A chorus of boos often met the grinding, slow-paced, grappling-heavy bout, but regardless Yamauchi came away from Chicago with three points, plus his second win over Gracie in three fights; those sandwiching a loss to Michael “Venom” Page.

“Familiar opponent but different strategies,” Yamauchi (29-6) told Cageside Press following the bout, asked about the differences between Bellator, where the pair first fought, and the PFL. “Different people. Besides that, different cage. It’s not the same as three years ago. He fought smart. I couldn’t get close too much, he was circling around, moving his feet. So it was a little bit harder to find the distance.”

“As I thought, it was a little bit more grappling this time,” added Yamauchi, who noted that the focus was on working smart. “We have to work smart. We have to work smart and that’s what I did. I didn’t avoid the grappling, but I fought smart.”

If there was a negative to the fight besides the crowd reaction, it might be the lack of the finish. Unlike with Bellator, in the PFL, finishes matter. The earlier you finish, the more points you earn towards the post-season. In that sense, Yamauchi left three points on the table on Friday. But it’s not entirely about the finish, he noted.

“We have to take a new approach, new strategies, because it’s all about being healthy to the end of the tournament. Of course we wanted the six points, but it’s hard to deal with this new thing of PFL,” he stated. “Sometimes you get a tougher opponent or an opponent that’s hard to finish, like Neiman. Neiman is so hard to finish. Nobody but me finished Neiman. Neiman is a tough guy, it’s hard to finish him but thank god I could get the win.”

Yamauchi did finish the BJJ ace in their first meeting in 2022, care of a KO. Despite not finding the end early at PFL 3, however, Goiti Yamauchi won’t be extra motivated to find a stoppage next time out.

“Absolutely not. I’ve not seen the fights yet, but what happened happened. The only thing that I need to do is give my best and get the win, the win is the most important thing. And if possible, get a finish.”

Watch the full PFL 3 post-fight press conference with Goiti Yamauchi above.

The post Goiti Yamauchi Says PFL Tournament “All About Being Healthy to the End” appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It’s very different house now. Really happy to be here again, and it’s a different name, but I see same faces,” Gracie told Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“It’s great to be here.”

For Gracie (12-4) tournaments are nothing new. The welterweight took part in a tournament in Bellator, and welcomes a chance to enter another one, this time in PFL.

“I love tournaments man. It’s great, and I wish all the fights would be only one night, but we cannot do this anymore. Got to wait a couple months to finish this,” Gracie said.

At PFL 3: Regular Season 2024 he will face a familiar foe in Yamauchi. The two squared off at Bellator 286 in August of 2022. Gracie suffered a TKO loss that night.

“It’s been a while. I don’t see him fighting and it’s been a while (since I fought) so we’re going to have to figure (it) out on Friday night,” he said.

Years removed from his last tournament Gracie has plenty of motivation to win the million dollar prize this time around.

“What’s different now is that now I have two kids,” Gracie said with a smile.

“The million dollars will definitely make a difference now.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Neiman Gracie above. He takes on Goiti Yamauchi on Friday night.

The post Neiman Gracie Grateful For Another Shot At Million Dollar Prize appeared first on Cageside Press.

The karateka faced veteran submission specialist Goiti Yamauchi, who did not use his grappling but his hands to knock out Neiman Gracie in a main event in his last bout. It seemed likely he would return to his grappling-heavy attack though, due to fighting an expert striker in MVP.

As it turned out, Yamauchi never even had the chance to use his grappling.

Page came out in his traditional bouncy karate stance, slowly pressuring forward. Page threw a single low kick and bizarrely Goiti Yamauchi fell down right away. On replay, it could be seen that it landed directly on his kneecap. The kneecap distorted badly on impact, seeming to pop upwards, horrifyingly.

That kick… 😱

📺 #Bellator292 | LIVE NOW | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/es90kBMaV3

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023

As quick and unexpected as it was, this fight will go down in the books as a KO finish for MVP. He became the first man to finish Goiti, in Yamauchi’s thirty-fourth fight. Page also took top spot for most knockouts in Bellator history with this kick, and he graciously wished his veteran opponent a speedy recovery in his post-fight interview.

Official Result: Michael Page def. Goiti Yamauchi by KO (leg kick), Round 1, 0:26

The post Bellator 292: Michael ‘Venom’ Page Blows Up Goiti Yamauchi’s Kneecap With A Single Kick appeared first on Cageside Press.

Looking to defend his 155lb title throughout the tournament was Usman Nurmagomedov, who topped the card looking to make his first title defense against former UFC and WEC champ Benson Henderson.

For Henderson, the fight marked another — and quite likely final — chance to capture a third major championship, a rarely accomplished feat in mixed martial arts.

Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson marked one grand prix quarterfinal on the night; Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy was the other (the second two quarterfinal bouts, Brent Primus vs. Mansour Barnaoui and A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Pitbull would come later this spring). Azerbaijan’s Musayev, a former RIZIN champ, and Shabliy, a Russian standout, were considered among the toughest tests in the grand prix.

Outside of the lightweight double bill, the card also featured the top-two ranked heavyweights in the company facing off in a rematch, as former interim champ Valentin Moldavsky ran it back with Linton Vassell. The returning Michael “Venom” Page, meanwhile took on the surging Goiti Yamauchi, who looked to continue climbing up the welterweight division.

Bellator 292 goes down at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA on Friday, March 10, 2023, airing on Showtime in the U.S. A live stream of the preliminary card is available above; where available, the main card streams below. Prelims kick off at 7:25PM ET.

Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson Results

Main Card

Usman Nurmagomedov (c) def. Benson Henderson by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:37 — for the Bellator MMA lightweight championship / lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
Alexandr Shabliy def. Tofiq Musayev by TKO, Round 3, 0:29 — Bellator lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
Linton Vassell def. Valentin Moldavsky by knockout (right hand to ground n’ pound), Round 1, 3:03
Michael Page def. Goiti Yamauchi by knockout (leg kick), Round 1, 0:26

Preliminary Card

Enrique Barzola def. Érik Pérez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh Hill def. Cass Bell by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Khalid Murtazaliev def. Tony Johnson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Julius Anglickas by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Laird Anderson def. Rogelio Luna by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:41
Theo Haig def. Adam Wamsley by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:01

The post Bellator 292: Usman vs. Henderson Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I believe good things takes time. Good things takes time to happen. I had some opportunities in my past weight class like 145. I think 145, 155, I was pretty close to fight for the title. I think it’s all about timing, support, the fight game is all about timing and you should be very patient to still compete at the high level and take no damage,” Yamauchi told reporters on Wednesday.

“That’s what I’ve tried to do. No damage, patience, I know my times is coming. My time is coming. Friday will be the time.”

A couple of fights into his welterweight stint Yamauchi has had success against the likes of Neiman Gracie and Levan Chokheli. After spending most of his career and featherweight and lightweight Yamauchi sees the benefits of not cutting as much weight to fight.

“It’s been a good change. Not just because of the amount of weight that I don’t have to cut, but my mental health is really important too. I have a better quality in my routine. I can just focus in my performance. It’s crazy to think that I used to cut for 145. It’s too crazy. I’m not a tall guy, but I have a lot of good muscles. It’s hard to cut it. It’s been good to be a welterweight,” he said.

“I think it’s all about mindset. I think the great champions, the great fighters, they prove for everybody that…I see a lot of people still talking about measures. How tall, how big some guy is, but I don’t think it matter. What matters to me is the size of your heart, of your spirit, if you have the desire, the will to win, you will.”

Yamauchi said the emergence of double champions in multiple organizations is proof that your size doesn’t matter when it comes to fighting.

“Nowadays you see a lot of double champions. They’re successful when they go up. When they try to go down like T.J. Dillashaw they came up short. Sometimes it’s a good option to change your weight to go up. You’re not going to get smaller, you’re going to get stronger,” said Yamauchi.

Page brings a lot of star power and excitement into the fight as Yamauchi faces someone who many saw, and some still see, as the face of Bellator.

“This fight comes in the right time. Unfortunately for him it’s my time to shine,” Yamauchi said.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Goiti Yamauchi above. Yamauchi takes on Michael ‘Venom’ Page at Bellator 292 on Friday night in San Jose, CA.

The post Bellator 292: Life Is Good At Welterweight For Goiti Yamauchi appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator 292, which takes place on March 10, 2023, will see Michael “Venom” Page (20-2) face off with Goiti Yamauchi in a battle of ranked welterweights.

That main-card match-up was announced on Wednesday, along with several preliminary card bouts. Those include Julius Anglickas (10-3) vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (19-7-1) at light heavyweight, Bobby Seronio III (3-0) vs. Alberto Garcia (2-0) at bantamweight, Enrique Barzola (18-7-2) vs. Erik Perez (20-8) also at bantamweight, and Khalid Murtazaliev (15-3) vs. Tony Johnson (9-3) at middleweight. Finishing off the newly announced bouts is a lightweight affair, Islam Mamedov (22-2-1) vs. Shamil Nikaev (10-0, 1 NC).

The return of “MVP” will mark his first action since a May 2022 loss to Logan Storley for the promotion’s interim welterweight title. In just his second loss as a pro, Page dropped a split decision against “Storm.” Storley will face returning welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov in a title unification bout later this month, while Page looks to jump back to the head of the line against Brazilian Yamauchi.

Goiti Yamauchi has won three straight, most recently knocking out Neiman Gracie last August. The 30-year old has spent the last decade with the promotion, starting out as a featherweight in 2013, then moving to lightweight in 2016. In 2022, Yamauchi made the move to welterweight, where he is undefeated thus far.

Bellator 292 is set to take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA on March 10. The following bouts have been announced for the card by the promotion:

• Usman Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Benson Henderson — for the Bellator MMA lightweight championship / lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
• Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy — lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
• Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
• Michael Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi
• Leandro Higo vs. James Gallagher
• Enrique Barzola vs. Erik Perez
• Keri Taylor Melendez vs. Bruna Ellen
• Cass Bell vs. Josh Hill
• Islam Mamedov vs. Shamil Nikaev
• Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Tony Johnson
• Julius Anglickas vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
• Bobby Seronio III vs. Alberto Garcia
• Laird Anderson vs. Rogelio Luna
• Wladmir Gouvea vs. Sean Tucker
• Theo Haig vs. Adam Wamsley
• Dupree Stewart vs. Demetri Georgiades

The post Michael “Venom” Page vs. Goiti Yamauchi Among Additions to Bellator 292 appeared first on Cageside Press.

He also became the first man to finish fellow Brazilian Neiman Gracie in a fight, care of a perfectly placed uppercut.

“It feels amazing. It’s a product of hard work, courage, and a lot of dedication, not just for this camp but for my entire life,” Yamauchi (28-5) said following the fight. “I’ve been working to have this moment, and the moment has become— I consider this the beginning of an era, the beginning of my era, the beginning of the best time of my life.”

“All I can say is thanks for everybody that came to watch and everybody that helped me to be here,” he added.

Much like Gracie’s outing against Logan Storley, the fight with Yamauchi played out entirely on the feet. “That fight was one of the only fights that I studied, because I knew that he wouldn’t change that much from that fight,” Yamauchi revealed. “And they made a hell of a fight, it was a hell of a battle, two warriors, two absolute warriors. I watched the fight, and I could see I could make Neiman make some mistakes and exploit that, and that’s what I did.”

Ahead of Yamauchi in the 170lb weight class are fighters like Jason Jackson, interim champ Logan Storley, and champ Yaroslav Amosov, who stepped away from fighting to defend his native Ukraine from Russian attack.

“I just want to fight one of these guys. It would be amazing to fight Storley,” Yamauchi said Friday. “I love his style, he’s a hell of a fighter, a very good grappler. It looks like he has a lot of a gas tank, he likes to go to war. It’s the kind of fight that I like, so it will be a good match-up, it would be an honor for me to compete against the champ, Storley.”

Watch the full Bellator 284 post-fight press scrum with Goiti Yamauchi above.

The post Bellator 284: Goiti Yamauchi Says It’s the Beginning of His Era appeared first on Cageside Press.

As it turned out, there wasn’t much ground action at all.

Yamauchi was in just his second fight since moving to the welterweight division, after starting his career at featherweight, then stepping up to lightweight before his arrival at 170. He appeared to have settled into his new home by the end of the fight.

Early on during Friday’s main event, it was Yamauchi on the outside. The pair would come together about a minute in, but did not go to the ground. Instead, in the early going, it was a stand-up battle; just over two minutes in, Yamauchi caught Gracie with a jab. Gracie’s legs instantly went to rubber. Yamauchi took that opportunity to take Gracie to the ground, but they did not stay there. Gracie would escape the round, but Yamauchi had drawn first blood.

In the second, after some early trading, Gracie would wind up on his back, trying to lure Yamauchi into his guard. Yamauchi was cautious; Gracie flashed an upkick then returned to his feet. Yamauchi then proceeded to rip several kicks to the body. Later in the round, he’d set up the finish.

With Gracie moving in, Yamauchi had his hands down — but uncorked a massive uppercut, landing right on the chin of Neiman Gracie. The connection snapped the head back; Gracie immediately went down, Yamauchi instantly had the biggest win of his career — becoming the first fighter to stop Gracie.

𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 🤯@GoitiOfficial may have the most submissions in Bellator history, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hang on the feet!

A spectacular finish to #Bellator284 live on @SHOsports. pic.twitter.com/b7I5AxY3PL

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 13, 2022

“I have no words to describe this moment,” Yamauchi said following the fight, having knocked out a man he considers one of the best fighters in the world.

Official Result: Goiti Yamauchi def. Neiman Gracie by knockout (uppercut), Round 2, 3:58

The post Bellator 284: Goiti Yamauchi Crumples Neiman Gracie with Uppercut appeared first on Cageside Press.

Standout grapplers in the main event? Check. Former women’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane looking to snap the first losing streak of her career? That too. Middleweight title challenger Austin Vanderford looking to bounce back from his first loss, against short notice replacement Aaron Jeffery? Got it.

The debut of standout wrestler Pat Downey, the toughest test yet for Steve Mowry, against ex-interim heavyweight champ Valentin Moldavsky, and Canadian bantamweight standout Josh Hill were even more reasons to check out the card.

Bellator 284 goes down live on Friday, August 12, 2022 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A live stream of the preliminary card action can be found above; where available, the main card streams below. Full results from the event can also be found below.

Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi Results

Main card

Goiti Yamauchi def. Neiman Gracie by knockout (uppercut), Round 2, 3:58
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry ends in a No Contest (accidental eye poke), Round 1, 0:54
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane def. Bruna Ellen by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Gokhan Saricam def. Said Sowma by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Aaron Jeffery def. Austin Vanderford by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 1:25

Preliminary card

Marcos Breno def. Josh Hill by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Justine Kish def. DeAnna Bennett by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sullivan Cauley def. Tyson Jeffries by knockout (knee), Round 1, 1:35
Pat Downey def. Keyes Nelson by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 0:36
Bailey Schoenfelder def. Mark Currier by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:35
Mitchell McKee def. Tony Ortega by TKO, Round 2, 1:28
M,A,Yah II def. Brett Bye by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – amateur bout

The post Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

That’s something that Yamauchi (27-5) finally feels ready for.

“I have a lot of experience here in Bellator, but I think this is the time I feel mature enough to make a main event, and sure, win the fight. That’s what matters,” Yamauchi told media outlets including Cageside Press during this week’s Bellator 284 media day. “It’s very meaningful for me, not just to me but for all my team, making this main event. Not just the main event, but against Neiman [Gracie]. This opponent is very meaningful for me too. So I’m very excited.”

As Yamauchi noted, it’s Neiman Gracie he’s up against. With the Gracie family name comes their decorated history and jiu-jitsu prowess. Trying things out on the ground with Gracie is something Yamauchi is looking forward to.

“It’s very meaningful for me, fighting against a Gracie,” he stated. “And sure, I want to test myself on the ground against Neiman.”

After starting his career as a featherweight and then moving to lightweight, Goiti Yamauchi now plies his trade at 170 pounds. Friday will mark his second fight as a welterweight, and he appears to have found a new home.

“I think lightweight and welterweight, they are the hardest divisions and the hardest weight class in MMA,” said Yamauchi. “So I’m moving up. I used to fight tough guys at lightweight, and it’s the same thing at welterweight, but I’m a little bit happier and healthier this time.”

He’s also feeling better, in compared to his prior weight cuts, though little has changed in the amount of weight he’s actually cutting. “Way better now. 170, this is my weight class. I’m not cutting less, I got bigger. In the real, real weight. Muscles, not fat. I don’t like to be a fat guy in the off-season. Welterweight [didn’t] make me get lazy or something, I just work even harder. Now with health. I’m healthier, and have got some quality muscles. I’m still cutting, but like I said, way happier and stronger.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Goiti Yamauchi above. Bellator 284 goes down in Sioux Falls, SD on Friday August 12.

The post Bellator 284: Goiti Yamauchi Cutting Same Amount of Weight at Welterweight As He Did At Lightweight appeared first on Cageside Press.