He might be known as “Insane” to MMA fans, but Karakhanyan isn’t wrong about his submission prowess. His arm-triangle choke victory over Kiefer Crosbie on Saturday was the 16th sub of the 36-year old’s career.

There was a bit of trash talk ahead of the fight, on the part of SBG Ireland’s Crosbie. It apparently backfired. “He was saying that my experience ain’t sh*t, and he was saying that he’s a big daddy,” Karakhanyan said with a laugh following the event, which went down at The Forum in L.A. “I was expecting some of this stuff, coming from SBG guys. But after the fight, it’s all respect.”

“I appreciate him trying to trash talk me, which didn’t phase me,” Karakhanyan added. He even offered to go over to SBG Ireland and train with the team there. And he feels the trash talk might just be a confidence booster. “It’s like a little psychology. They’re trying to build themselves up maybe. Or maybe he’s just around Conor McGregor in the gym, so it’s normal.”

“At the end of the day, this is entertainment,” Karakhanyan continued. “Maybe if I just started, I’d be like him. But I’ve been doing this so long, it just doesn’t make sense.”

There is a line when it comes to trash talk, Georgi Karakhanyan added. Crosbie didn’t cross it. But bringing up family is a non-starter with him. “I was born in Russia. We don’t touch the family. Especially with the way I was growing up. Family, mother, kids, son, we just don’t trash talk family. Because it can elevate to different things.”

With two straight wins in Bellator’s lightweight division, and 3-1 in his past four fights, the veteran is now looking to head overseas for his next bout. “I’m trying to get on that Russia card, just to show Bellator how many fans I got there. I’m trying to get on the London card. I know they have Ireland, if Patricky [Pitbull] and Peter Queally don’t fight, I would like a shot at Peter Quelly, fight him,” said Karakhanyan. Having previously been booked against Adam Piccolotti, that’s another fight he’s interested in. “This switch to 155 is not just for me to be a fighter. I’m trying to get the title.”

Being at 155lbs “feels awesome,” Karakhanyan told Cageside Press on Saturday. “I’m following a strict carnivore diet, I’ve been a carnivore for nine months, I feel awesome. The weight cut is easy. It’s not like 45, 45 man, I was dying. So I feel awesome, I feel great.”

Having lost numerous fights at the L.A. Forum, he also recognized that at Bellator 263, “this one was big.”

For good reason. “Because I fought here, Emmanuel Sanchez, I lost. I fought here, Henry Corrales, I lost. I fought here, A.J. McKee, I lost in eight seconds. It was devastating,” Karakhanyan admitted. “Before I would walk through this hallway, I would be like ‘oh man,’ when I would look at the names. This time, when I was walking around, I was seeing some crazy sh*t, some crazy thoughts coming into my head.” Those crazy thoughts resulted in him having a “don’t give a f*ck” attitude, with a do-or-die mentality.

“As a fighter, our opponents don’t beat us. We beat ourselves. And I had to stay really strong in there.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press scrum with Georgi Karakhanyan above.

The post Bellator 263: Georgi Karakhanyan on Trash Talk, Title Shot, And What’s Next appeared first on Cageside Press.

The 20-year old featherweight improved to 6-0 with TKO victory, putting on a very Zabit-like performance in his first fight outside of Russia.

“He surprised me because I was expecting less from him, but he showed a big heart,’ Magomedsharipov told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight when asked if there were any surprises from his opponent. Quiroz was not Khasan’s original foe, and he had little time to prepare for the Mexican fighter. “In the second round, he walked out and he looked more fresh than I thought he would be. But he’s like 15 years older than me, I’m still young, and I’ll get better.”

Ahead of the fight, Quiroz was vocal about wanting to fight a Russian, due to the numerous doping scandals the country has been involved in over the years. Magomedsharipov was unaware of those comments, he said backstage at The Forum on Saturday. “Even if I knew that, it wouldn’t effect me, because everyone can say everything he wants, but I know that I’m not a cheater or something. It isn’t anyhow close to me, this kind of stuff. I know people are talking, but it doesn’t have any effect on my performance.”

With a very Zabit-esque performance at Bellator 263, where Khasan looked relaxed and cruised to the TKO finish, comparisons are bound to be made between the two brothers. Khasan Magomedsharipov doesn’t see that as pressure, however.

“It’s not like pressure, but even your opponents, when they see the last name, they start preparing twice as hard, better, because they’re expecting something hard,” he said. “But overall, no, it’s even more like— it motivates me for new goals.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press scrum with Khasan Magomedsharipov above.

The post Bellator 263: Khasan Magomedsharipov Not Feeling Pressure Despite Comparisons to Brother appeared first on Cageside Press.

Noted for a wide array of submissions, the stand-up finish by Yamauchi was far from expected, even by him. But Team Alpha Male’s Gonzalez appeared to give Yamauchi’s jiu-jitsu plenty of respect, and opted not to shoot for an early takedown.

“I know there’s a lot of people that think I cannot strike or fight a wrestler. This fight was just to prove that I’m a better man, and I’m a different guy now,” Yamauchi said following the fight, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. In the past, Yamauchi has struggled in the stand-up department, particularly in losses to fighters like Michael Chandler. And so Yamauchi was looking to show that “I could learn from my mistakes, and I’m here, better. Moving forward, I’m not going to stay stuck in the past, it’s about what I’m going to do in the future.”

According to Yamauchi, all fighters have a lot of holes in their game, and he’d been trying to plug up his. Despite how the fight played out, “for this fight specifically, I trained a lot of grappling. But it was a striking match, 100% striking. But I did a lot of grappling, specific training for Chris, because I knew he had a wrestling and grappling background.”

One fight prior to Bellator 263, Yamauchi lost a controversial split decision against Dan Moret. And there was a lesson to be learned from that experience. “I don’t take anything for granted. This is life, life happens. Even though me and most people, they don’t think that was a fair decision, I think there’s always a lesson,” explained Yamauchi. “Life, not [just] in the fight game, life wants to teach you something. Sometimes your issues, your problems are not inside the cage, inside the gym but outside. For sure, it’s going to reflect inside the cage. I think that the fight was to correct some mistakes that I had outside the cage.”

Yamauchi, who improved to 26-5 with the win, was asked what it will take for him to get to a title shot. The lightweight division has been log jammed thanks to Patricio Pitbull stalling the weight class for two years. “Good performances,” Yamauchi replied. “I think I have to show all my abilities, like I did today. I have to show people what they want to see. Winning big fights, winning good fights. I think this is what’s going to make me go to the title shot.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press scrum with Goiti Yamauchi above.

The post Goiti Yamauchi Says Bellator 263 Fight Was to Prove “I’m a Different Guy Now” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Winski did not, in fact, win the bout. Rather, Moore earned his third straight victory in the Bellator cage care of a unanimous decision, following what he called “a bit of a roller coaster week.”

“This was my third opponent of the week. A long flight to L.A., being away from my three girls, it was tough going, but we got the job done,” Moore said, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight.

With the revolving cast of potential opponents, Moore admitted that he didn’t really have a game plan Saturday. “It was just go in and do me, because at the end of the day, I didn’t get to spar for this opponent, I didn’t get to really train for this opponent,” aside from a bit of work with his coaches, Moore noted.

“The Pikeman” is now gunning for a November return at home. In late July, the possibility of a Bellator Dublin show that month was floated, and Moore is all in.

“November. Dublin. I’m not missing that show,” Moore exclaimed. “I headlined that show against A.J. McKee in a very entertaining, very close fight, and I haven’t been able to compete [there] since with different injuries.” Now that he’s on a three-fight win streak, “it would mean the world to me to fight on the main card in Dublin in November,” Moore added.

Against who? Moore has plenty of ideas. “Oh my god. Every one of them,” was his reply. “On my radar, I’ve always wanted to fight Sergio Pettis. I know I’m a couple of fights away from that. There’s a lot of guys in the rankings. Cas Bell, he wouldn’t last one round with me. So why not him? I would put him away in 30 seconds.”

As for Saturday’s bout, Moore was impressed with the resilience of Jordan Winski. “The grappling exchange that we found ourselves in, I felt so superior in there that I didn’t really want to disengage.” The other half of his brain told him to get back to his bread and butter. “So when I was beating him up in round two and hitting him with those sharp elbows, I could feel the life go out of him. So when he did come back in round three with a bit more oomph, I was surprised. He’s a tough son of a b*tch, as you Yanks like to say.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press scrum with Brian Moore above.

The post Bellator 263: Brian Moore Wants Spot on Bellator Dublin Card in November appeared first on Cageside Press.

Especially when he landed a crushing knockout blow on opponent Daniel Carey.

The support from American fans caught Rabadanov (16-4-2) off guard. “To be honest, I was surprised. I was very surprised, I was very happy when I saw all this crowd, all these people, especially when they were rooting for me,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “It definitely boosted my mood.”

It’s the first time in a while Rabadanov has competed in front of a live audience. “COVID flipped the world upside down, so it’s been a while since I was fighting in fight of a crowd. I’m very happy crowds are back, and it’s definitely a completely different experience fighting with a crowd,” he stated.

Opponent Carey, on the wrong end of that knockout blow, surprised the Russian with his strength. “He’s a very strong guy, very strong. One [kick], I have very bad bruise on my leg. Very strong guy,” said Rabadanov. With no update on Carey’s condition immediately following the fight, he added that “I want to say bless him and his family. We wish him a speedy recovery for sure.”

As to a return timeframe, Rabadanov says it doesn’t matter. “Maybe October, Moscow. I wait, if Bellator calls me, I’m ready. I don’t know, maybe next week. I’m ready, I’m here.” He doesn’t have any names in mind either, since as he pointed out, his Bellator 263 appearance was his first fight with the promotion. “It doesn’t matter. I want to smash everybody. Everybody, guys,” he exclaimed. “I’m here, I’m coming. I want to— will be champ.”

Rabadanov was part of a sizeable Russian contingent in action on Saturday. “I was very happy that four Russian fighters were on such a, I believe it’s one of the biggest Bellator cards this year for sure,” he stated, adding not just Russian, but Russian fighters from Dagestan. “And I was more happy that three of them were my teammates, guys who grew up together, trained together, we did the camp for these fights all together. So it definitely helped us.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press conference with Gadzhi Rabadanov above.

The post Bellator 263: Gadzhi Rabadanov Surprised, Happy to Get American Fan Support appeared first on Cageside Press.

At Saturday’s Bellator 263, Mamedov (20-1-1) picked up a win over Brent Primus, who before the fight had expressed his unhappiness with fighting an unranked newcomer. The underlying theme seemed to be that Mamdeov was not on his level.

“Well now he has to sit and be unhappy that he’s not on my level, when he was talking so much before the fight,” the former PFL fighter told media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout. “I heard all this kind of stuff, but now we put everything to sleep.”

When the decision was announced Saturday, it took Mamedov by surprise — he simply could not see what Primus had done to be awarded the fight by any judge.

“I was thinking that I won all three rounds with no doubts. I’m not sure why one of the judges gave my opponent the fight,” Mamedov said. As the scores were called out, “in my mind, I was thinking ‘if this fight goes to him, it’s going to be something crazy.’ In my mind, I could not put together why, and what he did to win this fight.”

What he sees as a dominant decision also has Mamedov sour on a rematch. And the Dagestani fighter never felt in dangerous from Primus’ submission attempts.

“Before this fight, I studied him, I knew his fight style and what he was doing. He was trying to submit me, but I cannot say that he was ever close to the finish.” Even if Primus had gotten close to the finish, said Mamedov, “I was training so many years with so many good fighters, crazy fighters, even if he got me in a good submission, I would never tap. He would have to rip off my head to get this victory.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press scrum with Islam Mamedov above.

The post Bellator 263: Islam Mamedov Says Brent Primus Can “Sit and Be Unhappy” That He’s Not on My Level appeared first on Cageside Press.

“He’s [Freire] the best 145-pounder. Was the best. I’ve pretty much been saying it, people are seeing it, people are believing it. I am the best 145-pounder in the world. Whether it’s UFC, ONE FC, PFL I don’t care who it is. I got a million dollars cash in my bank. I’m willing to put that up against anybody else. I’m sure Showtime, Bellator, they’ll match it. Let’s do some super fights, let’s get some big stuff going, change the sport. We can do it, unify these belts,” said McKee during Saturday’s post-fight press conference at The Forum.

McKee’s championship win may have been a surprise to some but not to him.

“It’s been 22 years in the making so man to do it the way I did it. I said I was going to do it in a stylish fashion you know. Done and won. When I rocked him I was just like, ‘That’s it.’ I just knew it, after the head kick I hit him with that uppercut and….I don’t know, I saw him quit. He didn’t need anymore but like the ref says don’t stop punching until I tell you to,” McKee told the press.

“Honestly I dreamt the fight. I knew I won the fight. I prayed about it and same night I had a vision. So I knew I had victory but it wasn’t the dream that I had which is peculiar. Looking into it now maybe that’s the 155-pound title that I saw.”

Bellator 263 was held at The Forum in Inglewood, CA which is not far from his hometown of Long Beach. The support for McKee was evident from the very beginning of the card all the way through the main event. McKee himself was not surprised at all.

“Nah I knew it man. I sold more in tickets than I got paid. I knew this whole arena was there for me but it’s just phenomenal to be, to have that much support. The only thing that could compare to that was when Ilima-Lei fought in Hawaii and I was on her card. So I knew what kinda to expect from the crowd. It was just surreal man to have all those people there just behind you. Doing it not just for you, your family, yourself but for the city. It’s just a blessing.”

So what’s next for the newest star in Bellator? History.

“Champ-champ. Technically these are won. So for me to make this become too. That’s the next step. Being at 145-pounds isn’t the easiest, maybe we get some super fights going. I’m pretty much done with the division at 145-pounds. Hop up to 155-pounds (next).”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum from A.J. McKee above and keep it on CagesidePress.com for more from Bellator 263.

The post Bellator 263’s A.J. McKee: “I am the best 145-pounder in the world” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Pitbull, the now-former double champ at featherweight and lightweight, had for several years been the promotion’s most dominant figure. Since his knockout of Michael Chandler in 2019, he had set record after record, and was considered my many the best featherweight outside the UFC.

On Saturday, A.J. McKee put a stop to that talk. In the featherweight grand prix finale, a fight that lasted under two minutes, McKee rocked and dropped Pitbull with a head kick. Though he celebrated a knockout win prematurely, as Pitbull made it back to his feet, moments later, McKee choked the champion out with a standing guillotine.

“On this night, he was great. He kicked my head, and he almost knocked me out, and he almost finished me, in the same night,” he told Cageside Press during the Bellator 263 post-fight press conference. “So he was good. Congratulations. Now he’s the champion.”

Almost finished him. Pitbull believes that he wasn’t necessarily out in the choke — though he appeared to admit that yes, he was on his way to sleep.

“I watched the fight. I knew I wasn’t asleep, but I saw my hands [dropping] slowly,” noted Pitbull. “I was standing, but rules. That’s it. A fighter wants to fight until the end. That’s my mind.”

It’s highly unlikely that there will be much outcry over the finish, however. Especially given that even before the choke, Pitbull had already been rocked and was close to being finished. But regardless, talk will now turn to a second fight with McKee. Perhaps for Patricio Pitbull’s other title, at lightweight.

Before any of that, however, the Brazilian fighter wants a little bit of time off. “I spent a lot of years without being defeated, and today’s a new day for me. It’s a different kind of feeling,” he said Saturday at The Forum in L.A. “I want to rest a little bit, enjoy my son, my wife. But I will come back stronger, I know that.”

Pitbull’s coach Eric Albarracin later suggested that any rematch should be in Brazil.

“If we do something like that, this time I’d like for it to be in Brazil,” Abarracin stated, noting Pitbull’s numerous accolades in Bellator, including holding the most wins in the company.

“Why are we fighting in Los Angeles?” Albarracin questioned. “He’s the champ-champ, we’re fighting in the challenger’s home town.” Noting that 99% of the support was for the challenger, given his and his father’s roots in the area, the coach suggested that Pitbull should get the same treatment. “Great, he [McKee] won. Let’s do it in Brazil next. For one time. One time, bring it to Brazil for the champ.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press conference with Patricio Pitbull above.

The post Patricio Pitbull on Bellator 263 Stoppage: “A Fighter Wants to Fight Until the End” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Following McKee’s stunning victory over the Brazilian to claim the featherweight title, and win the promotion’s long-running featherweight grand prix at Bellator 263 on Saturday night, attention almost immediately turned to the now-former double champ’s second belt. Pitbull won the title in May 2019 by knocking out Michael Chandler, but has never defended the it.

That’s left an entire weight class in limbo for a two full years. While other contenders are in play, McKee (18-0) has been vocal about making the move to 155lbs, and making his own attempt at double-champ status.

“That’s something that I know A.J. has talked to me about, his dad has talked to me about it. But we haven’t talked to Pitbull,” Coker told Cageside Press following a historic night at The Forum in Los Angeles. “Listen, give the kid a little break— I’m talking about Pitbull. Give him a little break, let him see what he wants to do. But we’re going to start making some calls, maybe in a week or so, and see what his feeling on that is. But there will be a time where he’s going to have to defend it.”

Brother Patricky is currently the #1 contender in the lightweight division. The brothers aren’t about to throw down, which makes a fight with McKee at lightweight quite possible were he to move up. Coker hinted that could be in the cards. “I’ve heard rumblings that A.J., this might be his last fight at 45. That he’s having a hard time making weight,” admitted the Bellator President. “So he might have to go up to 55 and fight up there. But that’s something that he’ll have to decide, his father and his coaches will have to decide. It’s just too premature to determine that right now.”

One of the other standouts on the Bellator 263 card was Usman Nurmagomedov, cousin of former UFC champ Khabib. Following a decisive victory, he called for a spot on Bellator’s Moscow card in the fall — as did several other Dagestani fighters.

In the case of Nurmagomedov, it looks like he has the green light. “We invited Usman to fight in Moscow, because I don’t think he’s injured,” Coker revealed. “I talked to his manager before he left, said ‘we’re looking forward to having you fight again.’ We just want to keep him busy, and keep him fighting, keep him developing.”

Nurmagomedov made short work of Manny Muro at Bellator 263, setting up a first round finish with a knee to the body that dropped “The Dragon.” The lightweight later exclaimed that he had hoped to fight longer, but there’s little doubt he’s happy to see his record improve to 13-0.

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press scrum with Scott Coker above.

The post Bellator 263: Scott Coker Won’t Commit to McKee vs. Pitbull at Lightweight, Yet appeared first on Cageside Press.

There was only one problem: he wanted the fight to go longer.

Nurmagomedov (13-0) finished the fight after landing a nasty-looking knee to the body of his opponent. Muro hit the floor, Nurmagomedov, cousin of former UFC champ Khabib, hit the GO button, and rained down the ground n’ pound until the ref waved it off.

His original plan? To fight longer. “I wanted to show people that I can wrestle as well, that I have grappling, and to make a statement that I’m not only a striking guy,” Nurmagomedov told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “That’s why I was trying to fight a little longer.”

With his second win in the promotion being his highest-profile yet, Nurmagomedov, who trains under his cousin and AKA head coach Javier Mendez, can now look ahead to what’s next. In particular, he’s eyeing the promotion’s inaugural trip to Russia, which will feature the legendary Fedor Emelianenko.

“I hope in Moscow in October,” Nurmagomedov said when asked when he wants to fight next. As to an opponent, “anyone, I don’t care.”

The Dagestani contingent at Bellator 263 did very well Saturday. Islam Mamedov and Gadzhi Rabadanov both picked up wins. “It was a huge night for our team, for our country,” noted Nurmagomedov. “I’m very happy that we got the opportunity to fight together on the same card. It helps a lot, because we can prepare together, we can do the camp together. It works for me as motivation, but it gives me a little pressure as well. Mostly it motivates me.”

Being the last fighter on the team to fight did add a little pressure, the 23-year old admitted. “To be honest, it gave me a little pressure, because I was the last one, and all my teammates, all my countrymen won already, and I didn’t want to break this celebration.”

Watch the full Bellator 263 post-fight press scrum with Usman Nurmagomedov above.

The post Usman Nurmagomedov Wanted Bellator 263 Fight to Go Longer appeared first on Cageside Press.