While it might not make quite the waves of some of the promotion’s other recent signings, Bellator has inked another notable light heavyweight.

MMA Junkie today learned that Bellator has added Absolute Championship Akhmat light heavyweight champion Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov to its 205-pound roster. Promotion officials confirmed the exclusive, multi-fight deal, though terms of the contract were not provided.

A Turkmenistan native, Yagshimuradov (18-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) brings an eight-fight winning streak with him to Bellator. Fighting professionally since 2012, Yagshimuradov saw action most recently in December 2019, scoring a five-round decision win over Alexey Butorin for his second consecutive defense of the ACA title.

The 31-year-old is a proven finisher, with 15 of his career wins coming by stoppage, including 11 by knockout. Ten of his wins have come in the first round, including a 74-second knockout of four-time UFC veteran Joachim Christensen in 2017.

Yagshimuradov joins a division currently ruled by Russian champion Vadim Nemkov that recently added such high-profile names as Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson. Bellator officials did not reveal when he is expected to make his promotional debut.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/bellator-signs-aca-light-heavyweight-champion-dovletdzhan-yagshimuradov

The old adage says that a change is as good as a rest and, for Anthony Pettis, a change of scenery might be just the ticket for a fighter who has nothing left to prove in the UFC.

He’s made it clear he wants to return to 155 pounds and make a run at a title, but with the UFC’s lightweight title picture looking pretty crowded heading into 2021, Pettis may be better served looking to pastures new for his latest title tilt.

Pettis has fought in three organizations in his 34-fight career – UFC, WEC and Gladiator Cage Fighting – and he’s won titles in each of them. So why not try to add another promotion’s strap to the trophy cabinet?

ONE Championship would arguably offer the quickest route to a major title, but all the stars seem aligned for Pettis to follow his younger brother Sergio to the Bellator cage in 2021. The Bellator lightweight division is wide open, but it also offers him the chance to renew his rivalry with the man who brought out the best in him during his WEC and UFC days, Benson Henderson.

I’m sure Bellator would happily accommodate Pettis if he wanted to fight across two weight classes, too, which would open up some mouth-watering possibilities at welterweight, as well as lightweight. Just think, in addition to a possible trilogy fight with Henderson, there could also be the potential for crowd-pleasing clashes with fellow spectacular strikers Raymond Daniels and Michael Page at 170 pounds.

Whether Pettis is looking for a fresh challenge, a run at a title, the flexibility to fight across weight classes, the prospect of some big-ticket matchups against exciting opposition, or all of the above, Bellator certainly seems like the perfect next step for “Showtime.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/anthony-pettis-free-agent-future-ufc-contract-bellator-pfl-triple-take

The UFC women’s featherweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Megan Anderson has been rebooked for UFC 259 on March 6, according to UFC broadcast partner ESPN.

Nunes originally planned to put her 145-pound title on the line against Anderson at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, the promotion’s final pay-per-view of 2020. The bout was initially supposed to be part of a three-championship-bout tripleheader alongside Kamaru Usman defending his welterweight belt against Gilbert Burns and bantamweight champ Petr Yan facing Aljamain Sterling.

Usman withdrew because he wasn’t physically ready. Nunes followed a short time later, withdrawing because of an undisclosed injury in early November.

The Yan vs. Sterling bout slipped through the cracks as well, leaving UFC 256 to be headlined by flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno, both of whom made a quick return after having won separate bouts at UFC 255 three weeks earlier.

Nunes is currently on an 11-bout winning streak, which includes winning and defending the women’s bantamweight and featherweight championships. She most recently fought in June, when she dominated Felicia Spencer en route to a unanimous-decision victory.

On Sept. 24, Nunes and wife Nina Ansaroff, also a UFC fighter, welcomed the arrival of their first child, Raegan Ann Nunes.

Having vacated the Invicta FC featherweight championship to join the UFC ranks in 2018, Anderson has faced a rocky road in the Octagon.

She lost to Holly Holm in her UFC debut, rebounded with a win over Cat Zingano in her next bout, but lost to Spencer in her third trip to the cage. Anderson enters the fight with Nunes on the heels of back-to-back victories over Zarah Fairn Dos Santos and Norma Dumont Viana.

Nina Ansaroff vs. Mackenzie Dern expected in April

Ansaroff is expected to fight for the first time since giving birth to Raegan in September, when she squares off with Mackenzie Dern on April 10. The bout hasn’t been signed, but has reportedly been agreed to, according to ESPN‘s sources.

TRENDING Anthony Pettis plans to move back to lightweight, wants to fight Tony Ferguson next

UFC 256: Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno Recap

(Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/amanda-nunes-vs-megan-anderson-rebooked-for-ufc-259

Geoff Neal may have wound up on the wrong end of a decision in his UFC Vegas 17 headliner opposite Stephen Thompson on Saturday night, but he was proud of just having been able to compete none the less.

Thompson dominated the fight, earning 50-45 scores from all three judges, but that didn’t deter Neal’s resolve.

Neal says he lost three cornermen, including his main corner, to COVID-19 en route to the fight. He also admitted to not being about to see out of his left eye for the vast majority of the bout.

Neal insists he wasn’t making excuses, just relaying the adversity that he had to overcome simply to fight. He still gave credit to Thompson for being “good as f—.”

TRENDING Anthony Pettis plans to move back to lightweight, wants to fight Tony Ferguson next

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/geoff-neal-overcame-adversity-including-losing-3-corners-to-covid-in-ufc-vegas-17-loss

LAS VEGAS – Michel Pereira beat Khaos Williams with a unanimous decision Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 183 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Pereira, who picked up his first decision win in a little more than three years and called out a new free agent who also got a big win at the event.

Michel Pereira vs. Khaos Williams

Result: Michel Pereira def. Khaos Williams via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Pereira (25-11 MMA, 3-2 UFC), Williams (11-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
Key stat: Williams won a close striking battle 62-56, but Pereira landed a pair of key takedowns.

Pereira on the fight’s key moment

“I tried to stay safe because I thought my opponent was going to come forward more. He was waiting too much to try and get the perfect punch. So I tried to be more technical and go with the strategy to make sure I would win and not give him a lot of space to capitalize on my errors. If I made a mistake, he would probably capitalize on it.”

They go the distance! Who would’ve thought?! 😳

Razor-thin decision coming up – how’d you see it? 📝 #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/2Z0Bgu27QZ

— UFC (@ufc) December 20, 2020

Pereira on his game plan

“I came into this fight with a strategy. I knew my opponent was very dangerous, so I tried to come with a better strategy. I knew I was winning, so I tried to keep the pace to get the ‘W.’”

Watch out for that Khaos blitz! ⚡️ #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/miIaXwEWrq

— UFC (@ufc) December 20, 2020

Pereira on what he wants next

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 19: (R-L) Khaos Williams punches Michel Pereira of Brazil in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)

“I said (I want to fight free agent) Anthony Pettis because the UFC offered me a fight with Anthony Pettis and Anthony Pettis said no. That’s the fight I want right now. I want to say to Anthony Pettis if he wants to fight, I am ready.”

To hear more from Pereira, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

Breaking, Michel Pereira, UFC Fight Night 183, video, News, UFC, Videos

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/michel-pereira-callout-anthony-pettis-free-agent-ufc-fight-night-183-video