 // BELLATOR: 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2 // Blaisdell Arena // Honolulu, HI

Sat. Apr. 22 // BELLATOR: 295: Stots vs. Mix // Blaisdell Arena // Honolulu, HI

Fri. May 12 // BELLATOR 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards // Accor Arena // Paris, France

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

Former Title Challenger John Salter Meets Undefeated Johnny Eblen During Main Card of BELLATOR 276 on March 12

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TOP FEATHERWEIGHT CONTENDERS CAT ZINGANO AND PAM SORENSON WILL BATTLE ON PRELIMINARY CARD, ALONG WITH PIVOTAL WELTERWEIGHT CLASH BETWEEN DEREK ANDERSON VS. GOITI YAMAUCHI

TOP PROSPECTS ROMERO COTTON, CODY LAW, ROMAN FARALDO ALSO SET FOR ACTION

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LOS ANGELES – A plethora of fantastic fighters armed with world-title aspirations have joined the stacked BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell card on Saturday, March 12. SHOWTIME will televise the mammoth main card live from inside the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Former title challenger and No. 2 ranked-John Salter (18-5), as well as undefeated BELLATOR MMA No. 3-ranked Johnny Eblen (10-0), and women’s No. 2 featherweight Cat Zingano (12-4) hope to take the next step toward BELLATOR MMA gold as they join the four co-headline brawlers currently ranked among the upper echelon of their respective divisions.

Featured among the magnificent MMA melees will be three of the top-ten middleweights, five undefeated and one unblemished amateur, four top-two contenders, and ten fighters ranked along with BELLATOR MMA’s elite.

In the main event of the evening, Adam Borics (17-1) and Mads Burnell (16-3), two featherweights currently tied at No. 2 in the official BELLATOR MMA rankings, will square off for a future shot at the BELLATOR 145-pound world title. In the co-featured bout, former BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Champion, 13-time BELLATOR veteran, and No. 2-ranked Phil Davis (23-6, 1 NC) will open his 2022 campaign against No. 4 Julius Anglickas (10-2), who most recently challenged for the 205-pound title. Additionally, the main card will spotlight an international lightweight extravaganza as undefeated New Alliance Jiu-Jitsu team member Jay-Jay Wilson (8-0) of Auckland, New Zealand, moves up in weight to meet Dagestan, Russia’s Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2), who is coming off a first-round knockout in his promotional debut at BELLATOR MMA 263 in July 2021.

Prior to the consequential co-featured contests, a pair of top middleweights will round out the main card as Salter and Eblen square off for a shot at the winner of the upcoming world title bout pitting 185-pound Champion Gegard Mousasi against No. 1-ranked Austin Vanderford at BELLATOR MMA 275 later this month in Dublin, Ireland.

Armed with an 8-2 BELLATOR record, Salter, a 15-year pro MMA veteran out of Nashville, Tenn., holds the promotional record for most submissions in BELLATOR MMA middleweight history, and has stopped 17 of his 23 opponents. Nicknamed “Diamond Hands” due to his love for crypto currency and willingness to hold onto his investments, Eblen is coming off a 71-second annihilation of Collin Huckbody at BELLATOR MMA 272 in December 2021. The six-time BELLATOR MMA veteran and American Top-Team product, who recently signed a six-fight BELLATOR contract extension, has secured six opening-round stoppages, including two of his three 2021 opponents.

In addition to the magnificent main card, a veritable cornucopia of pulsating preliminary punch ups will commence the preeminent night of action, including a Minnesota midwestern melee pitting former UFC title challenger and Winona, Minn., native Zingano against No.7-ranked lightweight Pam Sorenson (9-4) of Blaine, Minn.

Set to make her third straight BELLATOR MMA appearance with aspirations of challenging BELLATOR MMA Women’s Welterweight World Champion Cris Cyborg, Zingano has had a decorated fighting career. The former NCAA Division III All-American wrestler became the first mother to compete in the UFC and initial woman to capture the company’s “Fight of the Night” award, counting victories over Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Marion Reneau, and Gabrielle Holloway. Recently, “Alpha” was featured in the series “Double Duty” that chronicled the attempts to maintain a balance between the daily responsibilities of parenthood and earning a living as a pro athlete.

A former Invicta FC women’s featherweight champion, Sorenson started kickboxing after the passing of her best friend. After vacating her crown and requesting a release from Invicta in July 2021, the Minneapolis mauler signed a multi-fight deal with BELLATOR MMA in mid-2021. Soon after joining the pioneering company, the 35-year-old recorded a hard-fought split decision over Roberta Samad at BELLATOR MMA 264 in Uncasville, Conn.

Also featured will be a bruising brawl pitting two hard-hitting heavyweights with seven career stoppages apiece as No. 8-ranked Alex “Eazy” Polizzi (9-1) of Madison, Wisc., clashes with Team Pitbull’s Jose “Guru” Augusto (7-3, 1 NC). Additionally, San Diego, Calif. native, 11-time BELLATOR MMA veteran, and No. 6-ranked “Barbaric” Derek Anderson (17-4, 1 NC) will mix it up with submission specialist, BELLATOR Brazilian bruiser, and Japanese-born Goiti Yamaguchi (26-5), in a worldwide welterweight war.

Furthermore, added to BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell is a memorable middleweight match pitting undefeated, No. 6-ranked 185-pounder and owner of three consecutive stoppages Romero Cotton (5-0) of Hutchinson, Kansas, who will bravely battle the horrors of “The Boogeyman” Lance Wright (5-2). Moreover, former Division II All-American wrestler and fantastic featherweight Cody Law (5-0), fresh off his third opening-round finish, strives to avoid being scared off by “Phantom” Johnny Soto (5-2) of Escondido, Calif.

Continuing the unforgettable night of amazing action, undefeated welterweight and American Top-Team member Roman Faraldo (6-0) will make his fourth consecutive promotional appearance when he challenges BELLATOR MMA rookie Kelvin Rayford (5-3), while local combatant Jordan Howard (10-5) of Jefferson City hopes to thrill the Missouri faithful against Athens, Illinois’ own Trevor Ward (5-5). Two flyweights will test their skills as well, when Diana Avsaragova (4-0) of Russia welcomes Ashley Deen (5-6) to BELLATOR. Lastly, a Show-Me State lightweight showdown between BELLATOR beginner Dan Busch (4-1) makes his sixth straight Missouri appearance by confronting St. Louis’ Josh Augustine (5-2).

The thrilling preliminary fights will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Tickets for BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell are on sale now at both Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com

BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell Main Card:

Saturday, March 12 – live on SHOWTIME

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

Featherweight Main Event: #2-Adam Borics (17-1) vs. #2-Mads Burnell (16-3)

Light Heavyweight Co-Main Event: #2-Phil Davis (23-6, 1 NC) vs. #4-Julius Anglickas (10-2)

Middleweight Bout: #2-John Salter (18-5) vs. #3-Johnny Eblen (10-0)

Lightweight Bout: Jay-Jay Wilson (8-0) vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

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

6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Featherweight Bout: #2-Cat Zingano (12-4) vs. #7-Pam Sorenson (9-4)

Light Heavyweight Bout: #8-Alex Polizzi (9-1) vs. Jose Augusto (7-3, 1 NC)

Welterweight Bout: #6-Derek Anderson (17-4-1) vs. Goiti Yamaguchi (26-5)

Middleweight Bout: #6-Romero Cotton (5-0) vs. Lance Wright (5-2)

Flyweight Bout: Diana Avsaragova (4-0) vs. Ashley Deen (5-6)

Featherweight Bout: Cody Law (5-0) vs. Johnny Soto (4-2)

Welterweight Bout: Roman Faraldo (6-0) vs. Kelvin Rayford (5-3)

Bantamweight Bout: Jordan Howard (10-5) vs. Trevor Ward (5-5)

Lightweight Bout: Dan Busch (4-1) vs. Josh Augustine (5-2)

*Card subject to change.

Updated schedule of BELLATOR events

Sat., Feb. 19 / / BELLATOR MMA 274: Gracie vs. Storley // Mohegan Sun Arena // Uncasville, Conn.

Fri. Feb. 25 // BELLATOR MMA 275: Mousasi vs. Vanderford // 3Arena // Dublin, IRE

Sat. March 12 // BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell // The Family Arena // St. Louis

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

Fri. May 13 // BELLATOR LONDON: Amosov vs. MVP // The SSE Arena, Wembley // London

****

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 to 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 ViacomCBS, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

BELLATOR 276 OFFICIALLY SET FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 12 IN ST. LOUIS

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LOS ANGELES – A future shot at the BELLATOR Featherweight World Championship will be on the line when No. 2-ranked Adam Borics (17-1) meets a man also ranked No. 2 in the Official BELLATOR Rankings, Mads Burnell (16-3) in the main event of BELLATOR 276 on Saturday, March 12 at The Family Arena in St. Louis.
 
In the co-main event former BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Champion and No. 2-ranked Phil Davis (23-6) will return to action and open his 2022 campaign against No. 4-ranked Julius Anglickas (10-2), who most recently challenged for the 205-pound title. The main card will also see a pair of skilled lightweights compete, when undefeated Jay-Jay Wilson (8-0) moves up in weight to meet Dagestan’s Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2).
 
SHOWTIME will televise the BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell main card live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT Additionally, the thrilling preliminary fights will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
 
Tickets for BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell will go on sale this Friday, Feb. 11 at both Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com, with a special presale taking place the day prior.
 
A BELLATOR MMA 276 preliminary battle between two heavy-handed light heavyweights No. 8-ranked Alex “Easy” Polizzi (9-1) and Team Pitbull’s Jose “Gugu” Augusto (7-3, 1 NC) is also official. Additional contests will be announced shortly.
 
A multi-faceted fighter with tremendous success in two different combat sports, Adam Borics knocked out all 25 of his amateur opponents en route to compiling 10-0 (kickboxing) and 15-0 (MMA) records. Holding a three-inch height advantage and tied with upcoming opponent Mads Burnell as the No. 2 featherweight in the BELLATOR rankings, the Ft. Lauderdale featherweight commenced his pro career with 14 straight triumphs, including ten by KO or submission.
 
Much like his upcoming foe, the nine-time BELLATOR veteran, armed with an 8-1 promotional record, prefers to dispose of his counterparts quickly as evidenced by ten of his 18 career wins culminating in knockout or submission. Additionally, the former Hungarian Fight Championship Featherweight kingpin has fought only 41 rounds since turning professional in Aug. 2014, an average of only 2.3 per outing.
 
Nicknamed “The Kid,” the former Thai and Hungarian Thai Boxing World Titleholder, who lives by the adage “Practice laborious, battle easy,” and holds knockout wins over former BELLATOR featherweight champion Pat Curran and ferocious featherweight Aaron Pico. Born in Budapest, Hungary, the Sanford MMA fighter, who signed a multi-fight extension with BELLATOR in January 2021, launched his promotional campaign by submitting Anthony Taylor via rear-naked choke in April 2017. After dropping his lone BELLATOR bout at the hands of former bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell in the quarterfinals of the BELLATOR MMA Featherweight Grand Prix, Borics has outpointed his last three opponents under the company banner. 
 
Currently riding a seven-bout winning streak, Mads Burnell prefers to dispatch of his opponents early. In 19 career fights, the submission specialist has stopped more than half of his adversaries (10), including eight in the opening round. Additionally, the Copenhagen, Denmark, native has not fought past three rounds in his professional career, while averaging a mere two per contest. The Arte Suave Copenhagen product, who will turn 28 less than one week prior to his fourth consecutive promotional appearance at BELLATOR MMA 276, opened his vocation by defeating his initial five opponents, including three via submission.
 
A first-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Burnell captured the Cage Warriors featherweight title by submitting then-champion Dean Trueman by Japanese necktie at 3:04 of the second round on June 29, 2019. Two months after signing with the company, the ferocious featherweight took the mixed martial arts world by storm when he recorded his lone career knockout and floored Darko Banovic at 3:13 of the first stanza in his promotional debut at BELLATOR MMA 248 on Oct. 10, 2020, in Paris, France.
 
Following a second-round destruction of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber” standout Saul Rogers via rear-naked choke at BELLATOR MMA 257, the three-time BELLATOR MMA veteran returned to the cage less than four months later and upset Emmanuel Sanchez via three-round unanimous decision (29-28 and 30-27 twice) in a non-stop battle at BELLATOR MMA 263 on July 31, 2021, in Los Angeles. A former European No-Gi champion, Burnell hopes to keep his undefeated BELLATOR record intact when he challenges fellow No. 2-ranked Adam Borics.
 
BELLATOR MMA 276: Borics vs. Burnell Main Card:
Saturday, March 12 – live on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT 
 
Featherweight Main Event: #2-Adam Borics (17-1) vs. #2-Mads Burnell (16-3)
Light Heavyweight Co-Main Event: #2-Phil Davis (23-6) vs. #4-Julius Anglickas (10-2)
Lightweight Bout: Jay-Jay Wilson (8-0) vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-2)
 
PRELIMINARY CARD: 
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV
6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
 
Light Heavyweight Bout: #8-Alex Polizzi (9-1) vs. Jose Augusto (7-3, 1 NC)
Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA

BELLATOR MMA 263: PITBULL VS. MCKEE VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

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 FULL PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO HERE
 
LOS ANGELES – June 17, 2021 – BELLATOR MMA’s Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion Patricio Pitbull (32-4) and undefeated top-ranked challenger AJ McKee (17-0) previewed their must-watch Featherweight World Grand Prix Final and 145-pound title fight during a virtual press conference Wednesday. Both fighters’ head coaches, Eric Albarracin of Team Pitbull Brothers, and Antonio McKee of Team Bodyshop, also chimed in with a look at the final preparations both fight camps are taking as we approach the massive event.
 
BELLATOR 263: Pitbull vs. McKee will emanate from the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and will air live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Tickets for the event go on sale tomorrow, Friday, June 18 at BELLATOR.com and Ticketmaster.com.
  
Here is what the fighters and their coaches had to say Wednesday:
 
Patricio Pitbull, BELLATOR Featherweight World Champion & BELLATOR Lightweight World Champion
 
“I’m a little bit older and faster than the rest of my division and I’m going to use this in my favor. (22:47)
 
“Of all the opponents I’ve faced, AJ is the most dangerous, and I know that. With that being said, I know that I’m going to win this fight and prove his father wrong. (26:18)
 
“At the beginning of his career, he faced very low-level guys. He has a few wins over tough opponents, but he’s never fought anyone like me. He claims that he is ready for me, but he isn’t, and he’ll learn that very quickly in front of his home crowd.” (38:48)
 
AJ McKee, No. 1 Ranked BELLATOR Featherweight & Featherweight World Grand Prix Finalist 
 
“It’s been a great journey and this is something I’ve dreamed of my entire career. Like I said, I’ve been calling Pitbull’s name since I first stepped into that cage and he’s ignored me, pretending like he doesn’t know who I am. At the end of the day, there is nowhere else for him to run and he has to look me in my eyes. I’m looking forward to it. Everyone says I haven’t been tested and I agree. But, when you do see me get tested, a whole different animal will come out. (23:22)
 
“After I beat Pitbull and become the face of BELLATOR, we can run it back for that second belt too. Becoming champ-champ is something that I said I was always going to do, and that I will do. I went through the trials and tribulations of not wanting to fight, to then having my passion for this come back and me seeing all my goals be within reach. It’s going to be fun, especially after the long break due to my knee surgery. I can’t wait to get in there again. The Mercenary does one thing: he signs the contract and then takes the person out. (24:22)
 
“I’ve been preparing for this fight for six years because Pitbull has been at the top for so long. Once again, I have a foot longer reach on him, so he has to come to me. He says he is training with gold medal wrestlers, but I will do the same thing to him that I did to Pat Curran and Darrion Caldwell. I’m comfortable off my back. Just because he’s Brazilian, that doesn’t mean anything in terms of Jiu jitsu. I have that evolved Jiu jitsu and that’s what I get people with when they don’t see it coming.” (31:45)
 
Scott Coker, BELLATOR President
 
“We’re excited to be back in California and we are excited to be back in the Forum, a place where we have had so many great fights. It’s going to be an amazing event. My staff is excited and the fighters are excited. When you think about live sports, it needs fans. We got a taste of it last week at the Mohegan Sun, which has been an amazing partner for us, but it’s time to travel and get back to what BELLATOR does best. That is putting on great fights touring from city-to-city, starting with this amazing fight on July 31. (4:10)
 
“This is the fight that everyone wanted to see. We have so many amazing athletes in this division that we went through the lottery system for matchups, which provided us with amazing fights. But at the beginning, I was wishing that the final would be McKee versus Pitbull. When we signed McKee, he had zero fights to his name. Now, look at where he is today. Back then, Pitbull was our champion and obviously still is today, so this fight is the “OG” vs. the new guard and we’ll have to see what happens.” (5:13)
 
Eric Albarracin, Team Pitbull Brothers Head Coach
 
“Patricio’s had a bullseye on his back since he became the champ in 2014, when he beat Pat Curran and this run has gone exactly as we planned. We were the matchmakers, we sent Darrion Caldwell to the other side of the bracket to take out some of the young bucks and he did. Then, AJ took him out and here we are. I think this is the perfect matchup for the finals. We have a young, up-and-coming, undefeated fighter and the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, Patricio Pitbull. This is going to be the greatest fight in BELLATOR history. (7:20)
 
“Even at 17-0, AJ is still very young in the game. He’s very unpredictable. But, at the end of the day it’s Pitbull who is the pound-for-pound best on the planet, it’s Pitbull who is the double champ, it’s Pitbull who has the best coaches in the game and they don’t know how to prepare for that.” (8:18)
 
Antonio McKee, Team Bodyshop Head Coach
 
“I lived a different life, one where it wasn’t all good. I was dealing with a lot of stuff that a lot of African American men deal with. No mother and no father, growing up in the streets of Los Angeles. It was what it was, but I made the right decisions and never got caught for anything that I did that could have put me away for the rest of my life and found my drive and motivation through my son. The things that AJ would say as a kid, like ‘Daddy if you die, can I die with you?’ I didn’t care about living and I didn’t have a problem with killing either. And then one day AJ says ‘Dad, whatever you do and wherever you go, I want to come with you.’ I was ready to clock out, but then I realized that I needed to be here for him. He had nothing but me, so that gave me the drive and the strength to find a better way out.
 
“I made it this far, did my thing as a wrestler and was the best in the world. I did what I was doing, but I didn’t have the right mindset, so I had to check my mental and learn how to be a respectable human being. Once I did that, things started to shift for me and now here we are. I did things to keep AJ in private school, not to buy cars, music, and jewelry. I did it all to pay for his school tuition.” (14:36)
Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

Featherweight World Champion Patricio Pitbull Meets AJ McKee in the BELLATOR Featherweight World Grand Prix Finals on Saturday, July 31 — Live on SHOWTIME

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BELLATOR 263 TAKES PLACE AT THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY, JULY 31 – LIVE ON SHOWTIME®

TICKETS FOR THIS MASSIVE EVENT GO ON SALE TOMORROW AT BELLATOR.COM

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LOS ANGELES — And then there were two…

What began with 16 featherweight athletes vying for a one-million-dollar grand prize and the BELLATOR Featherweight World Championship has been narrowed to the greatest BELLATOR athlete in the history of the promotion Patricio Pitbull (32-4) and the company’s best-ever homegrown fighter in No. 1 ranked AJ McKee (17-0).

The culmination of the BELLATOR Featherweight World Grand Prix takes place Saturday, July 31 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and marks the company’s first domestic event hosted away from “The Fightsphere” since February 2020.

BELLATOR 263: Pitbull vs. McKee airs live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, June 18 at BELLATOR.com and Ticketmaster.com with a pre-sale taking place on Thursday.

“This is without a doubt going to be the biggest BELLATOR fight of all time,” said BELLATOR President Scott Coker. “AJ McKee has been calling for a shot at Pitbull’s title since his very first professional victory inside our cage six years ago. Now he’s finally getting the opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a world champion against the winningest fighter in BELLATOR history. For Pitbull a win over McKee in this tournament final would be a statement piece to add to his long list of accolades and legacy as the best 145-pounder on the planet.” 

One half of the vaunted Pitbull Brothers duo, Patricio has long been considered the crown jewel of BELLATOR MMA, where he sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings. Holding a remarkable record of 32-4 with wins over elite competition including the likes of Pat Curran, Juan Archuleta, Daniel Weichel (x2) and most recently a second triumph over Emmanuel Sanchez, the 33-year-old stands alone as the featherweight king. Additionally, he was able to capture the Lightweight World Championship in a 2019 contest opposite Michael Chandler, becoming only the second BELLATOR athlete to hold two titles simultaneously. With 23 finishes in 36 professional fights, Pitbull has shown time and time again that he possesses the well-rounded skillset required to reign over multiple weight classes.

With a perfect record of 17-0, AJ McKee has exceeded the lofty expectations placed on him since his professional debut at the ripe age of 20-years-old. With an even six knockouts and six submissions, the now-26-year-old McKee has shown a knack for securing finishes—and fast—with nine coming in the first round. “Mercenary” has earned dominant victories over every man who has opposed him including former champions Pat Curran, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Darrion Caldwell, who McKee submitted most-recently with a rare, modified neck crank that was later dubbed the “McKee-otine.” Finally, the Long Beach native will face the man he has called for since signing with BELLATOR, as he takes on Patricio Pitbull in the much-anticipated Featherweight World Grand Prix Final.

The preliminary portion of the event streams live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, as well as Pluto TV and features former featherweight title challenger and No. 2 ranked Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5) versus Denmark’s No. 8 ranked Mads Burnell (15-3), a bantamweight tilt between No. 3 ranked Magomed “Tiger” Magomedov (18-1) and No. 4 Raufeon “Supa” Stots (16-1) and a lightweight affair pitting undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov (12-0) against Manny Muro (12-6).

BELLATOR 263: Pitbull vs. McKee Main Card:

Saturday, July 31 – Live on SHOWTIME

10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT 

Featherweight World Title Main Event: C-Patricio Pitbull (32-4) vs. #1-AJ McKee (17-0)

Preliminary Card:

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

7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Featherweight Bout: #2-Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5) vs. #8-Mads Burnell (15-3)

Bantamweight Bout: #3-Magomed Magomedov (18-1) vs. #4-Raufeon Stots (16-1)

Lightweight Bout: Usman Nurmagomedov (12-0) vs. Manny Muro (12-6)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.