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PFL vs. Bellator Champs: Pros praise ‘young GOAT’ McKee for Round 1 submission win

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Santi
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A.J. McKee made a mark after securing his win via submission in the first round of his bout against Clay Collard at PFL vs. Bellator Champs this Saturday. Needless to say, the fighter not only impressed fans but also pros in the industry.

From the very start of the match, “Mercenary” already made it known that making a finish was his aim. After the bout opened, the fighter immediately attempted a guillotine, but Collard managed to escape. This, nonetheless, didn’t deter the Bellator fighter from his plan, and he proceeded to do a triangle attempt and then added an armbar. After being fully secured in McKee’s control, Collard was left without a choice but to tap.

The victory not only extended McKee’s winning streak to four fights but also allowed him to earn the respect of the professionals in the sport. After witnessing the performance, which happened within 70 seconds, fellow fighters sent their praises for the former Bellator featherweight champ.

Albazi: Royval, Moreno ‘looked horrible’ at UFC Mexico City

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Santi
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Amir Albazi, who was supposed to fight in the main event of UFC Fight Night 237, expressed his disappointment over the performance of Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno.

Albazi was Moreno’s original opponent in the headline match but had to withdraw due to his neck injury. This allowed Royval to enter the scene and step in to replace him in the bout. Fortunately for “Raw Dawg,” it was the right decision. After an eventful fight filled with shot trades between him and Moreno, judges gave the split decision win to him.

Albazi, nonetheless, is not impressed with the performance of both fighters in the cage. In his latest post on X, the Iraqi fighter said the two “looked horrible,” ultimately suggesting he would like to challenge any of the two fighters “soon.”

Albazi is currently ranked as UFC flyweight’s No. 2 fighter and continues to hope to get the title shot against division champ Alexandre Pantoja. However, after coming back to the winning streak, Royval has likely entered the title conversation again. UFC CEO Dana White, nonetheless, still hasn’t shared details on who will be the next challenger of “The Cannibal,” who seems to be interested in joining the Rio de Janeiro card on May 4.

Royval gets back to winning column after split decision win over Moreno at UFC Mexico City

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Santi
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After losing to snatch the belt from Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, Brandon Royval came back to cement his claim to the title shot again.

Royval faced Brandon Moreno in the main event bout of UFC Fight Night 237 on Saturday. Moreno was originally set to face Amir Albazi, but the fighter had to withdraw, allowing “Raw Dawg” to step in as a replacement. Fortunately for him, despite Moreno showing little excitement in taking the fight, it ended up as the right decision for Royval.

The first round of the match was not entirely exciting, with the first minutes being dry and even the referee asking both to start throwing attacks. After this, the two began trading shots and kicks, with Moreno seemingly dominating the round.

This continued in the second round for “The Assassin Baby,” but Royval started being aggressive in the third, especially in throwing kicks. Royval brought the same energy in the fourth, and although Moreno tried to send attacks continuously, the opponent made more remarkable points in the round.

In the last round, Moreno ended up clinching with Royval after landing several shots at the opponent. After being separated, Moreno threw an overhand right, but Royval responded with more attacks. More tried to appear active in the cage by sending big shots, but in terms of volume, Royval definitely stood out. In the end, the judges gave the fight the scores of 48-47, 46-49, and 48-47, which favored Royval.

The result has derailed Moreno’s plan. Prior to the loss, the fighter was anticipating that he would be the one to challenge Pantoja for the flyweight belt. However, with the defeat, the fighter also probably lost the shot to Royval. Nonetheless, UFC CEO Dana White still hasn’t confirmed any decision about this. The only thing that seems to be certain now is the champ’s intention to join the UFC Rio de Janeiro card on May 4.

Ortega gets even with Rodriguez after submission win despite injury

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Santi
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UFC Fight Night 237 was really Brian Ortega’s night. Not only did the fighter avenge his 2022 loss to Yair Rodriguez, but he also won via submission despite enduring a twisted ankle while inside the cage.

It was a long night for Ortega as his win only came in Round 3 of the match. However, even from the start of the bout, many, including pros, already noticed that there was something wrong with the fighter’s leg, especially after he hopped only using one. Despite this, “T-City” surprisingly dominated the second round of the fight by mounting Rodriguez.

The position happened again in the third round, but the fighter ensured his battle would end with a finish. As such, the featherweight’s current No. 4 fighter performed an arm-triangle choke, pushing the opponent to tap at the 0:58 mark of the round, albeit Ortega made the release longer than expected.

This has brought Ortega back to the winning column after earlier losing to Alexander Volkanovski and Rodriguez in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Even more, the comeback victory allowed the fighter to get the promotion’s extra $50,000 bonus.

Ferreira impresses Ngannou after fast TKO win over Bader

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Santi
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Renan Ferreira not only won over Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator Champs this weekend; he also made an incredibly quick TKO win, which impressed Francis Ngannou.

Ferreira faced Bader this Saturday in Saudi Arabia for the champs versus champs event of their promotions. The fighter didn’t disappoint after making a quick TKO win over the opponent within the first 21 seconds of their fight. The match started with the 2023 PFL heavyweight champ sending a right hand that caused Bader to fall to the ground. With this, Ferreira saw his opportunity and secured his position by pouring the opponent with shots before the referee intervened and stopped the match.

The win sent the crowd into a frenzy, with Ngonnou, who was watching cage-side, was seen laughing and apparently impressed with the quick fight. After that, Ferreira took his chance to call out “The Predator.”

“Francis, where you at?” Ferreira said via an interpreter. “I’m waiting for you. Let’s do this. I’m the champion out here!”

The result favored Ngannou’s preference after his coach, Eric Nicksick, recently revealed that the MMA fighter/boxer is more intrigued by Ferreira than Bader. This has ultimately secured Ferreira’s shot against Ngannou, especially after the PFL earlier announced that the winner of the match will be facing the Cameroonian-French, who agreed with the arrangement. However, while this has already been confirmed, Ngannou noted that when he would return remains unknown as he is currently preparing for his next boxing match, which will be against Anthony Joshua.

PFL vs. Bellator Champs: Eblen survives Kasanganay after split decision win

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Santi
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Johnny Eblen had a challenging fight against Impa Kasanganay but still managed to get out of the cage as the victor through a split decision win.

The Bellator middleweight champ faced Kasanganay this Saturday at the PFL vs. Bellator Champs event in Saudi Arabia. Prior to the fight, “Pressure” tried to downplay the possibility of Kasanganay as a tough opponent and anticipated a finish. However, the match lasted longer than expected.

The bout started with the two trading strikes. Eblen tried to introduce wrestling, but Kasanganay brought it back to the standing fight and even delivered a variety of attacks.

The second opened as a dangerous game for Eblen. Despite starting aggressively, Kasanganay sent back punches that caused Eblen to fall to the ground. When he got up, Eblen tried for another takedown and gave the PFL fighter some ground and pound.

Thankfully for Eblen, the odds continued to favor him in the last few minutes of the fight. After some pressure, the fighter managed to bring Kasanganay down again in hopes of a rear-naked choke. However, the planned submission didn’t happen, with the judges instead giving the scores of 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28.

Jackson eying Doumbe after TKO win over Cooper III at PFL vs. Bellator Champs

By
Santi
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Jason Jackson already has a name on his target board after he sent Ray Cooper III to a TKO loss at the PFL vs. Bellator Champs event — Cedric Doumbe.

Jackson collected another win on his record after making a fast win over Cooper III in the second round of the bout this weekend. The fighter was supposed to originally meet Magomed Magomedkerimo, who withdrew from the match. Cooper III stepped in as a replacement, but the move, unfortunately, didn’t end well for the PFL fighter.

The two fighters had an interesting fight in the first round of the match, with Cooper III starting aggressively. However, after receiving bruises through leg kicks from Jackson, the PFL fighter started to slow down. Cooper III aimed for a takedown, but it was not successful. When Jackson attempted the move, however, the round was concluded with him dominating the last seconds.

In the second round, Jackson didn’t waste more time and released a punch that sent the opponent to the ground. To ensure his win, Jackson followed it with more punches as Cooper III remained in the position. The referee then decided to intervene and stop the fight.

With this victory, Jackson immediately called out Cedric Doumbe, who is expected to participate at PFL Europe in March.

PFL vs. Bellator Champs: Nemkov enters heavyweight with submission win over Cappelozza

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Santi
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Vadim Nemkov is now officially a heavyweight after vacating his Bellator light heavyweight gold. Fortunately for him, his entrance into the new division was a success after he managed to sleep Bruno Cappelozza through an arm triangle during the PFL vs. Bellator Champs event.

Nemkov put on one of the most entertaining performances tonight after managing to put down his opponent via a technical submission. The first round was spent with exchanges of strikes from both sides, but Cappelozza managed to wobble Nemkov through a right hand. Later, however, the Russian Bellator fighter delivered a takedown and performed the arm triangle, which effectively took away Cappelozza’s consciousness.

This marks Nemkov’s successful heavyweight entrance, extending his winning streak to 12 fights. After taking home the Super Belt from the event, it is unknown what fight will be next for Nemkov. Yet, in his earlier interview, the fighter expressed interest in fighting the winner of the Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader and then facing Francis Ngannou. However, PFL announced that it would be putting “The Predator” against the winner of the said bout, which, after tonight’s event, ended up as Ferreira.

Shields bounces back after split decision win over DeSantis: ‘Almost got my arm snapped’

By
Santi
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Claressa Shields is back in the winning column after defeating Kelsey DeSantis at the PFL vs. Bellator Champs in Saudi Arabia this weekend. However, it was a narrow escape from a loss after the boxer/MMA fighter won via a split decision. According to the fighter, she “almost” experienced a snapped arm during the fight due to an armbar.

The decision is not entirely surprising as both fighters made their respective moments during the bouts. In the first round, Shields entered the cage strong by sending an overhand right and a combination immediately. However, DeSantis managed to deliver several takedowns across the different rounds, albeit the opponent was able to survive and escape them. By the third round, DeSantis had full control through a full mount on the boxer, but the bell saved Shields.

In the end, the victory was given to Shields, who now has a 2-1 record in her MMA career. Despite ending the fight with a split decision, the fighter is appreciative of her win, admitting that the transition to MMA is a challenge.

“I had such a hard camp,” shared Shields in her post-fight interview inside the cage. “It’s not easy what I’m trying to do [juggling boxing and MMA], and I’ve been so respectful of the sport. I put in a lot of hard work for this, and I’m gonna go back to the gym and work harder. I almost got my arm snapped in the freakin’ armbar and had to get out of that.”

It is unknown what will be next for Shields, but talks about a boxing match against Cris Cyborg has been going on for a while now. Recently, the two even tried to negotiate the weight of the bout in an unofficial meeting, but no agreement was reached.

Pico avenges 2019 loss to Corrales via a first-round TKO at PFL vs. Bellator Champs

By
Santi
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0

Aaron Pico has finally redeemed himself after losing to Henry Corrales back in 2019 at Bellator 214. Tonight at the PFL vs. Bellator Champs event, the two met again, and Pico made sure to avenge his loss by securing a brutal TKO win over the opponent.

Pico was supposed to face Gabriel Braga in the event, but PFL made a shuffle in the card after Patricio Freire lost his opponent. Later, Pico was set against Corrales, making the fight a rematch between the two. Fortunately for Pico, it was the perfect opportunity.

This Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, Pico gave his all in the first round to secure the victory. The fighter started strong by sending a handful of strikes and wrestling with the opponent. The moves were apparently effective as they allowed the fighters to follow them with vicious elbows. This ultimately left Corraless without a choice but to cover himself as the fighter continued his blows, prompting the referee to intervene and stop the match.

The latest win has extended Pico’s winning streak to three fights after earlier winning over Pedro Carvalho and James Gonzales in 2023. It has also boosted his TKO/KO win to nine and, ultimately, his record to 13-4.

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