Marcelo Golm (9-3) defeated Billy Swanson (4-1) via TKO (strikes) at 4:57 of round one
#6-Jornel Lugo (7-0) defeated Keith Lee (7-4) via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 5:00 of round one Preliminary Card: Fabio Aguiar (18-2) defeated Taylor Johnson (7-3) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Mike Hamel (8-5) defeated Bryce Logan (12-6) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Archie Colgan (3-0) defeated Ben Simons (3-3) via TKO (punches) at 00:00 of round one Duane Johnson (6-2)defeated Deven Fisher(4-9) via submission (D’arce Choke) at 1:04 of round one Bailey Schoenfelder (2-0) defeated Kory Moegenburg (1-3) via TKO (strikes) at 4:11 of round one
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Juliana Velasquez: “I think I would be clinching a bit more, her striking didn’t surprise me, but I felt that I did enough to retain the title.”
“I beat her with my jab, if you look at her face, it’s messed up, if you look at mine, my face is fine. I think people in the audience favor her because she has a kickboxing style and I counter, but I think it was my boxing that was the difference tonight.”
“When I come in here, I don’t think of myself as a champion, I think of myself as someone who needs to earn the belt and tonight I felt that I did that.”
#5–Tyrell Fortune (11-1, 1 NC) defeated #7-Matt Mitrione (13-9, 1 NC) via submission (strikes) at 1:45 of round one Tyrell Fortune: “I feel great coming out of the fight. He stepped forward so I went for the shot instead of throwing the punch and I guess I made contact with my head. Besides that I was running through him for the takedown. As you saw, I finished on top, and the fight went from there.
“I didn’t feel it (the clash of heads), I can only go off of what he was saying at the time. Like I said, I was just looking to get on top and continue to fight so I didn’t really know what else to do. I thought if there was a contact that the ref would have saw and we would have stopped that’s why I paused for a second on top of him. I didn’t go right to punching. Once the ref said to continue, I was continuing to fight.
“I want Tim Johnson. I don’t want a title shot. I’d rather have Tim Johnson first. That’s really the only fight I’ve been training for since that loss. To me, with him taking that loss (against Valentin Moldavsky) and me getting this win, it should line us right up… I’m gonna’ try to knock his a– out just like he did me.”
Matheus Mattos (13-2-1) defeated Cee Jay Hamilton (15-9) via TKO (strikes) at 1:33 of round two
Matheus Mattos: “He’s a wrestler. So, he could have done the boring game and taken me down. But he chose to go for the striking. Fortunately, he did it because it was a beautiful knockout. If Bellator could send more strikers to me, then they would be welcomed.”
“I feel great, perfectly strong. But I felt my knee go ‘thwack.’ And I stopped moving a lot. I didn’t do much footwork. I knew this was going to be on my hands, because my leg was painful. Hopefully, everything went well.
“My two losses were to two of the best in the world. So, I’ve been fighting at a high level a long time and I’m prepared for everyone. They can see that this fight welcomed me to Bellator, and now they know me. They know Matheus Mattos is a striker and he’s coming for us.
“I’m in my prime now so I’m prepared for everyone.”
#2–Arlene Blencowe (14-8) defeated Dayana Silva (9-6) via TKO (punches) at 1:00 of round three
Arlene Blencowe: “I feel great. I want to give a shout out to my kids at home. I’ve been away from home for nine weeks and it’s the longest I’ve ever been without my kids. So, this win is for you.”
“I was just trying to gauge my distance. It was starting to be a little bit of a slow fight, so sorry about that fans. I could hear you yelling. But I was determined to keep my pace and not rush into anything. We knew that she swung with power and that the overhand right and the left hook came pretty quick. We’ve been working a lot on kicks, and I’m going to have a lot of bruises tomorrow. And hopefully her calves will be sore too.”
#5-Johnny Eblen (9-0) defeated Travis Davis (10-5) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26) Johnny Eblen: “My coaches when I came back to the corner told me not to brawl. So, I took their advice and I thought I wrestled smart.”
“He was talking s— saying, ‘Hey, let’s brawl in the corner.’ I’m like, ‘Bro, that’s stupid.’ That’s why you’re not where I’m at. Because you don’t fight smart. You’re trying to come out here and brawl. You can do that all you want, but you’re not going to be a world champion like me.”
Preliminary Card: Said Sowma (7-2) defeated Ronny Markes (19-9) via KO (punches) at 1:09 of round one Cody Law (4-0) defeated Theodore Macuka (1-1) via TKO (punches) at 1:54 of round one Diana Avsaragova (4-0) defeated Gabriella Gulfin (2-3) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Adil Benjilany (6-3, 1 NC) defeated Johnny Soto (4-2) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Charlie Campbell (4-1) defeated Nicholas Giulietti (2-2) via TKO (punches) at 1:30 of round two
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About BELLATOR BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts and kickboxing 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.
UNDEFEATED FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION JULIANA VELASQUEZ AND NO. 3 RANKED DENISE KIELHOLTZ SQUARE OFF FOR 125-POUND STRAP WHILE TOP-10 HEAVYWEIGHTS TYRELL FORTUNE AND MATT MITRIONE MEET IN THE CO-MAIN EVENT.
LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA has confirmed the full fight card for BELLATOR MMA 262: Velasquez vs. Kielholtz on Friday, July 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The event airs LIVE on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by undefeated flyweight world champion Juliana Velasquez (11-0) versus BELLATOR Kickboxing’s Flyweight World Champion and No. 3 ranked Denise Kielholtz (6-2) for the promotion’s 125-pound belt.
In addition to the must-see main event, four other exciting main card bouts are confirmed for BELLATOR 262 on SHOWTIME, including No. 5 ranked Tyrell Fortune (10-1, 1 NC) taking on former New York Giants football star and No. 7 ranked Matt Mitrione (13-8, 1 NC) at heavyweight, a women’s featherweight matchup between No. 2 ranked former title challenger Arlene Blencowe (13-8) and Brazil’s Dayana Silva (9-6), a men’s heavyweight contest pitting No. 4 ranked Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC)versus BELLATOR newcomer Marcelo Golm (8-3), and undefeated No. 5 ranked Johnny Eblen (8-0) facing off against Travis Davis (10-4) in an explosive middleweight bout to open the main card.
The preliminary card is confirmed for six bouts and features a heavyweight slugfest between knockout artist Ronny Markes (19-8) and Said Sowma (6-2), as well as a featherweight contest pitting undefeated top prospect Cody Law (3-0) against Theodore Macuka (1-0). In addition, South Florida’s Roman Faraldo (5-0) welcomes John Ramirez (5-5) to the fray in a welterweight clash, while Team Pitbull Brothers-product Matheus Mattos (12-2-1) faces off against Cee Jay Hamilton (15-8) in a bantamweight battle. Lastly, Johnny Soto (4-1) and Adil Benjilany (5-3, 1 NC) square off in a 145-pound matchup and the undefeated Diana Avsaragova (3-0) takes on Gabriella Gulfin (2-2) in a flyweight showdown.
All prelims will stream live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV. Full bout listings are below:
SHOWTIME streaming service is offering 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 live premier BELLATOR MMA events per month throughout 2021 and beyond, anywhere the SHOWTIME service is available.
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BELLATOR MMA 262: Velasquez vs. Kielholtz Main Card: Friday, July 16 – Live on SHOWTIME 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Flyweight World Title Main Event: C-Juliana Velasquez (11-0) vs. #3-Denise Kielholtz (6-2) Heavyweight Bout: #5–Tyrell Fortune (10-1, 1 NC) vs. #7-Matt Mitrione (13-8, 1 NC) Heavyweight Bout: #4-Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC) vs. Marcelo Golm (8-3) Featherweight Bout: #2–Arlene Blencowe (13-8) vs. Dayana Silva (9-6) Middleweight Bout: #5-Johnny Eblen (8-0) vs. Travis Davis (10-4)
Preliminary Card: BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT Bantamweight Bout: Matheus Mattos (12-2-1) vs. Cee Jay Hamilton (15-8) Heavyweight Bout: Ronny Markes (19-8) vs. Said Sowma (6-2) Featherweight Bout: Cody Law (3-0) vs. Theodore Macuka (1-0) Welterweight Bout: Roman Faraldo (5-0) vs. John Ramirez (5-5) Flyweight Bout: Diana Avsaragova (3-0) vs. Gabriella Gulfin (2-2) Featherweight Bout: Johnny Soto (4-1) vs. Adil Benjilany (5-3, 1 NC) *Card subject to change.
For more information on upcoming BELLATOR MMA events, visit BELLATOR.com.
