Bellator lightweight and featherweight champion Patricio Freire has a date for his next fight: a defense of his latter title belt against Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 255.

And while that April 2 bout was officially announced at Bellator’s Tuesday news conference, another major item seems to have caught his attention: Bellator’s new partnership with Showtime, which kicks off with “Pitbull’s” card at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Freire doesn’t just see big things for Bellator with the new Showtime deal. He sees the potential for crossover fights, too. Specifically, Showtime-promoted boxing star Adrien Broner.

“I like that we can put Bellator in this division,” Freire said in Portuguese through a translator. “And also we can do a boxing match. I’m looking for that, too. I can beat that (expletive).”

Broner has held titles in four different weight classes. And while Freire has proven to be a belt collector himself, he says a potential boxing match isn’t about collecting gold, but just the challenge in and of itself.

“I like challenges. In boxing, you have someone who is good, I want to fight him,” Freire said. “I don’t care about the titles. I care about the challenges. I put myself in a dangerous (situation) and take care of that.”

Any chance of “Pitbull” engaging in a big boxing match is long down the road, at best. And in the meantime, he’s got quite the challenge ahead of him in the Bellator featherweight grand prix semifinals.

Freire and Sanchez already have met once, and Sanchez gave “Pitbull” one of the toughest fights of his career before falling by unanimous decision at Bellator 209.

Perhaps that’s why Freire hasn’t made a grudge match out of this like he does for most of his bouts, including his last fight against Pedro Carvalho or the one he’s trying to cook up with Broner. Sanchez and “Pitbull” have earned one another’s respect as they vie to meet A.J. McKee in the final.

“Pedro is a young man. He got the loss, now he’s going to make himself a better fighter,” Freire said. “I know he’s a good boy. So with Sanchez, I fought him and I know he knows it was a war, so that’s why we have a respect for each other.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/bellator-patricio-freire-would-like-adrien-broner-boxing-match

(Editor’s note: This story originally published at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network.)

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Authorities have charged a sixth person in the July 2017 home invasion and fatal shooting of mixed martial arts fighter Aaron Rajman west of Boca Raton.

Alton Anders, 31, was ordered to remain in jail without bail after his first appearance in court before Circuit Judge Charles Burton on Tuesday morning, according to court records.

It’s unclear how Anders, who was arrested Monday, is connected to the homicide. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office did not release any further information.

Investigators say a group of individuals went into Rajman’s home, in a neighborhood south of Palmetto Park Road between State Road 7 and Lyons Road, at about 10:30 p.m. July 3, 2017. A fight broke out and Rajman was fatally shot.

It’s unclear who shot the 25-year-old. Family and friends said Rajman was a “kind, gentle” person who didn’t have any enemies and was one of only a few Orthodox Jews in the MMA arena.

Summer Church, Jace Swinton, Roberto Ortiz, Austin Baker and Cameron Burgess-Clark also have been arrested in connection to the homicide.

The indictments allege Church, Swinton and Ortiz stole swords, marijuana, a scale, narcotics and money in what is believed to be a targeted home invasion.

Aaron Rajman, left, during one of his fights. (File photo)

Church and Swinton, who were arrested in 2017, took pleas in their cases. Teens at the time of the shooting, they pleaded guilty in 2019 to the lesser charge of second-degree murder and were sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation.

Ortiz’s case has yet to reach a conclusion. He was arrested in 2017 and is scheduled to be in court for a status check in March. Most jury trials and hearings have been on hold since March 2020 as the courts, along with other government entities and businesses, closed in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Baker was serving a prison sentence for burglary when a grand jury charged him in 2019. His case remains open.

In an August motion from his lawyer, Public Defender Carey Haughwout, and in a December letter he wrote to Circuit Judge Rosemarie Scher, Baker said the only evidence against him are the words of of Church and Swinton, who took pleas in exchange for their testimony.

Investigators have not released how Baker is connected to the homicide.

Burgess-Clark’s case also remains open. It’s also unclear how he is connected to the alleged crime.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/aaron-rajman-2017-shooting-death-sixth-suspect-arrested

Fabricio Werdum, Mohammed Usman headline pursuit of Heavyweight Champion Ali Isaev; Kayla Harrison, Larissa Pacheco star in Women’s Lightweight division

NEW YORK (Feb. 9, 2021) –The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league in the world, today announced its heavyweight and women’s lightweight rosters for the 2021 Regular Season, with Ali Isaev (heavyweight) and Kayla Harrison (women’s lightweight) both kicking off their campaigns to repeat as PFL champions on May 6. The new PFL season begins April 23 and events throughout the season will be on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes in primetime.

Isaev’s miraculous comeback in the semifinals against Denis Goltsov propelled him to gold in 2019. While Goltsov returns for another crack at the PFL strap, he will also have to contend with one of the greatest heavyweights to ever compete in MMA. Former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum will be the big favorite heading into the 2021 season, but he is far from the only challenger in the division. Mohammed Usman, brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, has his sights set on adding to the family’s legacy in the sport of MMA.

They will be joined by highly-ranked Justin Willis, Ante Delija, 6-foot-8 giant Renan Ferreira, Hatef Moeil, Bruno Cappelozza and U.S. Army combative instructor Brandon Sayles.

Harrison will once again be the marquee name in the women’s lightweight division, but joining her and 2019 runner-up Larissa Pacheco will be an upgraded cast looking to give the two-time Olympian a run for this year’s PFL title. Highly-regarded Belgian judoka Cindy Dandois, returning striking expert Genah Fabian and undefeated Laura Sanchez are a few of the athletes poised to test Harrison as she continues her ascension to the peak of the MMA world.

Newcomers Mariana Morais, who earned her spot via the 2020 Brazilian International Qualifier Series, Olena Kolesnyk and Julija Pajic complete the division’s roster.

“Our fighters continue to showcase their smarts, grit and bold personalities as we get closer and closer to the season, and we are excited to support them in their journeys with the PFL,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “Each fighter has his or her own unique journey and we are confident the PFL will provide them and our fans with ample opportunity for exciting matchups making it a great season.”

“Everyone loves to see the big boys go out and sling the heavy leather,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations, Ray Sefo. “As a former heavyweight I’m no different. I’m also very excited to see our women’s division kick off their season. We’ve brought in the best talent in the world to challenge Kayla and Larissa and it will be an even more challenging season for these very talented athletes.”

The 2021 Heavyweight (265 lbs.) roster includes:

• Bruno Cappelozza
• Ante Delija
• Renan Ferreira
• Denis Goltsov
• Ali Isaev
• Hatef Moeil
• Brandon Sayles
• Mohammed Usman
• Justin Willis
• Fabricio Werdum

The 2021 Women’s Lightweight (155 lbs.) roster includes:

• Cindy Dandois
• Genah Fabian
• Kayla Harrison
• Olena Kolesnyk
• Mariana Morais
• Larissa Pacheco
• Julija Pajic
• Laura Sanchez

The 2021 PFL Season will begin April 23 on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in primetime. The remaining Regular Season events will take place on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17, and June 25.

TRENDING Frankie Edgar issues statement of resolve following UFC Vegas 18 loss

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/pfl-unveils-2021-heavyweight-and-womens-lightweight-rosters

Welterweight champ Kamaru Usman watches fights at Justin Gaethje’s home. Title challenger Gilbert Burns takes in his kids’ wrestling class. Ian Heinisch stays healthy with PT; his opponent Kelvin Gastelum gets a supportive sendoff from his home gym.

UFC 258 Embedded features the fighter from Saturday’s pay-per-view event at The Apex in Las Vegas, where welterweight champion Kamaru Usman puts his belt on the line against former teammate Gilbert Burns in the main event.

(Video courtesy of UFC)

TRENDING Frankie Edgar issues statement of resolve following UFC Vegas 18 loss

UFC Fallout: Cory Sandhagen steals the show at UFC Vegas 18

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-258-embedded-kamaru-usman-and-justin-gaethje-watch-cory-sandhagens-savage-knee-knockout

UFC 258 is down a fight, and COVID-19 is the reported culprit.

A bantamweight bout between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera has been pulled from the card due to a positive coronavirus test result by one of the competitors, who was not identified.

MMA Fighting initially reported the news Tuesday. Both UFC.com and UFC promotional partner ESPN have since yanked the bout from their UFC 258 lineup pages.

The fight is expected to rescheduled as soon as possible.

An 140-pound catchweight fight between Andre Ewell and Chris Gutierrez, which had been originally moved from UFC Fight Night 184 to the UFC 258 prelims, has now been bumped up to the main card.

UFC 258 will he be held Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will be headlined by welterweight champion Kamaru Usman’s title defense against Gilbert Burns.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-258-pedro-munhoz-vs-jimmie-rivera-pulled-reported-covid-positive