His opponent?

Well Jeffery couldn’t disclose that information just yet, but in regards to potential dance partners, three names come to mind: Former Bellator Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi, recent title challenger Fabian Edwards, and Bellator’s newest addition to the middleweight rankings and former top ranked light heavyweight, Grant Neal.

Regardless of whether his opponent is one of the three aforementioned fighters, Jeffery is glad to know that he’ll be making the walk once again in the coming months.

“I finally got some fight news so I’m pumped to get back in there,” Jeffery said in an interview with Cageside Press.

The Canadian middleweight has stood across some of the best 185ers in the sport, including the likes of Sean Brady, Andre Petroski, Brendan Allen, and Caio Borralho. He then made his way to Bellator where he would amass three victories in four fights, recording KOs over Fabio Aguiar and Austin Vanderford prior to defeating the then undefeated Dalton Rosta by decision his last time out.

“The performance was good man. I’m happy with it,” Jeffery said regarding his most recent bout. “(Rosta) was a tough guy, ranked in the top 10. Looking back on it I wish I got a finish, but it was a good performance overall.”

While the identity of Jeffery’s next opponent has not yet been revealed, one man that he will not be sharing the cage with (yet) is Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen. Though Jeffery had seemingly secured a shot at middleweight gold with his victory over Rosta, the merging of the two premier MMA promotions (PFL and Bellator) paved way for a champions versus champions card, one that will feature a matchup between Eblen and PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay, who happens to be a good friend and teammate of Jeffery’s down at Kill Cliff FC in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

“(Impa) said that every time PFL offered him this fight he was like ‘I’ll fight anyone anywhere…But you know my boy Aaron Jeffery is next in line.’ And I believe him when he says that he told them that,” Jeffery said. “But no, I’m happy for him man. That guy works very hard. He’s made a lot of sacrifices and he’s finally doing very big things with his career. It’s very cool to see.”

Jeffery spends most of his time in his native land up north at Niagara Top Team, a gym that has been on the rise as of late, largely due to the success of Jasmine Jasudavicius, Mike Malott, and of course, the man that made the mullet more famous than Billy Ray Cyrus. Though in recent years Jeffery has dedicated a portion of his training camp to Kill Cliff FC, where he benefits from different looks in the gym and warmer weather in the winter, in addition to high-level coaching under the watchful eye of Henri Hooft.

“The vibes at Kill Cliff are very similar (to Niagara Top Team) man. I think that’s why I like it. There’s so much that reminds me a lot of home. There’s a strong team atmosphere where guys are trying to help each other out. ‘Shut up and work hard’ is kind of like the the motto of the gym, so I like it,” Jeffery said. “It’s also the big bodies down there. I don’t have a lot of bigger guys (at NTT). So I need to get down there and move around with some middleweights and light heavyweights.”

The last few months have been challenging in many different ways for Bellator fighters, largely pertaining to the uncertainty that loomed over their futures within the newly merged promotion. Jeffery, however, maintained a realistic outlook on the situation and understands that there is a business side to this sport.

“Fighters – We’re pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole right…Unfortunately we don’t really have much pull in any of this,” Jeffery said. “There’s a million MMA fighters out there that want to be in the position we’re in, so they don’t really need us exactly. So yeah – we get the short end of the stick.”

And he’s right.

There are millions of fighters out there, but there’s only one Aaron Jeffery. Fans and members of the MMA community will be on the lookout for updates to come as they await AJ’s return to the cage.

The post Aaron Jeffery: The Man That Made The Mullet More Famous Than Billy Ray Cyrus appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I love to win, but more than that, I hate to lose. Some people are comfortable with losing,” Neal told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I’ll do anything I can to win and take that step.”

This was Neal’s first venture into the middleweight division. He mentioned at his media day scrum that he would likely be there for only a couple of fights then back to 205. His performance at Bellator 300 may have extended that stay a bit.

“I think I looked pretty good and I think I was a little fast in there as well. We prepared well, and as one of my coaches says, ‘You don’t rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your preparation.’ We prepared well,” he said.

“For the foreseeable future I am (staying at 185 pounds). I think there’s a lot of interesting fights at 185. How many people get an opportunity to share a cage with a 3-time national championship wrestler whose done so much for the sport of wrestling.

While the 205 weight class is a little tied up I definitely see myself being a 185er for a little bit.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Grant Neal above.

The post Grant Neal Plans To Make 185 His Home For The Foreseeable Future appeared first on Cageside Press.

Neal has picked up impressive back-to-back wins in his last two outings, beating both Karl Albrektsson and Christian Edwards. Romero Cotton on the other hand was defeated in his last fight, getting finished in round three of his fight with Dalton Rosta.

At the Bellator 300 media day, “The Truth” spoke about how much it means to him to be able to fight on such a monumental event. “Rocking the Gold gloves is unbelievable and I’m glad to have the opportunity to fight on such a historical show with some great competitors throughout the card, it means a lot.

“It’s going to be a great night, I’m going to have a lot of fun and just enjoy it and take in every moment.”

The 28-year-old also went into detail about why he decided to move down from light heavyweight to compete at middleweight. Despite moving down, Neal admitted that somewhere down the line, he will move back up to 205lbs.

“The decision was made just to be more active, I was having a great time at 205lbs and that’s an opportunity to go back up and challenge the best there but as you know everyone in front of me is tied up. They’d either already fought or they were only just fighting one time or two times a year.

“I plan to stay at 185lbs for the next few fights and then go back up to 205lbs and challenge there. I really feel that I’m the best fighter in the world and I want to prove that at both weight classes and I want to cement my name and my claim and it’s awesome to have the opportunity to compete at these two weight classes with phenomenal competitors.”

Watch the full Bellator 300 media day appearance from Grant Neal above.

The post Grant Neal Plans To Compete At Both 185lbs And 205lbs, Talks Bellator 300 Matchup appeared first on Cageside Press.

The event takes place on October 7, 2023 at the Pechenga Arena in San Diego, CA with a full four title fights topping the card.

What will no doubt be a busy night of action now has a number of preliminary card additions, including ranked light heavyweight Grant Neal (8-1), #8 at 205lbs, moving to middleweight for a scrap with Romero Cotton (6-1). Neal will enter the bout off back-to-back wins over Christian Edwards and Karl Albrektsson.

Another light heavyweight, #7-ranked Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (20-7-1), will stick to his weight class when he takes on Maciej Rozanski (14-4). Yagshimuradov, who competed in Bellator’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, has won back-to-back fights, while Poland’s Rozanski is 1-1 and coming off a loss to Karl Moore.

Promotional newcomers Lorrany Santos (6-1) and Jaclyn Cataline (3-3) will face off earlier in the night in a women’s featherweight scrap.

Also announced Friday, two heavyweights making their pro debuts in Josh Hokit vs. Spencer Smith, plus Bryce Meredith vs. Miguel Peimbert at bantamweight, Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Herman Terrado at welterweight, and a lightweight bout between Sergio Cossio and Jesse Roberts.

The full Bellator 300 line-up as currently announced breaks down as follows:

Main Card

Usman Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Brent Primus — for the Bellator MMA lightweight championship / Lightweight Grand Prix semifinal
Cris Cyborg (c) vs. Cat Zingano — for the Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship
Ryan Bader (c) vs. Linton Vassell — for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship
Liz Carmouche (c) vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane — for the Bellator MMA women’s flyweight championship

Preliminary Card

• Davion Franklin vs. Slim Trabelsi
• Henry Corrales vs. Kai Kamaka III
• Sara McMann vs. Leah McCourt
• Ilara Joanne vs. Jena Bishop
• Bobby Seronio III vs. Alberto Garcia
• Romero Cotton vs. Grant Neal
• Sergio Cossio vs. Jesse Roberts
• Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Herman Terrado
• Doveltdzhan Yagshimuradov vs. Maciej Rozanski
• Dmytrii Hrytsenko vs. Justin Montalvo
• Bryce Meredith vs. Miguel Peimbert
• Lorrany Santos vs. Jackie Cataline
• Josh Hokit vs. Spencer Smith

The post Seven Bouts Added to Preliminary Card of Massive Bellator 300 appeared first on Cageside Press.

With a split decision victory over Karl Albrektsson, Neal (8-1) has now won two in a row, after previously notching a win against fellow top prospect Christian Edwards.

After 15 minutes in the cage on Saturday, Neal broke down his performance for Cageside Press and other media outlets.

“I felt the performance was beautiful. It was very technical,” Neal told us. “He’s one of the best in the entire sport. It doesn’t matter which division, which organization — Karl Albrektsson is one of the best. To beat one of the best and outclass him in every way was absolutely amazing. It was a fun time, and I’m very proud of my performance. I’m going to start to run things now.”

Neal believes with this latest win, the division will take notice.

“Yeah. Of course. It’s Grant “The Truth” Neal. Everybody knows now, hey, I’ve not had an easy way. Look at the opponents I’ve beat, look at everybody that’s been in my path. It’s only been me, every single time. It’s my time.”

“It’s my time,” he added.

A return to action could come sooner rather than later for Grant Neal, who suggested Bellator’s return to Temecula, CA in March could be doable.

“I see myself getting back out there as soon as possible,” said Neal, who added that his last layoff was way too long, especially coming off a huge win. “Another huge win, I expect to be in that cage soon.”

Later, Neal addressed where the victory would leave him in the light heavyweight rankings. Currently, he sits at #6 in the 205lb weight class.

“All the guys in front of me, they’ve been fighting forever,” Neal acknowledged. “I’ve been fighting my whole life, but my whole life is, some of these guys, barely the beginning of their careers. I’m the youngest guy in the division, and I understand you’ve got to pay your dues. And I’m willing to pay my dues to be at the top, to be the best, because that’s who I am.”

“That being said, this is my time, this is going to be my division, and with all the respect in the world, I’m coming.”

Watch the full Bellator 290 post-fight press conference with Grant Neal above.

The post Bellator 290’s Grant Neal: “This Is Going to Be My Division” appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Thursday, promotion officials informed Cageside Press that #6-ranked Grant Neal (7-1) will face #8-ranked Karl Albrektsson (13-4) as part of the Inglewood, California card, which takes place at the Kia Forum on February 4, 2023.

The 27-year old Neal most recently saw action against Christian Edwards, winning a unanimous decision back in April. Fighting out of Colorado, Neal, a.k.a. “The Truth,” has posted a 6-1 record under the Bellator MMA banner, spending the bulk of his professional career to date with the organization.

Sweden’s Albrektsson is a well-traveled light heavyweight whose position on the Bellator 290 card will likely raise eyebrows. A veteran of Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation, it was there that “King” Karl notched a win over current 205lb champ Vadim Nemkov, with the victory coming via split decision at RIZIN 1 in 2016.

Albrektsson has shared the cage (or ring, in the case of RIZIN) with the likes of Valentin Moldavsky and UFC champ Jiri Prochazka. Having first competed for Bellator in 2019, the Swede later notched a victory over Viktor Nemkov, the champion’s brother.

Earlier this year, Albrektsson inked an exclusive deal with Bellator MMA. He returned to action in September, losing via submission to Karl Moore, a setback that snapped a four-fight win streak.

Bellator 290 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA is set to be headlined by a heavyweight world championship contest, as Ryan Bader faces Fedor Emelianenko for the second time. That bout is expected to be the retirement fight for “The Last Emperor.” In the co-headliner, Vadim Nemkov puts his title on the line opposite Yoel Romero.

The following match-ups have been reported for the February 4, 2023 card thus far:

• Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko – for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship
• Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – for the Bellator MMA light heavyweight championship
• Grant Neal vs. Karl Albrektsson
• Sabah Homasi vs. Brennan Ward
• Ethan Hughes vs. Yusuf Karakaya

The post Grant Neal vs. Karl Albrektsson Booked for Bellator 290 on Feb. 4 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The match-up was smart booking, with both prospects looking to rebound from the first loss of their respective careers. In the end, it was Neal (7-1) with his hand raised following a three round unanimous decision.

Despite coming in off a loss, however, Neal didn’t feel the sort of pressure you might expect. In fact, he said, there’s “Probably more pressure off of a win. The ebbs and flows in this game are really crazy. We’re in 4oz gloves, in 15 minutes anything can happen, and I’m not dumb to that fact. I think it’s really important especially after a win to re-hone yourself and not get too high on the mountaintops.”

While few fighters get to take the Khabib route and retire undefeated, a first loss was never an eventuality in Neal’s mind, he told Cageside Press following the bout in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“No, I never have the mindset going in and thinking I’m going to lose. I’m a champion, I’m a winner. That last fight, we just ran out of time. I don’t even think of it as a loss, I thought of it as learning,” Neal explained. “Win or lose, I win or learn. So I’m not even thinking about that going into the fight, I’m just going out to do my best. And my best is the best in the world, I really feel that.”

Neal wasn’t ready to call out any names on Friday, but he is interested in running it back with the lone man to defeat him, Alex Polizzi.

“Definitely. He was a great competitor, he’s had great fights. That would be an awesome start to hopefully a good rivalry and good battle,” said Neal. “I’d love to fight him obviously, and get that one back, maybe with some more tenacious attitude and will to finish that fight. Then I don’t have to let it go to the judges.”

Watch the full Bellator 278 post-fight press conference with Grant Neal above.

The post Bellator 278: Grant Neal Would Love to Run It Back with Polizzi, Start “Good Rivalry” appeared first on Cageside Press.

CFFC 100 | US | Thursday

Lightweight, Zulkarnaiyn Kamchybekov (5-1)

Originally from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Kamchybekov has been living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His only loss is to current UFC fighter Matt Semelsberger; that went to a split decision. Kamchybekov is well-rounded and has the ability to be fighting for a big promotion at this time. On the feet, he fights very patiently picking his shots. He throws a lot of kicks from the outside and isn’t stingy as he goes to the legs, body, and head. Kamchybekov throws some nice straight punches and his immense power in his hands. Kamchybekov does a solid job punching his way into takedowns. He’s a capable grappler despite having the knockout finishes. It looks like he has a lot to use so watch out for this guy. Kamchybekov defends his CFFC title against Blake Smith (5-2).

Check out the CFFC 100 results here.

Bellator 266 | US | Saturday

Light heavyweight, Christian Edwards (5-0)

Edwards is one of the hottest prospects today coming out of Jackson-Wink MMA and is a sparring partner of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. A young kid but he has the attributes to go really far in this sport. Edwards has some sick thai clinch work with nice knees and elbows. He lands often stepping in with strikes and finishes in the clinch with excellent work. Also mixing in a few takedowns while showing solid cardio. He’s also already gone three rounds twice and looked really good. He fights Ben Parrish (4-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bps5DI6pQiM&t=4s

Light heavyweight, Grant Neal (6-0)

After going 6-0 as an amateur Neal is currently 6-0 as a pro. Neal is a wrestler first. If he doesn’t finish the fight early he can dominate the fight with relentless takedowns. Once he gets his hands clasped he will dump you on your back in a big way. Neal stays busy with ground and pound and can throw at the same pace and pick it up later in the later rounds even. He fights Alex Polizzi (8-1).

Light heavyweight, Alex Polizzi (8-1)

Polizzi has the recipe to be a big prospect in the 205lb weight class. His only loss is to the surging Julius Anglickas. Polizzi was a D1 wrestler at Northwestern University from 2010-2015 and was a state champion. Polizzi needs work on his stand-up but his wrestling and athleticism will take him far. His ground and pound have been his best weapon to date. He fights Grant Neal (6-0).

Titan FC 72 | US | Friday

Bantamweight, Ryan Kuse (4-0)

Kuse is a young fighter with a lot of promise. On the feet, Kuse fights at distance with kicks and long punches. He’s just as good as a wrestler as he is a striker. Kuse has been dominant on top position and is smooth in transitions. His ground and pound is arguably his best weapon. He’s well-rounded but needs a step up in competition. Kuse fights Rob Fuller (1-12).

Rizin 30 | Japan | Sunday

Lightweight, Koji Takeda (12-1)

Takeda has one sole loss to former UFC fighter Damien Brown. Since then he’s got back on the board with four wins. Takeda is the former DEEP Impact lightweight champion with two title defenses. He’s well-rounded with submission wins and TKO wins, although he has gone the distance six times. On the feet, Takeda has an excellent jab and fights behind it very well. He doesn’t have the power, but it’s the accumulation of strikes he lands that is fantastic. He’s just so technical on the feet and is also a good wrestler/grappler and can do it the whole distance of the fight. He fights Yusuke Yachi (22-11).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Bellator, Titan FC and RIZIN appeared first on Cageside Press.

The No. 7 ranked lightweight in the promotion, Neal (6-0) is headlining the Bellator 266 prelims this Saturday. Going into his sixth Bellator fight, against Alex Polizzi, Neal has yet to be on the main card. However after Saturday, he believes that will change, because he has what it takes.

“I don’t know why I haven’t been on the main card yet. That’s a question for Bellator; what I do know, however, is my finishing rate is very high. I’m an exciting fighter, and they’ll see that with the crowd that I bring. I’m a charismatic person and have a lot of personality. The most important thing is, I put on a show, whether that’s getting a submission or being relentless with TKO,” Neal told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of the fight. “I mean, yeah, I wrestle a little bit. Yeah, I submit people, but ultimately I’m going to finish, and I’m always pursuing that. And so I think Bellator is going to have this opportunity to make their evaluation and be like, ‘hey, this is a main card guy, and we love that.”

“But Bellator is doing their thing. I really respect the organization and what Scott Coker is doing. They know what they’re doing. You need exciting guys on the prelims too. You can’t just have a main card full of killers.”

“The Truth” faces Alex Polizzi (8-1) on Saturday. Neal took out a tough prospect in his last outing and expects to do the same to Polizzi— violently.

“My official prediction is absolute violence. It is going to be a violent fight. It is going to be vicious, and I’m going to be in pursuit of a finish. I know that Alex is going to be a game dance partner, and I know he’s looking to do the same thing to me. So I’m excited about this fight. I’m excited to have a very tough opponent. And I know that we’re going to put on an absolute show,” Neal said.

If Neal gets past Polizzi, the only opponents above him are the cream of the crop in the light heavyweight division. Names like Lyoto Machida, Julius Anglickas, Phil Davis, and everyone in the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, such as Anthony Johnson, Ryan Bader, Corey Anderson, and Vadim Nemkov.

Neal is excited about the future but hasn’t paid much attention to it because of his task at hand.

“To be honest, like, I haven’t really paid attention to it because if I don’t get past Polizzi, none of that matters. I’ve always said just give me the best opponent possible. That’s all that matters to me right now,” Neal said.

Grant Neal and Alex Polizzi headline the Bellator prelims, available on Bellator and Showtime’s Youtube channel.

The post Bellator 266: Grant Neal Hopes to Be on Main Card Soon, but “You Need Exciting Guys on the Prelims Too” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fighting can be stressful. Fighting with a somewhat uncertain future is even more stressful. With no fights left on his current contract, Polizzi (8-1) is looking to impress Bellator and to continue to give the fans great fights. Although surprisingly, Polizzi is just going with the flow and not letting it stress him out.

“This is my last fight on my Bellator contract, but I’m not letting that get in the way of my preparation. I’m hoping for a win, hoping to put on a good show, and if the fans and Bellator see fit, maybe I’ll be able to get another fight and just, you know, keep putting on good shows,” Polizzi told Cageside Press in an interview ahead of Saturday’s Bellator 266. “That’s really all the future holds for me and, and really what I’m expecting because there are easier ways to make money than getting punched in the face, and I’m just hoping that I can keep doing what I really enjoy, which is getting in that cage and trying whoop some people.”

Polizzi has a tough, undefeated opponent in front of him at Bellator 266: Grant Neal (7-0). He sees the fight turning into a grappling treat for the fans, which will be his path to victory.

“You know, I kind of see it turning into grappling territory quickly. Well, that is, at least, where I want to take it. I want to make sure that we’re in close, and I’m putting that pressure on them, just like most of my fights,” Polizzi said. “I’ve been working with my coaches to making sure that we’re striking into wrestling and wrestling into striking. Hopefully, we can wear him down a little bit and use that strength to look for a TKO on the ground or even a submission. As long as I follow the game plan that my coaches laid out, I am confident.”

A win over Neal should nab him a top 10 ranking only three fights into his Bellator career. However, Polizzi isn’t thinking about it whatsoever. Getting the win is the only thing on his mind.

The only other thing he is thinking about is the fan’s reactions to the temporary tattoos he has planned.

“They will have to tune in to find out what I’m planning because this interview won’t do it justice,” Polizzi said.

Alex Polizzi and Grant Neal headline the Bellator 266 prelims on Saturday, September 19. The fights are available on Bellator and Showtime Youtube channels.

The post Bellator 266: On The Last Fight Of Contract, Alex Polizzi Is Looking To Put On A Show appeared first on Cageside Press.