Italy’s Michele Martignoni made a victorious start to life on the Cage Warriors roster with a come-from-behind decision victory over the dangerous Weslley Maia.

The two bantamweights were expected to bring the action, and they didn’t disappoint in an all-action first round. Maia (6-4) started out the aggressor and pushed the pace on Martignoni (6-0) early. Both men clearly had a lot of respect for each other’s power, but it was Maia who seemed more willing to step into range and let fly with his strikes.

The Italian newcomer briefly enjoyed some success with a sharp left-hook counter after a leg kick from Maia, but the England-based Brazilian followed up and put his man on the deck with a straight left hand. With his corner, led by Brad Pickett, imploring him to push forward, Maia once again sent Martignoni to the canvas, then followed up with a jumping knee after the Italian bounced back up.

The pair exchanged pleasantries at the end of the round, with Maia throwing his opposite number a knowing wink before returning to his corner.

Maia then surprised Martignoni at the start of Round 2 by changing levels and scoring an early takedown. The Italian attempted to counter with an armbar attempt, but Maia muscled through it and established top control, with Martignoni trapped against the fence.

The action eventually returned to the feet, and Martignoni returned the favor as he landed a takedown of his own. He then moved to mount and rained down punches and elbows on Maia before switching to the Brazilian’s back and locking up a rear-naked choke. Maia fought the hands and managed to release the hold to survive the round.

With the fight hanging in the balance, Martignoni landed a crucial takedown at the start of Round 3 and set to work chasing a submission. He moved to Maia’s back and, with his own back on the mat, calmly looked to distract the Brazilian with punches to open up the opportunity to lock up a choke.

Maia hung tough and did well to stay out of trouble, and eventually escaped the predicament and attempted a reverse-triangle choke. However, Martignoni easily escaped and finished the final round on to pull out a come-from-behind win on the scorecards.

All three judges scored it 29-28 to the Italian, who remains undefeated.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/cage-warriors-117-live-results

By MMA Junkie Staff
December 10, 2020 6:00 pm

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Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-256-gavin-tucker-happy-long-awaited-billy-quarantillo-fight

Having missed most of 2019, middleweight Romero Cotton was looking to have a better year in 2020 when the novel coronavirus ended up placing him on the shelf for most of the year again.

Throughout it all Cotton remained as patient as he could, and finally following over a year since his last fight he’ll be able to step in the cage again soon to fight.

“It’s been crazy,” Cotton told MMAWeekly.com. “When this whole pandemic stuff hit I was at the Mohegan Sun (for Bellator 241) getting ready to fight. March 14, the same day everybody’s life changed, we had to jump on a plane, get back home, and had no clue when we’d be fighting again.

“They told me it would be soon, and it looked like July, then the pandemic kept going. Other fighters on the roster need to get paid and feed their families too, so now it’s just our turn, and we’re ready to go.”

During the past year Cotton has taken every opportunity to train, and he believes he’ll be an improved fighter the next time he steps into the cage compared to the last time.

“I’m still early in my career so every day that I’m able to get in the gym with my coach I’m able to thrive and grow,” said Cotton. “I’ve been eating well. I’ve been making sure my cardio is good. I’ve definitely grown a lot as a fighter in eight months in general. Because of the pandemic I’ve been able to work on my game.”

On Thursday in Uncasville, Conn., Cotton (4-0) puts his undefeated record on the line when he takes on Justin Sumter (7-3) in a Bellator 254 middleweight preliminary bout.

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“I’ve got to be myself,” Cotton said. “I’ve grown a lot as a fighter and a competitor. I’ve got to do my thing. I’ve got to go out and be mean. I’ve got to get my hands on (Sumter). I’ve got to throw my ones and twos. I’ve got to be myself.

“He’s a competitor and has been in this game a long time – he was doing this back when I was in high school – he’s a savvy vet and he’s going to come out to fight, and I’m going to have to fight him.”

With the last two years having only produced one fight so far for Cotton, he’s not going to begin putting stock into 2021 until after his bout with Sumter is over.

“We’ve just got to focus on this fight,” said Cotton. “We’ve had this fight twice and it’s been off twice. We’ve just got to make sure we get there and get in the cage. I’m not even at all thinking about 2021, but if we can get into the cage this (fight) then 2021 is going to be a big year for me.”

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/romero-cotton-just-has-to-be-mean-at-bellator-254

Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson has long been one of the top fighters in the UFC lightweight division. He’s won The Ultimate Fighter. He’s held the interim lightweight title. Prior to losing to Justin Gaethje in May, he was on a 12-fight winning streak.

So why hasn’t he gotten a shot at the undisputed UFC lightweight championship? And why did it take so long to line up an opponent and get him back in the Octagon?

Ferguson addressed the UFC title and took some shots at the fighters that he says have avoided him, including lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former titleholder Conor McGregor.

Ferguson says that Charles Oliveira, whom he faces at UFC 256 on Saturday in Las Vegas, “is the only game opponent that wanted to fight.”

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/tony-ferguson-brushes-off-ufc-title-rips-on-conor-mcgregor-and-khabib-nurmagomedov

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – For months, Bellator president Scott Coker has repeated his claim Bellator has the best light heavyweight division in MMA.

That can certainly be debated, but Wednesday, Coker added another notable name to his 205-pound division in a move that surprised the masses when Bellator signed Anthony Johnson to its light heavyweight roster.

“I’m very excited to have him on board here,” Coker told MMA Junkie after the Bellator 254 weigh-ins. “Here’s this guy that always will bring it. I’ve never seen him in a boring fight. It’s been, what? Two or three years since he’s fought? I think we’re going to get a brand new A.J., but his fighting style is something I’ve always respected and really enjoyed watching.

“When you get a fighter like that, of that quality, with a lot of upside, (and) you put him in our 205-pound weight class, it’s the best 205-pound weight class on the planet. To me, he’s just going to add a lot of great fights in that division. I’m looking forward to getting him in there and just start mixing it up and let these guys fight it out.”

Johnson has not competed since April 2017 but has remained visible in the combat sports spotlight. As a Bare Knuckle FC rep, Johnson made appearances at the promotion’s events appearing bulked up. Upon the revelation he would return to MMA, Johnson had hinted at a move to heavyweight.

While Bellator is open to having him competing in multiple weight classes, Johnson’s immediate future is at 205 pounds, according to Coker.

“I think if you see pictures of him recently, they said he’s going to be comfortable at 205,” Coker said. “If he wants to fight at heavyweight, we’ll give him that opportunity as well. I think at 205, we have some great matchups for him. We’re going to let them all ‘rumble’ it out.”

Coker didn’t give a timeline for Johnson’s debut but indicated it won’t be for a title. Given the layoff, Johnson needs to shake off the rust before he gets a title shot, per his new boss.

“He’s probably going to want to fight a couple of fights because he hasn’t been fighting,” Coker said. “To me, I think that (first there will be) a couple of fights. Then, the sky is the limit.”

Bellator returns Thursday with Bellator 254 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card streams on CBS Sports Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/mma-news-scott-coker-bellator-anthony-rumble-johnson-plan