Bridgeport, CT – Nick Newell was overcome with emotions after a monumental accomplishment at Bellator 225. While he did fight in WSOF, Newell’s bout in Bellator was his first in a bonafide top promotion. The lightweight fought back tears to explain what the win meant to him.

“Definitely the biggest fight of my career. I trying to really hold back the emotion. I might start crying. Sometimes it’s not a big deal to a lot of people but I’ve come a really long way,” Newell paused to hold back tears, then continued, “I have won a lot of fights, and I have lost and I’ve been counted out. I’ve been saying that all I want to do is fight in the big leagues. All I want is an opportunity. I’ve had opportunities and I’ve failed. But I kept working. I kept grinding. I stayed the course, I didn’t quit. I told myself I wasn’t good enough at times and my team lifted me back up. My family lifted me back up.”

Newell was desperate for this opportunity and stayed dedicated to achieving his goal. The offer came and Newell jumped all over it.

“I don’t do anything but this. For some people, this is a hobby. They go out and party. I’m a family man, and I work towards my goal of being the best fighter in the world. Whether or not I become the best fighter in the world, we won’t know unless I try my hardest. If you quit, that’s never going to happen. I stuck with it. I begged Bellator for this opportunity, literally begging them. Tweeting them nonstop. And thank you, Rich Chou, for the opportunity.”

Nick Newell had a tough task in the form of Corey Browning, who had defeated two Bellator prospects in Baby Slice and Aaron Chalmers. Browning was unable to add another big name to his list as Newell won by first-round arm triangle.

“I fought a guy that maybe wasn’t the most intimidating looking guy. But I’m not the most intimidating looking guy. One thing I learned in life is to never judge a book by its cover. This man was a very dangerous opponent. 2-0 in the Bellator cage against two of their prospects. Two guys that they’re really trying to build up. They put him against me and I took him out in the first round. I did what my team said I would do. I don’t like to talk about what I’m going to do. I don’t like to be vocal a lot. I like to train hard and be confident and go out there and show you what I’m capable of. My team told me exactly what was going to happen and it did. I’ve been with them for 15 years and we have a great thing going on.”

Check out the rest of Nick Newell’s Bellator 225 post-fight scrum above!

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Bridgeport, CT – Ricky Bandejas went through the gauntlet since joining Bellator, defeating James Gallagher in his debut, then falling to top contender Juan Archuleta and top prospect Patrick Mix. He went into Bellator 225 needing a win, and took out Ahmet Kayretli impressively with a KO in the first round.

“I felt good. I trained really hard for this one and it meant a lot to get that win. Especially in that fashion. I knew he comes in wild like that and ducks his head and throws big punches so I was looking for knees, teeps, a quick right hand and it worked out right to the gameplan.”

Bandejas isn’t paid by the minute and win or loss, he’s been getting out of there quickly, which can help make him more active.

“Happy to get a payday and a win, but my last fight was a minute and I lost and this one was a minute and I won so two fights in two minutes. Sounds pretty good to me. If Bellator lets me I’ll just fight. 10 to 15 times in a year. Every other week. As long as I can. So I do like staying active.”

While Bandejas has gained the reputation as a striker in recent fights, he actually comes from a wrestling base.

“It’s crazy my first 10 fights were all wrestling, all takedowns, for my whole amateur career. Recently, since I signed with Bellator, I’ve been knocking guys out. Wherever the fight goes. My plan was to take him down. Never had confidence [in my hands]. Probably still don’t have confidence. I can’t wait to get confidence in my hands.”

Check out the rest of Ricky Bandejas’ Bellator 225 post-fight scrum above!

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Bellator 225 delivered something completely unexpected on Saturday night in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The promotion’s first trip outside tribal land in the state was a deep card, with a better-than-average set of prelims, and a solid main card. On paper, it was good, not great. In the end, it was great bordering on brilliant.

Fourteen fights, fourteen finishes. That’s all you really need to know about Bellator 225. But if you look a little closer, you’ll find the middleweight debut of Austin Vanderford promising to strong future for ‘Mr. VanZant’ in the 185lb weight class. An upset of Mike Kimbel that proves the young prospect still has much to learn about patience, after he tried himself out hunting the finish. A record-setting heel hook submission for Aviv Gozali. The first career finish for Khonry Gracie, son of UFC legend Royce.

That was just on the preliminary card. Strong outings from Yaroslav Amosov, Tyrell Fortune, Alejandra Lara, Vitaly Minakov, and Sergei Kharitonov made up the main card. Really, it’s hard to find fault in an event with nothing but finishes. So instead, just check out the highlights in case you missed them, which can be found below!

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Bridgeport, CT — If there were any questions about Vitaly Minkaov following his February loss to Cheick Kongo, they were answered Saturday night at Bellator 225.

Minakov (22–1) took no time whatsoever in finishing off extremely short notice replacement Timothy Johnson in Bridgeport. The former UFC heavyweight was filling in for Javy Ayala, and found himself outmatched by the Russian. A kick to the body, a punishing jab, and some follow-up strikes, and Minakov had a first round finish.

So will the real Vitaly Minakov please stand up? After years away from the promotion, the former heavyweight champ returned at Bellator 216, only to drop a unanimous decision to Kongo, who he had defeated years earlier. In their rematch, Minakov looked tired. Rusty. Nothing like the fighter who showed up against Johnson.

“The issue is that before the Kongo fight, I got [an infection]. I was in hospital for one week, I lost like 10lbs in six days,” Minakov told reporters backstage, including Cageside Press. “Five days before the fight, I just get out from the hospital, so I was in bad condition, so that’s why in the fight, I lost.”

In comparison, “this camp went well. I prepare myself for a couple months, everything was great.”

Oddly enough, the one factor many thought could throw a wrench in the works for Minakov worked out in his favor. “It’s the second time that my opponent changed. Originally it was supposed to be Roy Nelson, then it switched to Javy Ayala,” he said.

“When I was preparing for this [two months ago], I was sparring with southpaw guys,” said Minakov. “The majority of the guys were southpaws. So I was a little bit scared, because I was fighting with orthodox guys, but I was sparring with southpaws.” As it turns out, Johnson is a southpaw.

As for getting the Ayala and even Nelson fights back, Minakov was indifferent. “Doesn’t really matter, I don’t care. Whoever Bellator put in front of me, I will fight him. But the most important thing for me is to get the title shot as soon as possible.”

As for when a shot at his former belt might come, “it’s up to the Bellator organization,” the heavyweight answered, “but I feel like a couple more fights will put me in the title shot.”

In the meantime, there’s no cause for celebration just yet, said Vitaly Minakov. “I wasn’t really upset after the Kongo fight. It is what it is. For now I’m not going to celebrate anything, because it’s just a regular fight. It’s another step to get the title. I will celebrate when I get the title.”

Watch the full Bellator 225 post-fight press scrum with Vitaly Minakov above!

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Bridgeport, CT — Sergei Kharitonov got his revenge on Saturday. While his relationship with Matt Mitrione has appeared to remain affable despite ‘Meathead’ ending their first fight in seconds due to a low blow, the Russian veteran was no doubt looking to make a statement Saturday at Bellator 225. There, the pair met for the second time in 2019.

Kharitonov made his statement Saturday, finishing Mitrione in the main event, partway through the second round. It was a bizarre fight that saw Mitrione continually lose an ill-fitting mouthpiece. Eventually, he fell victim to one of Kharitonov’s attacks, punctuated with a knee and some heavy punches.

Bellator CEO Scott Coker had hinted the fight could have title picture implications heading in. That is all Kharitonov seemed focused on following the win. Speaking to reporters including Cageside Press backstage, Kharitonov was asked if he would prefer a rematch with Javy Ayala, who knocked him out a few years back, or a fight with legendary countryman Fedor Emilianenko.

“He wants the title fight,” his translator answered. So neither, then. The belt is held by Ryan Bader, who will defend the title against Cheick Kongo next month.

Mitrone’s mouthpiece was continually falling out throughout the fight, to the point that the referee warned him he’d lose a point should it happen again. It wasn’t something that annoyed Kharitonov, however. “No, nothing was frustrating me,” he said. “Everything went as planned. The only thing was, I planned to have the fight continue three rounds. But what happened happened.”

The fight appeared to shift when Kharitonov began targeting the body. It seemed like that might have been part of the game plan, and Kharitonov confirmed it was. “Yes, this was the plan,” he revealed. “Together with my coach, we planned to hit him in the body, that’s what I was training for.”

There was no apprehension about another low blow, despite Mitrione landing a number of kicks early, said Kharitonov. “No, No. Everything is fair. It’s a sport.”

As for Bader vs. Kongo, the hulking heavyweight has “no predictions, but if someone drops out, I’m ready to step in.”

After years spent kickboxing, boxing, and as a mixed martial artist, some have suggested that Kharitonov is a much improved fighter from the one who competed in PRIDE over a decade ago. Kharitonov, however, isn’t giving that much though.

“I was a kickboxer, boxer, but the only thing that interests me the most right now is a title fight,” he said. “That’s what motivates me.”

Watch the full Bellator 225 post-fight press conference with Sergei Kharitonov above!

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Bridgeport, CT — Bellator 225 could not have gone much better for former flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara. At Friday’s weigh-in in Bridgeport CT, Colombia’s Lara used her time in front of the cameras to speak out on the plight of the planet, and in particular the vast expanse of rain forest currently burning in the Amazon. Then, at the event Saturday, she picked up a first round TKO of Taylor Turner, in a fight that re-established ‘Azul’ as a fighter to watch in the promotion.

The win snapped a two-fight skid, and put Lara back in the spotlight. Whether or not you’d call it a perfect fight is another matter. But Lara, at least, found some perfection in it, she told reporters including Cageside Press following the bout.

“This fight was, it ended as I was suspecting it would,” she said backstage. “It was perfect that way. I was expecting to finish it, and I feel really good about this.”

Her message to the planet eclipsed the event itself, making headlines around the globe while a record number of fires burned in the Amazon. While the vast majority of the Amazon exists within Brazil’s borders, 10% falls inside Colombia, making it a subject near and dear to her.

Her message at the weigh-in, however, wasn’t delivered with a specific end game in mind. “I really didn’t care about the result of that. It’s something that just came from me,” she explained Saturday. “Like I go out dancing,” she gave as an example, in reference to her tendency to dance her way to the cage before fights. “It’s something that I feel I have inside. It’s just my way to be with the world. It’s what I do, it’s my way to relate [with] the world.”

“It’s something that goes to the people who can accept it, and that’s it,” she added. Later, she would admit that “Some people react with some hate.” But, she pointed out, you can only “give what you have inside you. I don’t feel the bad reactions. I’m glad some people said thank you for that, thank you for thinking, not just about winning and getting money and saying ‘oh look what I have!’ No, it’s ‘what can I do for my world?’ for this.”

More to the point, Lara said that “I felt that this was an emergency, for doing something. We are in danger, all of us. If we don’t [take note of it], if we don’t do something, it’s going to be [too] late.”

Her message, to that end, is that “I just want that everyone knows that every single little thing that you can do in your everyday [life] counts. I try to do it every day, I try to reduce my impact on the world, I try to respect animals, I try to respect nature. And that’s it.”

As for her fighting future, despite the Taylor fight coming at 135lbs, it’s likely Alejandra Lara will return to flyweight next. “Yes, I feel good in my weight class, 125,” she said. At the same time, “I felt so strong at this weight. We will see.”

In the end, Lara said, “I think it depends on the opportunity, it depends on the opponent.”

Watch the full Bellator 225 post-fight press scrum with Alejandra Lara above.

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Bridgeport, CT – Austin Vanderford utilized his wrestling to get by Joseph Creer, forcing a doctor’s stoppage at the end of the second round. Bellator 225 marked the eighth win in the career of Vanderford and his first at middleweight.

“It felt good. I moved up a weight class, moved up to 185, and I wanted to see how my body would respond and see how I felt. And I feel good. I felt like he was a big opponent too for 185. He’s a tall guy so it gave me a realistic look at what I have going forward and whatnot. I feel so nice not killing myself to make 170. I got in and got it done.”

Vanderford is gaining confidence with each win and is prepared to fight the upper echelon of fighters in Bellator’s middleweight division.

“That’s the plan. I want to fight the best in the world. I feel like my skillset is set up for guys like that. I’m durable, I’m tough, I’m going to go out there and I’m always looking to get a finish. That was my eighth fight and I think I have six finishes in eight pro fights. That’s what people want to see. They want to see people get cut open and bleed and I’m ready for it and I’m ready for that next jump and I want to take on a big name.”

Doctor’s stoppages can lead to confusing situations, and this one involved a very intense Paige VanZant in the corner of Vanderford.

“What’s funny is my wife was yelling at me and giving me instructions and whatnot. My wife’s my biggest coach. She’s telling me, ‘Hey, you need to go out and do this, do that…’ And I’m like, ‘Hey, babe, the fight’s over! They’re calling the fight!’ She got so caught up in it. But I knew I cut him open quite a bit, there was a lot of blood and it just kind of pumps you up even more and gets you more excited.”

Prior to Vanderford’s fight, he was called out by UFC veteran Sabah Homasi, who tallied a first-punch KO on the prelims. Vanderford, though, is looking for better options.

“Honestly, I’m not even sure who Sabah [Homasi] is or whatever. I honestly wasn’t paying attention to the fights before so Big John caught me off guard and I was like, ‘I don’t know who the f**k that is.'”

It’s safe to say that Vanderford understands why he’s being called out.

“I’m Mr. VanZant right here. I’m going to keep doing it. Like I said before, if people want to test that, prove me wrong. That’s all I have to say about that.”

Check out the rest of Austin Vanderford’s Bellator 225 post-fight scrum above!

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This time, there would be no low blow ending the fight early. Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov finally got to throw down, properly, at Bellator 225. Their first meeting, back in February, ended when ‘Meathead’ landed a kick low on the Russian. Kharitonov collapsed, and never made it back to his feet.

The rematch, mercifully, would go longer. Neither man had fought since that night, and with the first fight ending in a No Contest, Mitrione vs. Kharitonov 2 was a true do-over.

In the cage Saturday, Matt Mitrone landed a punch early, then a kick to the midsection, before attacking with the hands again. He’d let loose with more punches and a high kick after, while Kharitonov struggled to find a way in on the longer man. Kharitonov would land a leg kick, connecting with a crack, but Mitrione was far more active in the early going. Combinations, kicks, and even catching his opponent’s kick and dumping him. Kharitonov then found himself backed up to the fence, but powered out. He was going to need to reset, and find a way to push back against Mitrione, who was constantly moving forward.

Momentum would shift later in the round. Mitrione would twice loose his mouthpiece, but more importantly, Kharitonov began landing on him. A third occurrence of his mouthpiece falling out, however, and ref Big Dan warned ‘Meathead’ that he’d loose a point the next time it came out. The pauses to return the lost mouthpiece also prevented the Russian from building on the success he’d just started to achieve as the round wore down.

Round two opened with the pair trading single strikes and kicks. Mitrione added a knee, and an inside leg kick. Kharitonov, however, was able to press forward more in the second. His right hand hit home. His left landed, and Mitrione lost his mouthpiece again. Then, while the ref was scooping it up, Kharitonov landed once more, an uppercut snapping Mitrione’s head back, and added a knee while Mitrione was on his way down. A couple of strikes to the fallen American, and Sergei Kharitonov had the finish!

A strange fight, as it seemed that Mitrione’s mouthpiece was not fitted to him, and he simply couldn’t hang onto it. However, at least this time, we had a proper conclusion to the fight. And stunningly, the win capped a night with a 100% finishing rate, as fourteen of fourteen fights ended in a stoppage. Clearly no one trusts the judges in Connecticut.

Sergei Kharitonov def. Matt Mitrione by TKO, Round 2, 1:24

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Vitaly Minakov vs. Timothy Johnson was not the co-main event fans expected at Bellator 225. It wasn’t even the fight Minakov expected to be in. However, just hours before the event, news broke that the Connecticut Boxing Commission had recommended Javy Ayala, Minakov’s original opponent, be pulled from the card. Johnson, who had been set to face Azunna Anyanwu, was tapped to replace him.

Minakov entered the bout off the first loss of his professional career, against Cheick Kongo back in February. Kongo, who avenged a 2014 loss to Minakov, landed in a title shot (coming next month) with that win. Minakov needed to rebound, and rebound he did at Bellator 225.

A quick exchange early, and Vitaly Minakov cinched a body lock then muscled Johnson down. As Johnson worked back up, Minakov, still with the body lock, suplexed him, and continued to throw Johnson, anything but a small man, around like a rag doll. A kick to the midsection then caught Johnson, followed by a right jab. The jab stunned big Tim. Timothy Johnson suddenly looked like a wounded duck. Johnson locked up, back to the cage, and Minakov moved in.

One punch, another, with Johnson slumping to the ground, was all it took. The ref moved in to make the much-needed save, and former champ Vitaly Minakov was back in contention at the top of the heavyweight division.

Vitaly Minakov def. Timothy Johnson by knockout, Round 1, 1:45

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Former Bellator women’s flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara returned to action at Bellator 225, moving up a weight class to bantamweight to take on Taylor Turner. Turner caught the eye of MMA fans when she beat boxing champ Heather Hardy at Bellator 222. Colombia’s Lara, meanwhile, caught everyone’s eye dancing her way out to the cage.

As the fight kicked off, Lara ate a solid punch on the way in, then clinched and used a trip to get Turner to the ground. Lara worked from inside Turner’s guard, landing shots to the body. Turner was active off her back, and Lara was forced to pick her up and shake free of her as Turner attacked a leg. Lara would take her back down soon enough, pinning Turner’s arm with her leg, while Turner’s back was against the fence.

Again, Taylor Turner stayed active, forcing Lara to back off, but she re-engaged, leading with a heavy left hand, and in a scramble, took the back. From there, Lara dropped a number of unanswered punches from to top, with her opponent flattened out. Turner could only cover up, and soon enough the ref waved it off.

With the win, Lara made a definitive statement that she is still a fighter to be reckoned with. Combined with her statement at weigh-ins, urging people to focus on the plight of the rain forest, it’s been quite a week for Alejandra ‘Azul’ Lara.

Alejandra Lara def. Taylor Turner by TKO, Round 1, 3:44

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