Talk of a sale aside, Bellator remains the number two mixed martial arts promotion globally. Yes, the PFL has made inroads, and yes, ONE Championship has done some big things, though they have morphed into more of a martial arts promotion which also does MMA. Bellator, however, remain the company with the deepest roster outside the UFC, with the most recognizable names and a small army of top prospects.

Bellator 300, going down in San Diego on October 7, was to exemplify that, and it still does, though one title fight, the heavyweight championship bout between Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell, has dropped off the card. Still, three title fights remain, including unbeaten lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov taking on ex-champ Brent Primus, part of the promotion’s ongoing lightweight grand prix.

Women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will also be in action, in a long-awaited showdown with “Alpha” Cat Zingano, while good friends Liz Carmouche, Bellator’s current women’s flyweight champ, and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, the former 125lb queen and face of Bellator, also collide.

Ahead of Saturday’s big show, the key players are on hand for Wednesday’s Bellator 300 press conference, available to stream above. The presser kicks off at 3:55PM ET.

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“I don’t give a f*ck if I’m the first or I’m the last,” Burnell (18-5) said following his decision win over Weichel at Dublin, Ireland’s 3Arena on Saturday. “I’m beat him, that’s what matters.”

Asked whether Weichel brought anything new to the table that Burnell hadn’t seen before, the featherweight contender said simply “Nothing. No.”

“I knew he was gritty, I knew he was all-around pretty strong, I was surprised by how well he switched up between the submissions in the first round, but other than that, it was yeah. And in the third round, when he shot on me, I was like ‘it’s a wrap.'”

Burnell would later compare Weichel to one of the world’s best-known carmakers, Germany’s Volkswagen.

“He’s like a Volkswagen of fighting, and this is like a great compliment, because Volkswagen is correct, it always works, it never breaks down, it does the job,” stated Burnell. “That’s Daniel Weichel right there. Daniel “The Volkswagen” Weichel. And that’s a compliment.”

Asked what car he compared himself to, Burnell went across the ocean to North America. “I’m like a Range Rover, Hummer, I don’t know. Some sh*t like that. Some American muscle, even though I’m European.”

Watch the full Bellator 299 post-fight press conference with Mads Burnell above.

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An eye poke brought about the finish just 26 seconds into the fight, with Queally unable to continue. That basically meant his walkout was longer than his fight, with the Irish crowd signing The Cranberries Zombie as he entered.

“I think you could see it in me. I was enjoying it. I was enjoying this for once,” Queally (13-8-1, 1NC), a former title challenger at lightweight, said following the 170lb bout. “The last few fights, because I knew I hadn’t trained, the pressure was almost crushing me when people were singing the song to be honest. I know I’m not ready. But this time I was ready. I was ready to kill him. I think you could see it, I was actually enjoying it. And I was going to kill him. I’m just sick now. I’m just sick over it, to be honest.”

The pain from the foul had Queally believing he might have lost an eye. “I felt like my eye had exploded when it happened. I was just unbelievable pain. I actually looked over at John [Kavanagh, SBG Ireland coach], and he made this face. I thought I had lost my eye to be honest. But thankfully it’s just a really bad scratch in my eye, deep in my eye, and there’s a bad cut in my eyelid.”

“I’m okay, I’m just really disappointed.”

In terms of the fight being ruled a No Contest rather than a disqualification, “I don’t care. I’m just really disappointed that the fans got short-changed,” stated Queally. “I don’t really care about me getting a cheap win for that.”

“I don’t think he meant it,” Queally added. “I haven’t seen it, but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy who meant it.”

Watch the full Bellator 299 post-fight press conference with Peter Queally above.

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A split decision win for Collins (5-0) didn’t exactly go how she predicted, the 33-year old admitted following the fight.

“No, that wasn’t how I expected it to go. I was planning on taking her down and finishing her on the ground,” Collins said backstage at the 3Arena. “But when we started trading, I felt her out, so I decided to keep it there for a bit.”

Judging being what it is in mixed martial arts, waiting for the scorecards to be read out can often be a anxious moment. Collins, however, was fairly confident she had the win. “I thought I had definitely won the first two rounds. I wasn’t sure about the third, but I thought I did enough in the first two.”

If there was any criticism in Sara Collins maintaining her perfect record on Saturday, it might be that the bout was low-action at times. Collins admitted that the pair were a bit stand-offish, as she put it. “But what can you do? As a fighter, it’s not always about exciting fights. Sometimes you’re just in there to win.”

With her fifth straight win, the Australian is now looking to work her way up the ladder in the women’s featherweight division.

“I want to fight anyone who is ranked above Sinead,” stated Collins. “Even the winner of Leah [McCourt] and Sara [McMann] in two weeks, that would be nice. Or anyone just ranked above Sinead.”

Watch the full Bellator 299 post-fight press conference with Sara Collins above.

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He also came away from the event somewhat surprised that the Irish fans didn’t give him a rougher ride. Carvalho might be Portuguese, but he trains with SBG Ireland, and is essentially an adopted hometown fighter when it comes to shows in Dublin.

“I thought the Irish fans took it easy on me,” Pico (12-4) said following the fight. “I thought they were going to boo a little more, but like I said they took it easy, and I’m happy that I fought here and experienced it, for sure.”

Pico, long a blue chip prospect in the featherweight division, now has his sights set on gold. For years, while pal A.J. McKee held the 145lb title, the pair were adamant that they would not fight one another. But McKee is now fighting at lightweight, and Pico is on an 8-1 run with the lone loss coming by injury.

“I believe I’m one of the best fighters in the world at featherweight, and the next step is to fight for the belt,” Pico said when asked about his future. “I feel I’m ready physically and mentally. I’ve waited a long time for this, I fought whoever they put in front of me, and I believe I’m ready for the next opportunity.”

Who that opportunity comes against, and when it might arrive, is a question mark. Bellator’s future is very much up in the air, with rumors of a sale to the PFL still circulating. They do not have any cards booked past Bellator 301 in November; on top of that, featherweight champ Patricio Pitbull is currently recovering from injury.

Asked about how he’d celebrate the win, Pico reiterated his desire to fight for gold, and said there wasn’t much to celebrate. “I’m happy, but I don’t have a belt wrapped around my waist, so the job is not done, to be honest with you.”

Watch the full Bellator 299 post-fight press conference with Aaron Pico above.

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Covington, as was recently announced by UFC President and CEO Dana White, will face Leon Edwards for that promotion’s welterweight title at UFC 296 in December. Edwards happened to be on hand at Bellator 299 in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday, where his brother Fabian challenged Eblen for Bellator gold.

It wasn’t Fabian’s night, and a bit of a fracas broke out in the cage after Eblen finished Fabian Edwards, then proceeded to have words with his brother. Backstage at the 3Arena, however, Eblens said there was no beef between himself and Leon — and is rooting for Leon to get the better of Covington this December.

Eblen said the post-fight incident came down to “A lot of emotions, bro,” before adding “His brother’s a great fighter, I honestly hope he beats Colby. I f*cking hate Colby, that dude sucks.”

Training with American Top Team, Eblen is no doubt extremely familiar with Colby Covington, who was part of that Florida-based camp before making his exit in 2020 and moving to MMA Masters.

As for Leon Edwards, Eblen admitted that he’d like to face him some day. “I want to fight him too, he’s one of the best guys in the world. And I want to prove I’m one of the best in the world, and you’ve got to fight everybody. He’s not in my weight class, but I feel like he might go up to 85 eventually. But I went over after and I told him ‘hey man, sorry, my emotions were high.’ I squashed the beef, I don’t have anything wrong with him, I just want to fight the guy.”

With Bellator’s future murky at the moment past Bellator 301 in Chicago this November, Eblen suggested he’d fight for whoever would have him. Overall, he doesn’t seem too concerned about where he might end up.

“Man, I don’t give a f*ck. I’m here to fight. I will be employed regardless of where I’m at. I’m a trained killer, I can put people out, I can go five rounds, I’m the full package. Whoever wants to employ me, I’ll fight for them.”

Watch the full Bellator 299 post-fight press conference with Johnny Eblen above.

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The undefeated American Top Team fighter Johnny Eblen won the belt in a stellar shutout performance of legend Gegard Mousasi and followed that up with a successful defense against Anatoly Tokov. Fabian, brother of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, was not to be outdone however, as he earned his title shot by dismantling Mousasi as well earlier in 2023. After that Mousasi fight, Eblen and Edwards had their first face off in the cage that night, getting into an altercation in the process. The real fight, however, was decided in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday evening and it was Johnny Eblen who got the knockout after a hard fought fight.

The southpaw Edwards came out blasting open side kicks but Eblen, fighting orthodox to start this fight, defended them and settled into a routine. Few punches were traded early on, they traded kicks for a while. After a minute Eblen rushed in with the first big punching combo of the fight and after that he began to switch stances. For the most part, only low kicks and the occasional teep to the stomach, from both fighters, landed successfully. Each man’s defense was on point. Halfway through the round Eblen changed levels off of a successful right hand and got to the hips of Edwards. Fabian stayed on his feet but got forced to the cage and held in a rear body-lock by the champ. Johnny could not complete the takedown so he broke the clinch, landing a nice knee and elbow on the break. The first round seemed close as it ended with Edwards scoring a body kick and straight left.

Fabian increased his pace to start the second round and landed several decent strikes to the body of Eblen early on. One minute into the round Edwards’ butt hit the canvas but it seemed to just be a slip. Eblen got hit with a clean counter after that but then rushed forward into a clinch position; however he could not control Fabian this time and it was the challenger who landed a knee and elbow on the break, one of him and his brothers’ favorite techniques. With two minutes left in the round Eblen landed his first takedown but Edwards did not allow him to settle the position as he popped right to his feet. Edwards was held in the body-lock after that but quickly turned to face Eblen and got free, back to his preferred kickboxing range. Johnny ended the round with another clinch where he landed short knees until the bell. When he walked back to his corner, a cut across the champ’s eyebrow and bridge of his nose was visible from eating an earlier elbow, but the cutman did well to stem the bleeding.

Only ten seconds into round three Johnny Eblen made sure the cut did not matter as he landed a monster right hand that sat Fabian down while Edwards was kicking. Eblen jumped on top of him and landed repeated punches and elbows to his grounded foe; only a few of those were needed to put him out cold, his head bouncing off the canvas. Eblen did not walk away immediately but loomed over his unconscious opponent, yelling while the referee tried to push him away, hinting at the bad blood between them.

Leon Edwards took issue with the way Eblen reacted after the victory and they almost got into an altercation, but after a minute the pair both calmed down and seemed to make nice. Eblen got the belt wrapped around his waist for the third time in his career and spoke to ‘Big’ John McCarthy for his post-fight interview where he declared himself one of the best in the world, something no one can argue with.

Official Result: Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards by Knockout (right hand to ground strikes) Round 3, 1:20

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Third-ranked has been a consummate finisher in his career but showed a well-rounded game to go the distance with James Gonzalez in his last fight. His opponent, Pedro Carvalho, was ranked fifth coming into the fight and had traded wins and losses for his last five fights. Carvalho had a home field advantage in this one as he trains out of SBG Ireland despite being of Portuguese nationality. Pico was a huge favorite going into the bout but Carvalho has spoiled many a party in the past for top contenders and hyped-up prospects alike.

Carvalho came out with his usual low kicks but Pico pressured him back to the fence and got a body lock takedown in the first thirty seconds. Carvalho was able to turn his back to Pico, crawl to the cage, and use the fence to stand backup. After just one quick striking exchange Pico shot again and the same sequence repeated itself, with Pico landing one good knee in the clinch on the way up.

The same thing kept again, Pico landed every takedown at will but could not hold Pedro down. Then everything changed when Aaron suddenly landed a big uppercut that sat Carvalho down. Pico jumped into the full guard of the Portuguese fighter and rained down ground and pound while maintaining control this time. Carvalho’s eye was badly bloodied and eventually he could not just sit there and take shots. Pedro turned his back but was trapped; Pico had him flattened out and landed a few more strikes to the side of the head of a facedown Carvalho to finish the fight.

In his post-fight interview Pico called for a title shot. With his resume and the way the division is currently oriented it will be hard to deny him.

Official Result: Aaron Pico def. Pedro Carvalho by TKO (uppercut to ground strikes) Round 1, 3:05

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While not fighting at home in England, Edwards was at least nearby, and had the chance to make a bit of history on Saturday were he to capture the crown, with brother Leon Edwards currently reigning as the UFC’s welterweight champ.

Eblen, meanwhile, was looking to remain perfect and defend his title for the second time since defeating Gegard Mousasi to ascend to the top of the Bellator middleweight mountain in June of 2022.

In the Bellator 299 co-main event, Aaron Pico and Pedro Carvalho faced off in a key featherweight bout, made all the more important due to the uncertainty over when Patricio Pitbull might return to action.

Bellator 299 goes down Saturday in Dublin, with the preliminary card kicking off at 11AM local time. The card airs on Showtime in the U.S. following online prelims, and via streaming PPV in Canada. Full results can be found below.

Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Edwards Results

Main card

Johnny Eblen (c) def. Fabian Edwards by KO, Round 3, 0:21 — for the Bellator MMA middleweight championship
Aaron Pico def. Pedro Carvalho by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 1, 3:05
Sara Collins def. Sinead Kavanagh by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Mads Burnell def. Daniel Weichel by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Levan Chokheli def. Sabah Homasi by KO (front kick), Round 1, 1:51

Preliminary card

Peter Queally vs. Daniele Miceli declared a No Contest (eye poke), Round 1, 0:26
Jay-Jay Wilson def. Mansour Barnaoui by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Grégory Babene def. Charlie Ward by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 1:03
Ciarán Clarke def. Przemysław Górny by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 2:52
Luca Poclit def. Roman Faraldo by submission (D’arce choke), Round 1, 2:18
Khasan Magomedsharipov def. Piotr Niedzielski by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 3:58
Darragh Kelly def. Jelle Zeegers by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 3, 3:42
Otto Rodrigues def. Brian Moore by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 1:31
Attila Korkmaz def. Davy Gallon by TKO (punches), Round 3, 0:23
Asaël Adjoudj def. Ibrahim Al-Faqih Hassan by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh O’Connor def. Kenny Mokhonoana by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–26)
Romain Debienne def. Nicolò Solli by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:39
Sergey Bilostenniy def. Kasim Aras by TKO (spinning wheel kick/punches), Round 1, 2:33
Mark Ewen def. Noah Gugnon by TKO (elbows/punches), Round 2, 3:51
Mackenzie Stiller def. Chiara Penco by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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That fight will see champ Johnny Eblen, having once again shifted nicknames, this time to “Pressure” (he was previously “Diamond Hands” and “The Human Cheat Code”), put his belt on the line against top contender Fabian Edwards. There’s a little bit of history at stake, with Edwards’ brother Leon holding UFC gold — a win for Fabian over the American Top Team standout could mark the first time brothers have both held gold in competing, top-tier promotions.

Also in action on Saturday, featherweight standout Aaron Pico taking on SBG Ireland’s Pedro Carvalho, Danish star Mads Burnell, and the hard-hitting fan fave Sabah Homasi.

Weigh-ins for Bellator 299 take place Friday in Dublin; check below for results.

Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards were the first to weigh in on Friday morning, with both fighters hitting the mark. Their title fight is now official as a result.

The only miss at the scales ahead of Bellator 299 was Piotr Niedzielski, who came in 1.8 pounds heavy for his featherweight fight with Khasan Magomedsharipov.

Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Edwards Weigh-In Results

Main card

Middleweight: Johnny Eblen (c) (184.6) vs. Fabian Edwards (185) — for the Bellator MMA middleweight championship
Featherweight: Aaron Pico (145.2) vs. Pedro Carvalho (145.6)
Women’s Featherweight: Sinead Kavanagh (145.8) vs. Sara Collins (145.3)
Featherweight: Mads Burnell (144.4) vs. Daniel Weichel (145.6)
Welterweight: Levan Chokheli (169.9) vs. Sabah Homasi (170.2)

Preliminary card

Welterweight: Peter Queally (170.2) vs. Daniele Miceli (170.2)
Lightweight: Mansour Barnaoui (155.2) vs. Jay-Jay Wilson (156)
Middleweight: Grégory Babene (185.8) vs. Charlie Ward (185.8)
Catchweight (140 lb): Ciarán Clarke (139.6) vs. Przemysław Górny (139.2)
Welterweight: Luca Poclit (169.8) vs. Roman Faraldo (170.8)
Featherweight: Khasan Magomedsharipov (145.6) vs. Piotr Niedzielski (147.8)*
Featherweight: Darragh Kelly (145.2) vs. Jelle Zeegers (145.4)
Featherweight: Brian Moore (145.4) vs. Otto Rodrigues (145)
Lightweight: Davy Gallon (155.2) vs. Attila Korkmaz (155)
Featherweight: Asaël Adjoudj (145.6) vs. Ibrahim Al-Faqih Hassan (146)
Featherweight: Kenny Mokhonoana (145.5) vs. Josh O’Connor (145.8)
Light Heavyweight: Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
Welterweight: Nicolò Solli (170.6) vs. Romain Debienne (171)
Heavyweight: Sergey Bilostenniy (246.2) vs. Kasim Aras (253.6)
Lightweight: Mark Ewen (155) vs. Noah Gugnon (155.6)
Women’s Strawweight: Chiara Penco (115.2) vs. Mackenzie Stiller (115.8)

* Niedzieiski misses weight by 1.8lbs

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