Whether or not the extra pound mattered, Diggs was able to get Campos down in the opening round of the pair’s bout in Uncasville, CT on Saturday. Controlling the wrists, with a little nod to Khabib, Diggs worked to take the back, while Campos struggled to avoid a rear-naked choke. Towards the end of the round, Diggs managed to get under the chin, with the pair sitting back against the fence. But with time in the round winding down, he couldn’t finish.

It was Campos initiating the takedown in the opening minute of round two. He couldn’t land it, however, and the never several minutes played out on the feet, with Diggs changing levels on his strikes, mixing things up well and throwing in a kick to the body for good measure. Diggs led the dance throughout the bulk of the round, getting off his strikes first, and adding in both inside and outside leg kicks for good measure.

Round three had Campos working for a takedown again, pressing Diggs against the cage. He couldn’t land it, but Diggs managed to land one of his own not long after. He went to work inside Campos’ guard, posturing up to land a few big punches and elbows. As in the first, Diggs took the back toward the end of the round, hunting the rear-naked choke once again. As in the first, time was running out — but with seconds to go, Campos went out!

A submission win in the dying seconds of the round. Second, to be exact, as Campos went out immediately before the bell.

Official Results: Keoni Diggs. def. Derek Campos by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:59

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“I’m not too sure what happened. My manager called me and said Roger was out of the fight, unfortunately,” Campos (20-10) explained during the event’s media day earlier this week.

“The offer on the table was to fight Keoni Diggs. He’s a game opponent, I’m not one to shy away from a fight.” So Campos signed the contract, and moved on.

Diggs might be undefeated, but he’s been flying under the radar thus far. Luckily, Campos has been able to amass enough footage on his new opponent to break Diggs down.

“I’ve been able to take a look at some of his fight footage, study him, and make the adjustments where I needed to make them for my training,” said Campos. “I’ve got a game plan going into this fight. At the end of the night, I’m going to do what I’ve got to do to win.”

There’s no question, however, that a fight with Diggs wasn’t what he had in mind for his first fight of 2020. Huerta had a distinctly higher profile, after all. And Campos, at lightweight after being bounced from the featherweight grand prix, wants to make a splash.

“I do want to get the next fight booked with somebody, say, of higher caliber. I’m looking at guys like Myles Jury, Benson Henderson, I wouldn’t mind fighting Georgi Karakhanyan,” admitted Campos. “Guys like that.”

First, acknowledged Campos, “I have to take care of business here against Keoni.”

Bellator 246 takes place this Saturday, September 12 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The event airs live on Paramount Network.

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Tim Johnson vs. Matt Mitrione, and a handful of other fights, have also made their way onto the card. Now, two more solid match-ups have been added: Adam Borics is set to face Derek Campos, while Myles Jury will take on Georgi Karakhanyan.

Combate was first to report the Borics vs. Campos bout, while Jury vs. Karakhanyan was revealed by MMA Junkie.

Borics (14-1) and Campos (20-1) both took part in Bellator’s featherweight grand prix. However, with both men eliminated from that tournament, they’ll face off in a 150lb catchweight bout.

Jury (18-5) made his debut in Bellator MMA against Benson Henderson, a fight that saw the former UFC fighter known as “Fury” come up short. But he bounced back in his second outing for the promotion, defeating Brandon Girtz at Bellator 239. Karakhanyan (29–10–1, 1NC) will try his hand at lightweight after defeating Paul Redmond at Bellator 240 earlier this year.

Also on tap for Bellator 243 is Christian Edwards (3-0), a training partner of Jon Jones at Jackson-Wink MMA. He’s expected to face Ahmed Samir (1-1). Nainoa Dung (3-1) vs. Charlie Campbell (1-1), Dalton Rosta (2-0) vs. Mark Gardner (1-1), and Grant Neal (3-0 MMA) vs. Hamza Salim (5-2) have also been added to the event.

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AJ McKee has been with Bellator for the entirety of his 15-fight undefeated career and is finally on the path to a title shot. After an eight-second knockout in the first round of the featherweight grand prix over Georgi Karakhanyan, McKee is two wins away from his first title fight.

Derek Campos first fought in Bellator in 2012 and has been consistently with them since 2013. Campos is 9-6 since 2013 and has yet to fight for the title. The Texas native snapped a three-fight losing streak in the first round of the featherweight grand prix with a win over Daniel Straus.

AJ McKee came out sprinting, throwing a flying knee and a combination. A spinning kick whiffed and McKee ended up on his back as Campos jumped on top. McKee threw some elbows from his back, then squirmed out and shot for a takedown of his own. McKee got Campos down and took his back. McKee couldn’t quite sink in the choke, but rode out the round on Campos’ back.

McKee knocked Campos down right away in the second round. He jumped on top and unloaded strikes, but Campos survived. He tried to spin out from the bottom and nearly ended up in a d’arce choke. Campos popped out and slugged it out with McKee, who fell off balance and stayed on his back. Campos took top position and began elbowing away with ground-and-pound. McKee attempted an armbar from his back, but still couldn’t get free of Campos, who ended the round on top.

McKee came out quickly in the third round again, but didn’t land cleanly. He then shot for a takedown and got Campos down. McKee was pushed off, but locked up an armbar, securing the head of Campos with his leg. Campos was forced to tap and we have our first finish of the main card.

AJ McKee def. Derek Campos by Submission (Armbar) in Round 3 (1:08)

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Campos (20-9) has been a stalwart in Bellator MMA for several years now and looks to take out the undefeated, hotly discussed prospect AJ McKee. Campos covered a lot of territory when he spoke with us in the lead up to this grand prix bout (click the link for full audio).

Bellator 236

Campos is loving how he feels as a featherweight but he sees options for himself in several weight classes. “It was my second bout at 145. I feel good at 145, feel fast. Feel strong,” said Campos. “I’m happy at 145, 155, shoot I’ll even fight at 170. I’ll fight anybody at any weight. It doesn’t matter. Bellator asked me a while back about heading to 145 because I was always making 155 real easy.”

Campos is happy to be able to come back to Hawaii but as part of the co-main this time. The jovial vibe seems to stem from Campos getting a high-quality opponent who he’s excited to compete against. “I think his style is the evolution of MMA. He’s explosive,” observed Campos. “He will catch you if you’re playing in his range. I definitely respect it. I definitely admire it. At the end of the night, I’m the kind of fighter that can shut that game down.”

The last time Derek Campos and A.J. McKee were in Hawaii actually ties into this fight, and how the seeds were initially planted for the bout. As Campos recalls it, “Funny enough, we actually talked about fighting each other. I was the one that had proposed it. I was able to pick him as my opponent and here we are one year later.”

Fighting & Family

The training camp ahead of Bellator 236 has been going well for Campos, who has a couple of gyms to credit. Campos said, “I’ve been at Different Breed MMA… For Jiu-Jitsu, I cross-train over at a gym called Base BJJ.”

Campos’ family unit provides not only a great means of unwinding during hard camps. It also gives him that inspiration to push hard on those days where perhaps the inspiration isn’t organically there when waking up. “At the end of the night, this is my main means of providing for them,” Campos stated. “That’s food on my table for my family when in the cage. I’m going to get in there and bust my butt every time.”

The grand prix winner should be decided by the end of 2020 once the dust settles. For Campos, his Bellator journey has been one that dates back several years and Campos takes a noticeable measure of pride in that. Derek Campos stated, “I’m happy to be able to call Bellator my home. To be able to get out there and showcase my skills and represent for what Bellator MMA stands for.”

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The key pieces are in place for Bellator’s return to Hawaii this December. Per a report by Hawaii’s own KHON2 News, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will top Bellator: Hawaii on December 21. She’ll take on Kate Jackson in the main event, with Macfarlane’s flyweight title on the line. The fun doesn’t stop there, however — the next round of the featherweight grand prix kicks off, with A.J. McKee taking on Derek Campos.

McKee vs. Campos was set this past weekend, with McKee choosing the December date, and Campos selecting ‘The Mercenary’ as his partner. However, the exact card and placement are news. KHON2 also reports that the company will once again hold back-to-back cards in Hawaii, so expect many more fights to come.

In the meantime, fans can prepare for the Iliminator’s next title defense. Macfarlane (10-0) has remained perfect so far in her career, and has quickly risen to become one of Bellator MMA’s top stars. Winning the inaugural women’s 125lb championship in Bellator in 2017, she subsequently defended the belt three times, against Alejandra Lara, Valerie Letourneau, and Veta Arteaga.

The Arteaga fight, her most recent, was perhaps Macfarlane’s biggest challenge, but she opened the challenger up with an elbow in the third, forcing the doctor to stop the fight.

Many had expected a rematch to be booked, but Bellator opted to give Jackson (11-3-1) a title shot instead. She’s 3-1 with the promotion to date, and on a two-fight win streak heading into the title fight. Those wins came over Anastasia Yankova and Lena Ovchynnikova.

As for the night’s 145lb grand prix quarter-final, McKee punched his ticket in all of eight seconds. That’s all it took to knock out Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 228 last weekend, improving McKee’s record to 15-0. Campos (20-9) earned a unanimous decision over former champ Daniel Straus to move forward.

Bellator’s return to Hawaii does not yet have an event number. It will once again take place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

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Los Angeles, CA — One of the most promising bouts of the Bellator featherweight grand prix’s second round is A.J. McKee vs. Derek Campos. It’s a fight that was set after McKee pulled off an 8-second knockout of Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 228 on Saturday. Followed by Campos picking McKee as his second round opponent.

McKee, who chose first in the lottery-based selection process, had picked the December date. Both he and Campos were on hand at the post-fight press conference, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press.

McKee, reflecting on his lightning-quick knockout of Karakhanyan, said that “honestly before the fight I said I wanted to go get Bellator’s fastest knockout. I think everyone was just so awed at the moment, how quick it was, that sh*t honestly I was kind of surprised. But I knew I was capable of it, so why not?”

Asked if his father Antonio, winning earlier in the night on the preliminary card, had inspired him, McKee answered “definitely. It was phenomenal. Him going in there and doing what he did, it set the tone right for me. I knew I had a job to do. I’ve constantly said it, go in there and you win, set the night off, and I finished with a bang.”

McKee corned his father in that fight, so he was close to the action, later joking that the footage would need a lot of bleeping.

As for Campos, who was a spectator Saturday, he gave his thoughts in McKee’s big win.

“It was impressive. Unfortunately for Georgi, he just got caught, it can happen to anybody on any given night. But it was definitely impressive,” said Campos, who then congratulated McKee.

As to why he chose McKee as his opponent, Campos explained that “Me and A.J. have talked before, we were on the same card last December in Hawaii. I mean he’s just a cool guy, I know he’s going to bring it. We’re going to put on a show.”

McKee gave some further background, adding “it was funny, we were both in Hawaii, he was super respectful, honestly he was just like ‘man I think you’re one of the best, I’d love to fight with you one day.’ He said it would be an honor. I was like ‘hey let’s do it one day.’ Here we are a year later, he got what he wanted.”

“It worked out” added Campos.

In regards to being snubbed by champ Patricio Pitbull, who had his choice of opponent in the second round of the grand prix, McKee said that “I think it was a smart move on his side. He had a war tonight. He had a good fight. Juan touched him up a little. He fought smart. He went out there and fought smart, literally. He didn’t take a lot of damage, but he took a little bit of damage. But it’s alright.”

Watch the full Bellator 228 post-fight press conference with A.J. McKee and Derek Campos above!

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Former champ Daniel Straus took on Derek Campos in the fourth and final featherweight grand prix fight at Bellator 226 on Saturday night. Straus, who returned from a lengthy absence earlier this year, was the second former champion to compete in the tournament Saturday. He’d no doubt be hoping things would go better for him than they did for Pat Curran, who fell to Adam Borics earlier in the evening.

Campos, in something of an oddity, entered the grand prix on a three-fight losing streak. However, having fought some of Bellator’s best, he remained a threat to anyone in the tournament.

Round 1:

Straus ate a punch early in the opening round, stunning him! In a flash he was on his back, Derek Campos on top. Straus launched elbows from the bottom, while Campos made his way to half-guard. Daniel Straus would look for a kimura, perhaps in hopes of forcing Campos off him more so than actually pulling off the submission. However Campos was nearly able to mount, nearly took the back, then locked in an arm-triangle. He didn’t have it, but he was once again in full control. He would finish the round in mount, raining down punches.

Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 for Derek Campos.

Round 2:

The second round found Daniel Straus once again planted on his back, Derek Campos in half-guard. Straus locked him up briefly, refusing to allow him much room to work. Campos was able to slip in an elbow or two, while Straus was at a loss for how to escape. Far from the wall, unable to reverse, he looked to his corner, but Campos had soon moved to mount. Again, he set up a triangle choke.  Straus survived it but Campos remained in mount. He opened up in the final seconds, but the bell saved Straus and they headed to a third.

Cageside Press scored the round 10-9 for Derek Campos.

Round 3:

For the first time Saturday night, a grand prix fight went to the third round. Straus would need a finish to advance in the tournament, that much was certain. Stras fired off a number of kicks early, both high and low. Campos however shot in, fast and powerful, and completed the takedown. Given Straus’ inability to get back up in the first two rounds, that could have sealed his fate. Campos was quickly in half-guard, then locked in an arm-triangle choke and stepped over. The choke was tight, but Straus refused to tap. Campos moved back to mount. He worked the body; Straus was no closer to escaping. Campos trapped an arm and landed a couple of punches to the face of his opponent.

Somehow, in the final thirty seconds, Straus made it back up. However, he went from the frying pan into the fire. He ate a shot, and found himself rocked. Retreated as Campos fired off a knee. Campos connected again, and Straus went down. He appeared to have injured an arm or shoulder, and ate several more shots before the round came to a close.

Cageside Press scored the round 10-8 for Derek Campos

4️⃣ #FeatherweightWGP Fights 💰
4️⃣ Decisive Victories 💥

Half of the second round is set, but who will they face ❓ pic.twitter.com/UIuBOEKli3

— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) September 8, 2019

Official Result: Derek Campos def. Daniel Straus by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)

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Bellator President Scott Coker announced all eight matchups on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, and the promotion published a press release shortly after.

The fights have been split evenly between September 7 and September 28. The bouts are as follows:

Bellator 226 (September 7)

• Sam Sicilia vs. Pedro Carvalho
• Daniel Straus vs. Derek Campos
• Pat Curran vs. Adam Borics
• Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Tywan Claxton

Bellator 228 (September 28)

• Patricio Pitbull (c) vs. Juan Archuleta – For Featherweight Championship
• AJ McKee vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
• Darrion Caldwell vs. Henry Corrales
• Daniel Weichel vs. Saul Rogers

Similar to the Welterweight Grand Prix, champion Patricio Pitbull will defend his title throughout the tournament in five-round bouts. That starts when he takes on top contender Juan Archuleta on September 28.

Former UFC featherweight Sam Sicilia will fight Pedro Carvalho. Sicilia is 2-1 since leaving the UFC, defeating Derek Campos most recently. Carvalho is a Portuguese prospect who is on a five-fight win streak, knocking out Campos in May.

Two-time champion Daniel Straus takes on Derek Campos. Straus returned from a near-two-year layoff in March when he submitted Shane Kruchten. Campos has an 8-7 record in Bellator, and comes in on a three-fight losing streak, with the last two being his first in the featherweight division.

Two-time featherweight champion Pat Curran will battle the undefeated Hungarian Adam Borics. Curran has been with the promotion since 2010 and recently had a three-fight win streak snapped by AJ McKee. Borics is 4-0 in Bellator and is coming off a huge flying knee KO against Aaron Pico.

Former title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez fights top prospect Tywan Claxton. Sanchez has won five of his last six, while Claxton is 5-0 in his career with four knockouts.

AJ Mckee is one of the promotion’s hot commodities, going 14-0 in his career without ever fighting in a different organization. He’ll take on Georgi Karakhanyan, who is a former WSOF champion with a 4-5 record in the promotion since 2010.

Darrion Caldwell recently lost his bantamweight title to Kyoji Horiguchi, and will look to bounce back one division higher against Henry Corrales. Corrales has won five-straight fights since moving to The MMA Lab, including a first-round knockout against Aaron Pico.

Lastly, Daniel Weichel faces Saul Rogers. Weichel is 7-3 with the promotion and has fought for the title twice. He’ll be looking to bounce back from a pair of split decision losses. Saul Rogers is a promising fighter who was a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter, but visa issues kept him out of the UFC. He is 13-2 in his career and successfully made his promotional debut in May.

Bellator 226 takes place on September 7 in the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and is headlined by Ryan Bader vs. Cheick Kongo for the heavyweight title. Bellator 228 goes down three weeks later, in The Forum in Los Angeles. All Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix bouts will air exclusively on DAZN.

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Derek Campos is an established name in Bellator MMA and has fought the very best his division has to offer. With wins over Brandon Girtz, Derek Anderson and Melvin Guillard, Campos understandably entered his fight as favourite with Pedro Carvalho. Carvalho was a short notice replacement for the injured Ryan Scope.

Pedro Carvalho, however, was riding a wave of confidence after his tight win over highly touted prospect Daniel Crawford and a first round finish victory following. Carvalho, hailing from SBG, is a very aggressive fighter on the standup and is a handful for any fighter, showing he could upset the odds.

Early in the first round, Campos tried for the takedown, understanding his opponents weakness. However, this was stuffed well by the Portuguese featherweight before he landed kicks to the body of Campos, hurting his opponent.

This main card is 🔥! Catch the FULL first round between @DC3Stallion and Pedro Carvalho right here.#BellatorBirmingham pic.twitter.com/oc7tuUVu7Y

— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) May 4, 2019

Carvalho looked in major trouble when Campos landed a takedown and seemingly had the back of Carvalho. However, Pedro soon got to his feet and got back to striking. Moments later, the underdog landed significant strikes the body and head of Campos, forcing him to the floor where he finished the fight. This sees Carvalho now riding a five fight win streak and announcing himself as a serious contender at 155.

Pedro Carvalho def. Derek Campos by KO (punches) in Round 1 (2:03)

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