Anglickas (10-1) earned a unanimous decision over Gregory Millard, and while he wasn’t a fan of his own performance, the light heavyweight did cement a spot as a grand prix alternate for the promotion’s current tournament.

That didn’t seem to lift the fighter’s spirits any. “I’m not happy with the performance. It’s something more mental than anything,” he admitted, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press following the event. “Even my coaches say ‘Julius the second you believe in yourself, you’re going to wreck through everybody.’ My last performance was amazing, my performance before that was amazing. But I don’t know. Today was something different. And I have to acknowledge that, in this sport, it’s going to happen sometimes. You’re not going to get your head straight every time.”

“I’ll just learn from this, and just move on I guess, and go to the next one,” he added.

On the grand prix alternate slot, Anglickas had an inkling it was coming. “We knew it was a big possibility. We knew that they were going to have a lot of 205’ers for this show. They said I was going to be the alternate,” he stated.

Anglickas confirmed that Karl Albrektsson was supposed to be his original opponent. When Albrektsson turned up on the card, it further muddied the waters. In the end, Anglickas simply focused on his opponent, Millard. “If I get to opportunity to fight in the tournament, great, but I don’t really think about it too much. I definitely like it, and it’s an honor for them to consider me, because in my mind, I’m still that amateur that started six years ago.”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Julius Anglickas above.

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The promotion’s former featherweight champ, Budd was hoping to put on a show at Bellator 257, and twist Bellator President Scott Coker’s arm. That, in hope of convincing him to put her ahead of fellow featherweight contender Cat Zingano, who was seemingly promised the winner of the upcoming Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith title fight.

Was the split decision enough? Budd seems to think so. “I mean, judging by the opponents we just fought, I think I could probably twist his arm. Mine was a little bit different than her opponent, that she finished.” Zingano submitted the little known Olivira Parker a week ago — a finish, yes, but against a lesser experienced opponent. “At the same time, I’d be happy to fight her [Cat Zingano]. I want to get my belt back, so whatever it takes. I’m hoping to have a conversation with Scott and sit down and see what the next few fights look like for me.”

With Leslie Smith and Cat Zigano in the mix, it has felt of late like Budd is the odd woman out. Something she agreed with, before adding “I want that belt back, I want to fight her [Cris Cyborg] again. Like I said before the fight, I never accept failure, and I know I could put way more into that fight and come out with the win.”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press scrum with Julia Budd above.

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Arteaga had expected to fight in the venue last year, against Desiree Yanez. The scrap with “Dirty Dez” was itself scrapped, however, when Arteaga tested positive for COVID-19. That left her feeling like she owed herself, and the fans, a fight. “I felt as if I had unfinished business.”

With the fight finally going down at Bellator 257, Arteaga wound up in a scrappy contest, taking home a majority decision. The single score ruling the fight a draw was mainly due to a point deduction, but either way, Yanez proved to be a game adversary.

“I knew she was going to be a tough opponent when I signed the contract. I knew that I could do some damage, but she’s tough,” said Arteaga following the bout.

On her performance, the victorious flyweight said that “there’s certain things that I want to improve on, but overall, I feel great.” The time away, however, did throw her for a loop. “Before walking out, I’m like ‘I haven’t fought in over a year.’ So I forgot these feelings of excitement, and knowing I’m going to throw some punches, and they’re going to throw some punches at me.”

Arteaga admitted that she felt a little weird at first. “I started to get my groove more in the second round. I started off a little bit slower, usually I’m known as a fast starter. I was not so happy with my performance, I feel I could’ve have done better with pushing the gas earlier.”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Veta Arteaga above.

The post Bellator 257: Veta Arteaga Felt Like She Had Unfinished Business After Yanez Fight Fell Through Last Year appeared first on Cageside Press.

With a quick TKO of Shaun Asher, set up with a knee, it felt like the towering Sanford MMA fighter barely broke a sweat. Still, there’s no part of Mowry that wishes that the 55-second bout had gone longer. “No!’ he said, with emphasis. Speaking to media outlets following the bout, Mowry noted that he’s not exactly getting paid by the minute.

What might help his pay, or at least his shot at the title, is Bellator’s newly established official rankings. Mowry sat at the number 7 spot to start the night Friday; that’s likely to inch up a spot or two in the coming days.

“If I’ve learned anything about this game, it’s that the numbers don’t mean anything. They really don’t,” Mowry said on that subject. “It’s cool to get recognition for the hard work and whatever. I’ve been in this sport for a long time, and to finally have that little bit of recognition is cool.” But at the same, time, said Mowry, he’s fought plenty of tough guys with good records, and impressive numbers. “On the flip side of it, I’m sure my numbers are impressive and my stats are nice, but guys are coming to take me out too. So the longer I dwell on it, I feel the less actionable for fighting it is.”

If the numbers don’t matter, then how does Mowry separate himself from the rest of the division? “Beating people up,” he told Cageside Press.

Mowry will become a new dad in July, and is hoping to get a fight in before then if possible. There’s just two names he won’t fight — teammates Matt Mitrione and Linton Vassell.

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Steve Mowry above.

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After defeating “Mr. Wonderful” by split decision in a 2018 non-title affair, Nemkov, now Bellator’s light heavyweight champion, earned a unanimous decision in the rematch Friday. That victory not only serves as the first title defense of his reign, but moves him into the semifinals of Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix.

Nemkov will face the winner of the upcoming Yoel Romero vs. Anthony Johnson fight, possibly in July.

The other semifinal, meanwhile, is set. With Corey Anderson picking up a TKO win Friday, he has punched his ticket to a date with former light heavyweight champ (and current heavyweight champion) Ryan Bader.

Full results and photo highlights from the event can be found below.

Bellator 257: Nemkov vs. Davis 2 Results:

Main Card

Vadim Nemkov (c) def. Phil Davis by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – for the Bellator light heavyweight championship / light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal
Corey Anderson def. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov by TKO, Round 3, 2:15 – light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal
Veta Arteaga def. Desiree Yanez by majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Paul Daley def. Sabah Homasi by TKO, Round 2, 1:44

Preliminary card

Julia Budd def. Dayana Silva by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Julius Anglickas def. Gregory Milliard by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Steve Mowry def. Shaun Asher by TKO, Round 1, 0:55
Grachik Bozinyan def. Demarques Jackson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Raymond Daniels def. Peter Stanonik by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-26)
Lance Gibson Jr. def. Marcus Surin by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Karl Albrektsson def. Viktor Nemkov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mads Burnell def. Saul Rogers by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:08
Jay Jay Wilson def. Pedro Carvalho by TKO, Round 2, 0:53

The post Bellator 257: Nemkov vs. Davis 2 Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I didn’t respect his power, to be fair, coming into the fight,” Daley (43-17-2) admitted following a wildly entertaining brawl in which both men had been knocked down. “But I just said to him, there’s only one other guy I’ve ever been in there that punches as hard as that, and that’s Douglas Lima, and he’s the champ. I don’t know if I’m going to be in the sport long enough to have a rematch with Homasi, but he’s definitely championship quality.”

Daley appeared to be close to being finished in the opening round on Friday, after Homasi landed several bomb-like punches on the man known as “Semtex.” His thought process, such as it was, was that “I just knew I had to hold him. I just had to hold him for a couple of seconds.” Which was easier said than done. “I don’t know if you’re tried to hold someone when they’re punching you 100% in the head, it’s not easy.”

Between rounds, Daley’s corner told him to respect Homasi. “Give him the respect he deserves. Don’t be sloppy. I knew I was going to get hit, but I didn’t rate his power much.” Homasi definitely changed his mind on Friday. “I was wrong.”

The bout, scheduled twice before only to fall through on both occasions, went down at a 175lb catchweight. That’s a weight Daley would like to continue competing at.

“I hope so. I think tonight was an entertaining fight. I think people loved it, I felt great at the weight.” In the end, however, he expects that Bellator President Scott Coker will have the final say. “Scott’s the boss.”

After being hospitalized following a bad weight cut last October, Daley has good reason to want catchweight bouts. He had actually hinted at retirement following this latest fight, though it appears those plans are on hold for the moment. Still, Daley’s future in the sport remains a question mark. “I’ve put on so many great fights with so many great finishes and I just feel I don’t get the respect,” he stated. “I’m 38 years old, do I still want to put myself through this and not get the credit for it? That’s my attitude.”

“If people start giving me the respect, I start appearing on f*cking corn flake boxes and sh*t, doing all the interviews everybody else is doing, then I’ll stay in the game. Otherwise, I’ll take my two fights and I’ll go,” Daley continued. “But I’ve gave a lot to this sport. Entertaining fights, this is another one that people will talk about for a while. Give me my respect, I’ll stay in the game, I’ll give you a few more years. If you don’t, then I’ve gone.”

Asked whether the ability to fight at a catchweight moving forward might be a deciding factor in retiring or not, Daley actually downplayed the idea just a little. “No, because money can change that real quick,” he told Cageside Press. “You pay me more, then I’ll make the weight. Pay me more, I’ll fight 170bs, I’ll have a better camp, I’ll have better people involved. I had a new guy that helped me out with nutrition to get me down to 175lbs, and I thought he did a great job. If I give him time and the opponent’s right and everything else is right, I’m sure he could get me down to 170lbs no problem. It all depends.”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Paul Daley above.

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“That’s the statement I’m trying to make every fight. Like I said when I first got here, now I can go back to just being me,” Anderson (15-5) said following the bout, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “I don’t have to worry about being impressive with my striking, I don’t have to do anything fancy. Get a guy down, impose my will, get some ground n’ pound going which is what I’m known for, and get the victory.”

The victory moves him forward to the semifinals, and the match is already set. Anderson will fact off with former 205lb champ (and current heavyweight champion) Ryan Bader. A fighter he has something of a history with.

“I love the match-up. I love the match-up with anybody in this tournament. I love the match-up with any 205’er in the world, because I know how good I am,” exclaimed Anderson. “And I’m just going to show the rest of the world that.”

When it comes to his upcoming opponent, “me and Bader have history from training together. Like I said, one person knows. He knows. So we’re just going to find out in July when we match up.”

Anderson was referring to comments he made in the cage following his win Friday, in essence saying that, when two people train together, one always knows who the better man is. And while he’s not about to release footage from their training sessions, Anderson doubled down on the statement on Friday.

“It’s the fact that he knows. I went out and helped him out after my first UFC fight,” Anderson explained. “Then we stopped working together, because we was both in the UFC, so he didn’t want to work with me no more. Then he went to Bellator, and I came back, when I had like three, four years in the UFC, and I got even better. And then I didn’t hear from him again after that.”

“Every time I start coming to train with you, I don’t hear from you no more,” added Anderson. And it’s clear he feels there’s a reason.

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Corey Anderson above.

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The Armenian middleweight went up against Demarques Jackson, earning a unanimous decision on the evening’s preliminary card. The victory improved his record to 11-4, and snapped a two fight losing streak in the process.

Following the bout, Bozinyan spoke to the media backstage at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, as well as to those attending online. And the Armenian proved to be a man of few words.

Asked how he felt in the fight, Bozinyan said simply, “perfect.” And on whether there were any surprises, “he has good punches. Strong punch.”

Bozinyan is sitting outside Bellator’s newly introduced rankings, and has been inactive thanks to the pandemic — but that appears to have changed. Moving forward, he stated, “I’m gonna win all my fights, and for sure, I will be in the top 10.”

Finishing up by dedicating his performance to the Armenian people, he added that “this fight is for all of my country, and my people. I dedicate [this fight to the Armenian people].”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Grachik Bozinyan above. For more coverage from the event, be sure to check our our official Youtube channel.

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The pair ran it back this past Friday at Bellator 257, and this time, Daniels found the desired outcome.

“It was like that bedtime story that your parents tell you as a kid, and they don’t tell you the end,” Daniels said of how things left off after the first fight with Stanonik. Luckily, the ending arrived Friday.

“I think Peter deserved that rematch. I think that anybody that loses from a no contest, or whatever it is, from a foul, eye poke, whether it be a groin shot or whatever, deserves that opportunity to get in there,” noted Daniels. “It was great to put a stamp on that. Onward and upward now.”

The fight certainly had its interesting moments. There were several near-finishes for Daniels. And a knee early on that seemed to fell Stanonik, and almost seemed a tad low at first glance. Luckily, the ref was on top of things, and Stanonik powered through it. “That was not a low blow,” said Daniels. “I started having flashbacks for a second. I tried to make sure that I was on point with my targeting this time.”

Daniels agreed that the fight probably could have been stopped more than once. “That’s the ref’s job, not mine, so my job is to keep going.”

Another interesting factor for the kickboxer: Daniels showed some surprisingly good wrestling. Of late, he’s been training with both Mark Munoz, and the likes of Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male. On Friday, Raymond Daniels certainly did them proud.

“Just when I thought I had the wrestling game down, I realized there’s levels to that whole wrestling scene. I’m very grateful to the guys up at Alpha Male,” said Daniels. “Andre Fili actually took me under his wing as well, helped me out with a bunch of different things. That experience with being able to go with seasons vets that were out that way was a great blessing, and I appreciate them welcoming me with open arms. And then my wife, she beats me up all the time.”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Raymond Daniels above.

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“I felt as good as I could today. It wasn’t my best performance, I had a few ups and downs in there, but I worked through it, and got the win,” Gibson (4-0) told media outlets including Cageside Press following his unanimous decision win over Saul Rogers. “So I’m happy with that.”

Among the trials and tribulations Gibson underwent at Bellator 257 was an eye poke, that left him unable to see out of one eye for the full five minutes of recovery time. Even after the fight, things were “definitely blurry out of my left eye. I can see you clearly out of my right,” he told one reporter in attendance. “The left is a little bit funny, but it’s all good, it’s part of the game.”

Gibson had a definite air of dissatisfaction about him despite getting the win. For one thing, he was unhappy at not securing the finish. “I’m going to recover obviously, get back in there, work on some stuff that I know I need to improve from just this experience right now,” he stated. “I’m already picking it apart. That’s what makes me great and that’s what’s going to make me great in future is, I can pick myself apart, right after, get over it, get better, and get back in there.”

During the broadcast, Bellator analyst and former ref Big John McCarthy suggested that some adversity might actually be best for Gibson. Following the bout, Gibson agreed with that assessment. “Absolutely. It’s adversity. Adversity either makes you better or worse. It depends on how you pick at it and how you take it,” he said. “I can sit there and cry about Big John saying that it’s good for me to get this adversity, or I can sit there and get better from it. And I understand that, and I know that as a martial artist. So I’m going to improve from it, and go forward from there.”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Lance Gibson Jr. above.

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