Fortune and his team received word recently that his bout against Daniel James at Bellator 288 in Nov. 2022 had been overturned and changed to a ‘no-contest’. The reason for the change was a reported failed PED test by James the day before the bout took place.

“We immediately contested the fight because of the illegal blows. If you watch the replay Bellator continues to post you can see I’m struck to the back of my head six times before he transfers it to elbows that were legal,” Fortune told Cageside Press.

“But you had hit me six times to the back of my head and Daniel James is a big man.”

When Fortune and his manager Matt Aptaker contested the fight they were told that Fortune had lost that contest.

Fortune said “They then get back to me to tell me that have a congruent case that will overturn the contest but they can’t state why.”

Tyrell Fortune and his team waited over 11 months for an answer regarding his fight with Daniel James and wanted to get answers.

After going back and forth with the Commission for months and waiting for some clarification they received news a few days before Fortune’s scheduled bout with Marcelo Golm at Bellator 301 that his fight with Daniel James would be ruled a no contest.

Cageside Press was able to verify the positive PED test through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. An unspecified anabolic substance was to blame; James was fined $5,000 for the incident, and suspended three months. He received an additional suspension for unpaid child support.

Combatreg.com subsequently changed the Tyrell Fortune vs. Daniel James fight to a no contest as a result of the positive test and the fight will not reflect either fighters’ record. Fortune added he was notified by the commission by letter that the result was overturned.

“Daniel James was a big man on steroids. It took almost a year for them to tell me he popped positive for steroids and my fight was now officially ruled a no contest,” Fortune told Cageside Press.

According to Tyrell Fortune, Bellator MMA had no idea that Daniel James tested positive for a banned substance, because Illinois does not fall under the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).

“I walked from the commission office to Bellator to tell them Daniel James got popped for steroids and my fight was ruled a no contest and they said they had no idea,” said Fortune.

Daniel James was previously pulled from his scheduled fight against Davion Franklin in May 2022 due to a positive test, making this his second drug test failure in less than two years.

“I contacted Bellator before our fight to ask them what are we doing to make sure I’m safe fighting him and they said he’s going to have to test negative before you guys fight and he passed that test so between that test and the time we fought he started taking steroids again,” he said.

Fortune and his team feel very strongly about fighting clean and not taking steroids, because as Fortune put it, “peoples lives are at stake and my career is on the line.”

The post Tyrell Fortune Says Bellator 288 Fight with Daniel James Ruled No Contest Due to Failed Drug Test appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Wednesday, promotion officials announced via press release that Bellator had inked a multi-year broadcast deal with Globo, parent company of Combate. The outlet will serve as the promotion’s new home in the South American nation.

Combate is the previous home of the UFC in Brazil, with that deal coming to an end recently.

“We are thrilled to have BELLATOR’s fights airing on Globo, the leading network for combat sports in Brazil,” said BELLATOR President Scott Coker in Wednesday’s press release. “Brazil is home to some of the most knowledgeable and passionate MMA fans in the world and now they can follow their favorite BELLATOR stars whenever they compete.”

The deal kicks off with this weekend’s Bellator 290, which sees Fedor Emelianenko face Ryan Bader in a rematch for the promotion’s heavyweight title. It’s also the retirement fight for the legendary Russian.

Bellator MMA is home to numerous Brazilian talents, including featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, welterweight standout Neiman Gracie, and women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg, among others.

“We’re very excited on announcing this partnership with BELLATOR. With its strength and tradition, BELLATOR will certainly be one of the stars of our portfolio reinforcing the offer for those who are really combat sports fans,” said Rafael Gruenbaum, Head of Combate.

ONE Championship and Invicta FC events, among others, call Combate home.

The post Bellator Inks Broadcast Deal with Globo, to Air On Brazil’s Combate appeared first on Cageside Press.

Downey, who has yet to compete in mixed martial arts, will make his MMA debut sometime in 2022. The move continues a trend of Bellator signing unproven but promising prospects right out of the gate, with previous names like AJ McKee and Aaron Pico paying off in spades.

In addition to his U.S. National Championship win, Downey claimed silver at the 2012 Junior World Championships, bronze in the 2016 Big 12 Championships, and bronze in the 2019 Pan Am Games. He was also an NCAA Division I All-American in 2016 for Iowa State.

Downey, who has had an often tumultuous run outside of wrestling, including assault and robbery charges in 2010, was linked to a fight under the LFA banner last year. The bout never took place; Downey instead competed in submission grappling, going 1-1 for the year.

Ariel Helwani was first to report news of Downey signing with Bellator on Thursday. Bellator President Scott Coker later confirmed the booking, welcoming the wrestler to the promotion. Downey is expected to compete at 185lbs.

Downey later released a statement on social media. “Thank you Scott Coker and Bellator MMA for this new career opportunity. Huge shoutout to everyone who has supported me throughout this tumultuous journey. With that bein said; you Middleweights are f*cked.”

Bellator MMA kicks off its 2022 year with Bellator 273 on January 29 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. Ryan Bader and Valentin Moldavsky will unify the promotion’s heavyweight title in the main event.

The post U.S. National Wrestling Champ Pat Downey Signs with Bellator MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

With his lone professional loss coming to Tim Johnson, Tyrell Fortune (11-1) has a lot of talent, potential, and investment in the division, enough so that he feels he’ll find himself competing for a title shot sooner rather than later. In an interview with Cageside Press, Fortune discussed what drives him to fight and how he feels about the state of the heavyweight division.

His last name is fitting. Fortune is a man who is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, and says he wants to fight as often as possible throughout his career because simply, he loves making money. Heading into this fight against Vassell, Fortune believes the top of the mountain is quickly approaching for the winner.

“100%, I think this is a title contention fight. I think whoever wins this fight will be either fighting for the belt or one fight away from fighting for the belt. This fight will put me right there ready for that.”

While 7 of the Top-10 ranked heavyweights in the division have two losses or less, Tyrell Fortune is only focused on those ahead of him, saying he doesn’t feel the division is that packed with talent.

“Honestly, I think it’s not that packed with talent, to be honest. Two of the guys in bottom of the top-10 haven’t even fought five times yet and they haven’t fought any competition yet. When you look past those two guys, at the top seven, six guys, we have some of the toughest guys in the company. That competition right there is really good, I’m really excited to see what happens in the future. I’m definitely more excited now to see that [Ryan] Bader has to come back and defend that belt.”

Not only does his last name Fortune resemble what he’s working for the most, but it is a name shared with his brother Tyree, who competes in the ultra-tough light heavyweight division. Acknowledging that their bond is special and he’s able to learn from his brother fighting as well, Tyrell Fortune also said that one of his main motivators is the money he’s making, to help provide a good life and future for his family.

“Money. honestly, money. I’m not in this game for, I could give a sh*t about legacy or anything like that, I want money. To be able to provide for my family and be able to provide a life for myself, overall. I’ve wrestled my whole life so the physicality doesn’t bother me.”

Although he’s considered a top contender and there’s plenty of eyes on Tyrell Fortune every time he fights, he says he seeks out bad days in the gym so he has lessons to learn from and grow upon.

“I’m actually the kind of guy, I look for bad days. I ask my coach all the time to find someone to whoop my ass in practice. Because I know the more I get my ass whooped in practice, the better I’m going to become and the less opportunity I’m going to present for another guy to do it in the cage. So I look for that adversity in practice.”

Knowing the stakes are high heading into his fight at Bellator 271, Tyrell Fortune also recognizes his opponent’s experience inside the cage, and acknowledges the competition that will be brought to him by Linton Vassell.

“Linton is a great fighter, he has 30+ fights under his record, so he’s going to bring good competition to the cage. I’m actually really excited to test myself again and see where it goes but I just think I’m more than what he can handle.”

Understanding the stakes at hand heading into Bellator 271, Tyrell Fortune will continue to rack up money every fight, and if the trajectory of his career continues to rise, he’ll be on the short-list of title contenders who could find themselves in a title fight in 2022.

The post Bellator 271: Tyrell Fortune Enjoying Rise of His Career, Making Money on Way to the Top appeared first on Cageside Press.

Per BKFC figurehead David Feldman, the plan was to get her to fight in September. But Bec Rawlings is getting married that month. The goal is now to have “Rowdy“ Bec knuckle up and toe the line shortly thereafter.

Happy honeymoon. The Police Gazette Diamond world featherweight champion in recess is reportedly lined up for either an October or November foray in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ring. Rumblings of a return for Rawlings to the Bare Knuckle Boxing ranks have been out there for the last few weeks now. However, a location, date, and opponent are not known as of yet for Rawlings’ comeback to the BKFC fold.

Bec Rawlings

Rawlings shared a clip discussing her promotional return on her personal social media.

 

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A post shared by Bec Rawlings (@rowdybec)

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Bec Rawlings has a 3-0 record overall in bare-knuckle boxing. Rawlings very much established herself as the preeminent BKFC fighter in the world in her weight category.

“Rowdy” Bec garnered victories over Alma Garcia, Britain Hart, and Cecilia Ulloa Flores. Rawlings bested Flores in her last BKFC outing in February 2019.

Rawlings is regarded as the undefeated queen of bare-knuckle. She returns to the 125-pound weight division as it continues to grow and featherweight becomes deeper seemingly by the event.

The last combative outing for Bec Rawlings took place in the world of MMA. She won via unanimous decision against Elina Kallionidou in February 2020 at Bellator 240.

This put Rawlings at 1-1 in Bellator MMA as she fell short to Ilara Joanne via second-round kneebar at Bellator 231.

Bec Rawlings has had a pair of gloved bouts recently but is looking to shed the four-ounce gloves once more after this recent pair of Bellator MMA bouts. The Invicta FC and Ultimate Fighter Season 20 participant is also a seven-fight UFC vet who earned a notable win over Seo Hee Ham.

The post Bec Rawlings Set for Fall Return to BKFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both men are expected to compete in Bellator’s stacked light heavyweight division.

The consensus with MMA fans is to book this money fight between the two right away. The thought process behind that decision is understandable, as the level of power these two possess in their hands means a fight that promises fireworks, on a level rarely seen between two competitors so well known. But is that really the best course of action?

Potential fights

While there are all sorts of reasons to be a fan of this fight, Bellator could go a different direction and tease the fans more, rather than being so quick to match Romero and Rumble up. Giving the fans a “warm up” fight before these two KO titans set foot inside the Bellator cage against one another may create even more anticipation and excitement. In terms of opponents, there are a few interesting options: Julius Anglickas, Leo Leite, or Alex Polizzi.

Julius Anglickas, a Contender Series winner and former LFA champ, is one of Bellator’s top light heavyweight prospects, and undefeated through two fights in the promotion. He’d be a clear underdog against either Romero or Rumble, but has the credentials necessary to land a fight against either at this point.

Alex Polizzi is actually the last man defeated by Anglickas. Another light heavyweight with a high ceiling, it was the first loss of Polizzi’s career. And while it might seem odd, both Romero and Rumble Johnson are technically coming off losses as well, albeit outside Bellator.

Lei Leite is 42, and coming off a pair of losses under the Bellator banner. But that’s still a year younger than Yoel Romero, and his status as a former Legacy double-champ could make all the difference.

Then there’s the top of the Bellator light heavyweight division: champ Vadim Nemkov. Ex-champ Ryan Bader. Phil Davis. Liam McGeary. Lyoto Machida. Karl Albrektsson. And potentially at some point, Gegard Mousasi. For now, those match-ups can wait.

Of course, there is a fifty-fifty chance that such a “warm up” booking could backfire, as whoever faces off against Rumble or Yoel could potentially steal their star power with a win. And *poof* — there goes all the hype that came with signing these big name free agents to the promotion. A perfect example of this was when Justin Gaethje inserted himself into the dream fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib. A TKO win from Justin Gaethje (who took the fight on short notice) in five rounds sealed the fate of us potentially never seeing the anticipated fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Still, the risk seems minimal. Even down the road, Yoel vs. Rumble would be a nice moneymaker and bring plenty of eyeballs to CBS Sports Network. That also makes it understandable as to why Bellator would make this as a quick marquee fight, especially during these crazy COVID times.

More Meaning

If Bellator MMA wants to match up Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson as quick as possible, another way of making this fight have some meaning behind it would be if they fought each other for a way into a potential spot in the Light heavyweight tournament (if there happens to be one). While the winner would earn a spot in the grand prix, the loser would lose less momentum and be considered a strong alternate while building their resume back up.

We shall soon see how Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson fare in their new MMA home. But no matter how Bellator handles these new signees, we know there are exciting fights on the horizon in the light heavyweight division.

The post Should Bellator Wait to Make the Romero vs. Rumble Fight or Capitalize on the Hype? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mazdyuk (3-1) is the latest addition to the Bellator roster. But rather than being an immediate threat to win a title, or even an up-and-coming prospect, the Russian is best known for an open weight fight she took against a 529lb man, Grisha Polnoe, last month.

Mazdyuk, who generally competes at featherweight, won the exhibition bout via TKO in the opening round. The win does not reflect on her official record — but video of the fight went viral, a throwback to PRIDE-era freakshow fights in MMA.

Mazdyuk’s signing was first reported by Barstool Sports, who listed the Moscow-based fighter as a flyweight. The lowest she’s ever competed professionally is at 135lbs. She was reportedly in the range of 139lbs for her open-weight, cross-gender bout last month.

A good freakshow fight was once something of a tradition in mixed martial arts. The likes of Bob Sapp and Hong Man Choi built their careers around them. And don’t forget Emmanuel Yarborough vs. Daiju Takase. But as the sport has evolved and sought (and to some extent achieved) mainstream acceptance, they’ve been more or less relegated to the outskirts of the sport, or left in the past altogether.

Mazdyuk will likely want to leave her freakshow fight in the past as well, moving forward. But it has at least landed her a roster spot in one of the world’s largest MMA promotions.

The post Darina Mazdyuk, Who Defeated 529lb Man in Freakshow Fight, Signed by Bellator appeared first on Cageside Press.

“The Soldier of God” has found a home after just two weeks on the free market.  ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports that former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero has signed a deal with Bellator MMA and that he is expected to move up in weight to compete in the light heavyweight division.  There is no word yet on who his first opponent will be or when he will be making his promotional debut.

The news comes after reports that Bellator and PFL were uninterested in signing the 44 year old Olympic silver medalist after he was released from the UFC earlier this month.  Per Bellator President Scott Coker, Bellator was simply “happy with the roster” they currently had and were uninterested in bringing in Romero.  Despite this, there has been continued fan interest and desire to see him compete in a major promotion that Bellator has seemingly heard and responded to.

Bellator has frequently defended their stance that they hold the best light heavyweight roster in mixed martial arts, including against the more well-known UFC.  The promotion currently boasts current champion Vadim Nemkov, current heavyweight champion and former two-division champion Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, and this year signed UFC veterans Corey Anderson and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Yoel Romero leaves the UFC after going 9-4 in the promotion and competing for the middleweight championship three times (or he would have, were it not for missing weight on one occasion): twice against Robert Whittaker and once against Israel Adesanya.  His fight against Adesanya this past March was his last fight in the promotion.  His last victory was against Luke Rockhold via third round KO in 2018.  Romero was expected to fight Uriah Hall in August before withdrawing from the bout due to undisclosed reasons.  He was released from the UFC with three fights remaining on his contract.

The post Bellator Signs Yoel Romero, Debut Likely at 205lbs appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jaylon Bates, who is 9-0 as an amateur, has dominated throughout his amateur career. A highly touted bantamweight, Cageside Press’ Joe McDonagh has confirmed with sources that Bates has signed a multi-fight deal to make his professional debut with Bellator MMA.

Bates has finished seven of his nine amateur bouts. The 23-year-old has four submission victories and three via knockout in his young career. He’s also won amateur belts in multiple promotions such as Tuff N Uff and Full Contact Fighting Federation.

Bates has also shown he has the cardio and willpower to stay dominant late into fights, winning his FCFF title via fifth-round rear-naked choke. He also holds two unanimous decision victories.

Bellator is arguably the deepest of any promotion when it comes to their young prospect pool. A bantamweight division stocked with young, highly-anticipated prospects such as Raufeon Stots, Cass Bell, and plenty more. Bates joins the ranks of one of Bellator’s top divisions as newly-crowned champion Juan Archuleta takes his throne.

The @tapology algorithm likes new @BellatorMMA signee Jaylon Bates quite a bit …https://t.co/jmWblJl1lX pic.twitter.com/HC37lJAueq

— Steven Kelliher (@Steven_Kelliher) September 29, 2020

Bates has been competing since 2017, his amateur debut, and now signing with Bellator it seems his professional debut is right around the corner. The debut will be highly-anticipated as Bates has been talked about as one of the top prospects of the Vegas region for quite some time now. This is a big pick up for Bellator as they continue to dominate the prospect signing pool.

The post Bellator Signs Top Amateur Bantamweight Prospect Jaylon Bates appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator continues to spread expand its talent pool with another signing of a top European talent on Friday. A Bellator representative has confirmed with Cageside Press that they have signed the highly touted Russian bantamweight, Nikita Mikhailov, to a long-term contract.

They did not disclose at the time the details of the contract nor when he is expected to make his debut with the promotion.

Despite being only 21-years-old, the European fighter is viewed as someone well ahead of his years. He is a former Russian Wushu-Sanda Cup champion.

Since turning professional back in 2015, Mikhailov has amassed an impressive 8-1 record. The lone blemish on his career came back in July 2017 when he was submitted via triangle choke by Alexander Podlesniy. Since the defeat, the Fights Night Global veteran has rattled off three straight victories.

Mikhailov last competed back in April of last year when he defeated the previously undefeated and also highly regard Russian prospect Mukhamed Eminov by majority decision. Mikhailov was set to return to action twice since his last appearance but had to be removed from the scheduled bouts due to a string of injuries.

The young fighter trains out of the legendary Alexander Nevsky Club (Stary Osskol) which former Pride Fighting Championship heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko, trains out of. Vadim Nemkov – who battles Ryan Bader for the Bellator light heavyweight championship on May 9 — his brother Viktor Nemkov, Anatoly Tokov, Valentin Moldavsky, and Kirill Sidelnikov are some also notable fighters that call Alexander Nevsky Club their home.

Mikhailov is expected to compete in the bantamweight division which is in a bit of a standstill. The promotion currently doesn’t have a titleholder with the previous champion, Kyoji Horiguchi, vacating the belt after suffering an injury that is expected to sideline him for an extended length of time.

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