MMA Fighting was first to report the news. That increases the company’s recent roster cuts to over twenty, or even more if you go back to May. In May, the promotion cut a number of names, including Zach Freeman, A.J. Mathews, Mandy Bohm, and Bobby Voelker, with 15 fighters dropped in total.

Just over a week ago, the company handed pink slips to another 19 athletes. That round of cuts definitely raised some eyebrows, as the likes of Tywan “Air” Claxton, Bec Rawlings, Khonry Gracie, ex-light heavyweight champ Liam McGeary, and former featherweight champ Daniel Straus were shown the door.

This week, heavyweight Matt Mitrione is on the unemployment line. One of Bellator’s big free agent signings several years back, the former UFC fighter picked up a big win over Fedor Emelianenko in 2017. However after being finished quickly by Tyrell Fortune at Bellator 262, Mitrione has been shown the door. He’s 0-4 (1NC) in his past five fights, two of which have seen him upset over accidental headbutts that were not called.

Also released following Bellator 262 are Ronny Markes and Adil Benjilany. Markes dropped his second fight in the promotion against Said Sowma Friday, leaving him 0-2 under the Bellator banner. Surprisingly, Benjilany was coming off a win, but requested his release due to inactivity, according to teammate Belal Muhammad.

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Both Mattos and CeeJay Hamilton had fallen to Magomed Magomedov in their inaugural Bellator bouts. On Friday, Mattos bounced back in style with a blistering knockout of Hamilton.

“It feels amazing. I feel like I’m born again,” bantamweight Mattos exclaimed following the fight. “To be back in the way of victory, it feels so good. This day will last forever.”

Mattos was thrilled with the approach opponent Hamilton took to their main card fight Friday. “He’s a wrestler. He could choose to do that boring game, and try to take me down and win on the decision,” Mattos observed. “But he chose to stand and go for the striking. And fortunately he did it, because it was a beautiful knockout. If Bellator gets some more strikers for me, it would be welcome.”

Addressing his debut loss, Mattos later added that “My two losses, were to two of the best in the world [Magomedov and Petr Yan]. I have been fighting at a high level for a long time. So I’m prepared for everybody. Now, they can see that this fight welcomed me to Bellator. Now they know me. Now they know that Matheus Mattos is coming for us.”

Watch the full Bellator 262 post-fight press scrum with Matheus Mattos above.

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“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Blencowe began. “I really stepped things up this camp. I really wanted to put on a super impressive performance and obviously get the job done. Finishes are always good, I’ve made the mistake of leaving fights up to the judges in the past.”

This was Blencowe’s first camp under the Jackson-Wink MMA banner. She spent some time at home in Australia in her usual spot, and the remaining weeks of camp were under the watchful eyes of the elite Jackson-Wink MMA coaching staff. Blencowe found out after the fight that she is currently unable to go back home thanks to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, thus making Jackson-Wink home for the foreseeable future.

“We actually just found out the Australian government aren’t letting us back home,” Blencowe told the media. “I’ll be going to New York City for a week to let my body heal, then back to Jackson-Wink, going into an 8 week fight camp. The restrictions at the moment aren’t letting us back in for at least another six weeks.”

Watch the full Bellator 262 post-fight press scrum with Arlene Blencowe above.

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Taking on Bellator newcomer Travis Davis, Eblen knew that he would get the best version of his opponent, who was clearly fighting for a chance at a long term signing with the major promotion.

“That guy was fighting for a contract tonight,” Eblen told the media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight on Friday night. “That was the best Travis Davis that was going to show up. He wanted to brawl with me, I kind of wanted to brawl with him too, just to show him I was better. But at the end of the day I gotta get that win,” Eblen continued. “Come home untouched.”

Eblen is one of three American Top Team members who had their hand raised at Bellator 262. Although ranked previous to this win at #5, Eblen called out Ireland’s Charlie Ward, ranked at #6, to test himself against next. Despite being just inside the top five himself, Eblen has yet to face a fellow top 10 opponent. Eblen went on to say that the contract on his side is signed, and they are awaiting Ward’s team to respond.

“Travel the world and fight people in their home country,” Eblen told the media in regards to his plan. “Charlie Ward is a big name, we might be going somewhere in his area. He’s a top 10 opponent, it’d be a really good fight for the fans.”

Eblen continued to explain his callout of the Irishman by adding “I’m 9-0, I haven’t fought a ranked guy. Doesn’t make sense to fight somebody up. Let’s see if I’m #5.”

Watch the full Bellator 262 post-fight press scrum with Johnny Eblen above.

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Cody Law and himself made quick work of their opponents back to back. Johnny Eblen would make it a perfect night (3-0) to start the main card following Sowma’s performance. Against Ronny Markes, a UFC veteran, Sowma clearly passed with flying colors in what many considered his toughest test to date.

“I saw him go out,” Sowma stated following the fight, which he won by knockout. “He’s actually a friend of mine. Ronny’s actually a friend of mine. I seen that and I gotta finish this so it is over, so it’s done. Luckily the ref saw it too. Pretty happy with that.”

It was tough to go against a friend, Sowma admitted. “It’s very tough. I’ve known him for a couple of years. But this is our job. He understands that too. We came to an agreement. Told each other that’s what it is.”

Sowma spoke about the ability to have multiple training partners at fight week, and have it feel more at home with multiple teammates fighting on the same card.

“It’s really nice, It is nice having your teammates with you,” Sowma told Cageside Press and other media outlets during his post-fight press scrum. “I used to go to fights alone. Having that group together it is a good feeling. Go and motivate each other, I like it.”

Watch the full Bellator 262 post-fight press scrum with Said Sowma above.

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To many, it seemed as though she won handily, but the judges didn’t see it this way. Regardless, a win is a win.

“In cage experience, I really wanted to get some,” Avsaragova (4-0) told the media outlets including Cageside Press after her win over Gabriella Gulfin. “I’m glad it went all three rounds. Obviously everyone likes big finishes but I need more in cage time, I really need that experience.”

The result, however, was something that puzzled Avsaragova. “I was really surprised, I don’t understand why that happened [Split Decision].”

When Avsaragova had her impressive KO of Tara Graff in her Bellator debut, it was a highlight reel clip seen for weeks following the fight. At only 22-years old, it is fights like this that will continue to grow the young Russian star. Being only 22 on one of the biggest stages in the world doesn’t bother “Pantera” however.

“I don’t feel any of the pressure,” Avsaragova stated. “I see it as my job, I am a professional. I’m just coming here doing my job, no pressure.”

Watch the full Bellator 262 post-fight press scrum with Diana Avsaragova above.

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While shooting for a takedown in the opening round, Fortune’s head clashed with Mitrione’s — an accidental foul that was not called during the fight.

“He stepped forward so I went for the shot instead of throwing a punch, so I guess I made contact with my head,” Fortune explained following the bout, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the Mohegan Sun Arena. “Besides that I was running through him for the takedown, as you’ve seen I finished on top, and the fight went from there.”

In the moment, Fortune didn’t feel the headbutt. “I can only go off what he was saying at the time.” Fortune did pause, waiting for a moment to see if the ref would stop the fight. He didn’t. “The ref said continue to fight two times, and that’s when I continued to fight.”

Mitrione, however, was incensed. Not at Fortune, with the two being friends, but at the non-call by the ref. Still, Fortune doesn’t necessarily see the need to run it back. “That would be on his part to ask for a rematch,” Fortune said. “I’m winning. I’m just ready to keep it going.”

Fortune is, however, seeking a rematch of his own. That would be against Tim Johnson, who represents the only blemish on Fortune’s 11-1 (1NC) record. In fact, Fortune wants Johnson more than he wants a shot at the belt.

“I want Tim Johnson. I don’t want a title shot, I’d rather have Tim Johnson first. That’s really the only fight I’ve been training for since that loss,” Fortune explained. “With him taking that loss [for the interim title against Valentin Moldavsky] and me taking this big win, it should line us right up.”

His game plan for that fight is simple: “I’m going to try to knock his ass out just like he did to me.” But if the match-up doesn’t come, Fortune plans on staying active. “I’m fighting. I’m not waiting for nobody. If he doesn’t want to fight, that just shows more on his side that he’s scared or doesn’t want the rematch or whatever it is.”

Watch the full Bellator 262 post-fight press conference with Tyrell Fortune above.

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“It was exactly the way that I pictured it to be,” said Velasquez, who revealed during the post-fight press conference that she injured her leg at some point during the second round. That wasn’t the only injury she incurred during the bout. “I was very effective, I saw my jab was hurting her, but looks like it was not just her, as I broke two of my fingers in my right hand.”

The Bellator 262 main event was undeniably close, with Kielholtz taking more damage, but also finding success and out-gunning the champion in the opening round, and potentially the fifth and final frame as well.

“In the first round she was coming strong, she was being able to get close and to hit me. But I was circling away, and many of those shots were missing. But I saw that it was a close round.” As the fight wore on, “I was able to fight a little bit more, I was hitting her, I was stopping her in her tracks, and I think I was being much more effective, especially starting from the third round.”

Velasquez was confident she’d won “at least three rounds of the fight” when it came time to announce the decision, she added. She also shut the door on the possibility of a rematch. “If I was going to rematch someone, I think that the one who deserved it was Ilima-Lei [Macfarlane], because she had many title defenses,” stated Velasquez. “After this fight, we just move forward.”

Moving forward means one of two opponents. “I think that the fight that makes sense the most would be fighting Ilima-Lei again, or Liz Carmouche. Those are the fights I would like to [have],” said Velasquez.

Velasquez also had an inspiring message for anyone going through loss, as she did with the death of her brother. Velasquez has dedicated each of her wins to him, and sports a tattoo in his honor on her bicep. “Life goes on. It’s hard to be here and it’s hard to go through it, but you can do it,” she said.

Watch the full Bellator 262 post-fight press conference with Juliana Velasquez above.

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After capturing the championship from Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in her last outing, the undefeated Brazilian was looking to improve to 12-0 in Uncasville, CT. Opposite her, Bellator kickboxing champ Denise Kielholtz, riding a four-fight win streak and looking to become a two-sport champ under the Bellator banner.

The first thing you noticed in Friday’s title fight between Juliana Velasquez and Denise Kielholtz was the size difference. Velasquez towered over the challenger, who looked to land leg kicks and find a way inside early in the opening round. Kielholtz’s entries were explosive, her left hand barely missing the mark at times. As the round progressed, Kielholtz hit the mark, while Velasquez answered back.

Round two found Velasquez looking a little more sure of herself. Kielholtz, throughout the fight to that point, had held center, keeping the champ on the outside more often than not. But the Brazilian pushed forward, leading with her jab. And the more she used that jab, the more she could unload her left hand. With just under two minutes left, Velasquez changed levels for a takedown, but Kielholtz easily fought it off.

As the round went on, Kielholtz landed kicks to the inside and outside of the champ’s lead leg, before the pair exchanged fire. Kielholtz definitely had more behind the bulk of her shots, but Velasquez had begun catching up in terms of output.

In the third, Juliana Velasquez was once again pushed to the outside. She began firing leg kicks, and continued to work her jab. Kielholtz was head hunting, but she was also showing damage around the eye care of the champ’s jab. Come the championship rounds, it felt as if Velasquez had really found her stride, while Denise Kielholtz was holding on to a puncher’s chance to win the fight.

The chance to finish would not come in round four, however. Instead, Velasquez continued to circle, land, and circle out again. Kielholtz was leaking blood by the end of the round, while the champion looked the much fresher fighter. Velasquez would see a takedown stuffed late, with Kielholtz landing a left on the exit, but the champ was never in danger.

This is a striking clinic!#Bellator262 live on @SHOSports 👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/7y2rrd2bta

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 17, 2021

Kielholtz would land her best punch of the fight in the opening minute of the fifth and final round of Bellator 262’s main event. That knocked Velasquez off-balance, and she was clearly in danger, but moved out of harm’s way. Kielholtz was the much busier fighter in the first half of the round; Velasquez’s best moment was a kick landing to the body. She’d try for a takedown, and would again in the final minute of the round, but in the end the pair traded to the final bell.

Come the scorecards, Velasquez took home the split decision, a result unpopular with the crowd in attendance. But in a close fight, Kielholtz simply took too much damage once the champ got her jab going.

Official Result: Juliana Velasquez def. Denise Kielholtz by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

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Beyond that, the pair had trained together, and were putting friendship aside for Friday’s showdown in Uncasville, CT. Fortune, in fact, had been Mitrione’s wrestling coach for several years.

Mitrione was also trying to shake off a three-fight skid, though the heavyweight veteran took issue with at least two of those losses, to Sergei Kharitonov and Tim Johnson. The Johnson fight, in particular, would loom large as the Bellator 262 co-main event played out.

Early on in Mitrione vs. Fortune, Matt Mitrione found himself exactly where he did not want to be: taken down and on his back, Fortune raining down nasty ground n’ pound. Mitrione immediately complained about a headbutt that came during the takedown, but the fight was allowed to continue.

It was a headbutt that Mitrione had taken issue with in his fight with Tim Johnson, and by the time Fortune had finished off “Meathead” on Friday, he was again complaining against the accidental foul, which was clear on replays. Mitrione appeared to dip his head as Fortune charged forward, leading to the clash of heads.

In the end, Mitrione submitted to strikes, but he never let up on calling out the foul, to no avail. Mitrione could be overheard screaming at referee Dan Miragliotta following the fight, a result of the non-call by the ref.

Fortune, for his part, said he was unaware of the foul initially. Assuming the win stands (Mitrione’s appeal of his loss to Johnson was rejected by the Mohegan Sun Commission), the heavyweight’s record improves to 11-1, 1NC. Mitrione has now lost four straight.

Official Result: Tyrell Fortune def. Matt Mitrione by submission (strikes), Round 1, 1:45

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