Pico has long been one of the best prospects at featherweight, but the veteran Corrales gave him one of a few setbacks in his early MMA career after coming over from amateur wrestling. In that fight Henry got knocked down but came back to put Pico out cold with his dirty boxing. Despite that result, Aaron came into this boat as a heavy favorite given his improvements since then and Corrales’ age, 37. Due to the short notice nature of the bout it was contested at lightweight.

Pico came out pressuring forward and took down Corrales, but Henry was able to get to the fence, allowing him to stand-up. Pico landed a head kick on the break which was partially blocked and then shot again, but Corrales got back up again. Aaron then focused on his striking, where he picked apart Henry with jabs and low kicks, before shooting another takedown. This time when Corrales went to stand back up, Pico got on his back. Instead of hunting for the choke, Pico controlled Corrales’ far wrist and went offensive with ground strikes. After a series of hard elbows near the fence, the referee warned Corrales to fight back. The ten second clapper sounded but Henry could not improve his position and Pico kept landing until the ref stepped in.

Aaron Pico has now won nine of his last ten fights, with the only loss coming due to injury in a fight with Jeremy Kennedy.

Official Result: Aaron Pico def. Henry Corrales by TKO (ground and pound), Round 1, 4:53

The post PFL vs. Bellator: Aaron Pico Avenges Loss, TKOs Henry Corrales appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Professional Fighters League kicks off its 2024 in Saudi Arabia this Saturday with its biggest card to date: a showdown between promotions, PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs.

Having purchased rival Bellator MMA last fall, the promotion opted to go with a head-to-head format on Pay-Per-View, though the Champs vs. Champs format fell apart somewhat due to injury, with only two all-champs match-ups remaining.

Those include the headliner, which sees PFL heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira take on Bellator counterpart Ryan Bader. And to up the stakes, league officials announced on Thursday that the winner would earn the coveted shot against free agent signing Francis Ngannou.

The other remaining champ vs. champ fight had PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay moving back down to his old home at 185lbs to take on Bellator middleweight champ Johnny Eblen.

The fighters from Saturday’s PFL vs Bellator event hit the scales Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  All bouts save one are official without issue despite several last minute changes to the event in the past week.

Notably, the heavyweight headliners will see the biggest disparity as 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira will enjoy a 32 pound advantage over Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader.  The bout received higher stakes on Thursday as it was announced that lineal UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou would be facing the winner.

In other action, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire made weight for his bout with his new opponent: last year’s PFL featherweight finalist Gabriel Braga.  The moved was made after an injury to Jesus Pinedo removed last year’s champion from Peru from the card. However, it was announced Friday morning that Braga was also unable to compete and the bout was called off.

Braga’s original opponent, Aaron Pico, had his bout changed to a lightweight for which he and short notice replacement Henry Corrales both made weight. The bout is a rematch of a 2019 contest.

Finally, boxing star Claressa Shields and Kelsey Desantis made weight without issue after their bout was bumped up in weight earlier this week.

The ceremonial weigh ins will take place at 12pm ET and be streamed live on the PFL YouTube Channel (and below):

PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Heavyweight: Vinicius PereiraRenan Ferreira (263.2 lbs) vs Ryan Bader (231.1 lbs)
Middleweight: Impa Kasanganay (185.8) vs Johnny Eblen (185.5 lbs)
Featherweight: Gabriel Braga* vs Patricio Pitbull (145.9 lbs)
Catchweight (182lb): Ray Cooper III (182.4 lbs) vs Jason Jackson (182.1 lbs)
Heavyweight: Bruno Cappelozza (236 lbs) vs Vadim Nemkov (238.1 lbs)
Middleweight: Thiago Santos (205 lbs) vs Yoel Romero (205 lbs)
Lightweight: Clay Collard (155.5 lbs) vs AJ McKee (154.8 lbs)

Preliminary Card

Lightweight: Henry Corrales (155.7 lbs) vs Aaron Pico (155.7 lbs)
Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh (155.5 lbs) vs Emmanuel Palacios (152.6 lbs)
Catchweight (165lb): Claressa Shields (164.4 lbs) vs Kelsey DeSantis (164.6 lbs)
Featherweight: Abdullah Al Qahtani (146 lbs) vs Edukondala Rao (145.7 lbs)
Flyweight: Malik Basahel (124.9 lbs) vs Vinicius Pereira – Amateur

The post PFL vs. Bellator Weigh-In: Ferreira 32 Pounds Heavier Than Bader, Braga vs Pitbull Off appeared first on Cageside Press.

The PFL has made some key changes to the featherweight bouts scheduled for this Saturday’s pay-per-view event.  The promotion announced Tuesday morning that Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull has a new opponent in 2023 finalist Gabriel Braga.  Braga’s original opponent, Aaron Pico, will face Henry Corrales in a rematch of their bout in 2019.

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Updated #PFLvsBellator Fight Card

•New Matchup: @PatricioPitbull will now face @Gabrielbragab in a Featherweight bout
•New Matchup: @AaronPicoUSA will now face Henry Corrales

[ #PFLvsBellator | Saturday, Feb 24th | 3pm EST | 🎟 https://t.co/C7U3kwS1zr] pic.twitter.com/KqDSQiYUBv

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 20, 2024

Freire had previously been scheduled to take on 2023 PFL featherweight tournament winner Jesus Pinedo but it was announced this past Saturday that Pinedo was forced out of the bout due to suffering an injury.

Freire enters the bout as one of the top talents to now be part of the PFL as part of their acquisition of Bellator as the Brazilian featherweight is highly regarded as one of the best talents of the past decade.  “Pitbull” holds many records win the promotion including most victories and most victories in title fights and he has even went up and won the lightweight title to become a two-division champion.  Freire will be looking to return to the win-column as 2023 saw him unsuccessfully attempt to win the bantamweight title and lose an extremely short notice bout.

Braga had a dominant run to the finals that saw him best Pinedo early in the tournament and go on to take on UFC veteran Marlon Moraes and PFL veteran Chris Wade.  This past holiday season, Braga suffered the loss of his father and coach and this will be his first bout without him in the corner.  Braga will now be moved to the main card after previously being scheduled to be on the prelims against Pico.

Corrales will now step into the bout on six days notice to take a bout that requires flying to the other side of the world.  The bout will be a rematch of their fight that took place in 2019.  Then super prospect Pico had rattled off four straight knockout victories and the bout with the more seasoned Corrales was expected to be a step up in competition.  Instead, Corrales delivered one of the most electrifying victories of his career as he stopped Pico in the first round.

The event is scheduled to be the first of several planned pay-per-view events held by the PFL in Saudi Arabia as part of their new partnership.  The PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs event will air this Saturday in the United States on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

The post PFL Books Pitbull vs Braga, Pico vs Corrales 2 for Bellator Crossover Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

Among the newly added match-ups, recently signed heavyweight talent Slim Trabelsi (5-0), who was briefly inked to a UFC deal last year, makes his promotional debut against #9-ranked big man Davion Franklin (6-1). Former UFC bantamweight title challenger and now featherweight contender Sarah McMann (14-6), meanwhile, takes on Leah McCourt (7-3), in a battle of the #2 and #5-ranked fighters in the weight class, respectively.

McMann made he promotional debut in April, defeating multi-time title challenger Arlene Blencowe by unanimous decision. For her part, McCourt is coming off a loss to Cat Zingano, who will face Cris Cyborg for featherweight gold later in the night in San Diego.

Longtime Bellator MMA veteran Henry Corrales (21-6), meanwhile, takes on Hawaiian Kai Kamaka III (11-5-1) in a featherweight match-up, while grappling star Jena Bishop (5-0) returns to the face to face Brazil’s Ilara Joanne (11-7) at flyweight.

Bishop went 4-0 for LFA prior to joining Bellator MMA, picking up a unanimous decision win in her debut earlier this year.

Finally, Bobby Seronio III (3-0) faces Alberto Garcia (2-0) in a bantamweight bout. Both prospects are undefeated in their professional careers to date.

Bellator 300 takes place at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, CA on Saturday, October 7, 2023 with a whopping four title fights headlining the event. The following match-ups have been announced for the card:

Usman Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Brent Primus — for the Bellator MMA lightweight championship / Lightweight world 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 featherweight championship
Davion Franklin vs. Slim Trabelsi
Sara McMann vs. Leah McCourt
Henry Corrales vs. Kai Kamaka III
Ilara Joanne vs. Jena Bishop
Bobby Seronio III vs. Alberto Garcia

The post Five Preliminary Card Match-Ups Announced for Milestone Bellator 300 appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Yeah the guy was tough. I haven’t fought in over a year. I had a little surgery and I had to take some time off. Dude they hit me up and they were like…I hadn’t even been wrestling. This was in like December. Haven’t done sh*t I was still rehabbing this surgery,” Corrales told Cageside Press among other media at his post-fight scrum.

“They were like hey you want to fight this undefeated Dagestani guy? And for a split second I was like, dude, let me maybe fight a stand up guy,” Corrales said.

“Just the thought of that, I had to walk to the mirror and call my reflection a little b*tch, and then I hit up my manager I was like f*ck it. Let’s get this guy. Hit up my team and they got me ready for this guy.”

With Magomedov’s grappling ability a clear advantage for the Dagestani, Corrales employed a game plan that he hope would keep the fight standing.

“I didn’t think he was going to stand with me that much, but my takedown defense…it held up pretty well. I fought for positioning and he didn’t make it easy for me man. I was out there working,” said Corrales.

So what’s next for Corrales now that he’s made his return?

“That’s three straight now. I need to crack that top 10 start making some real money.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Henry Corrales above.

The post Bellator 290: Henry Corrales Wants Top 10, Details Tough Fight Camp appeared first on Cageside Press.

After an incidental eye poke Corrale’s opponent Aiden Lee was unable to continue thus ending the fight and putting the result in the hands of the judges who saw it for Corrales.

“Yeah It’s not the way I want it to end here in Phoenix. The fans they deserve more and that’s nothing against him it’s just kind of a lame finish. This was the final fight on my contract. This was my 15th fight with Bellator, my 20th win. So there’s a lot riding on this fight I needed to go out there and put a big performance on. I tried,” Corrales told the media in his post-fight scrum.

Corrales did remember the accidental poke but didn’t think it was as bad as Lee’s reaction made it out to be.

“I didn’t feel like I really poked him to be honest with you. And the replay was showing the replay and it just didn’t look as serious as he was playing it off to be. But it’s the f*cking eye so only he knows how much that hurt.”

After the bout ended Corrales went to Lee to speak to him, but his opponent wasn’t really open to that.

“Oh dude yeah he was super butt hurt. It was like ‘Hey big dog, I didn’t poke you on purpose dude, f*ck. This is a f*cking fist fight. Walking away after the cage and it’s just like he was acting disappointed that the fight was stopped, but while the fight was going he wasn’t really fighting. He was kind of like whimpering on shots. It’s like ‘Hey dude you weren’t really f*cking going’ you’re acting a lot, I don’t know.”

Before the fight-ending eye poke it seems as though the fight was going Corrales’ way.

“My coaches had a really good game plan for me. Like I mentioned earlier this is the last fight on my contract. They wanted me to go out there and be really impressive. They’re talking to me a lot about technique and stuff. But it was just a lot of shark eyes dude in my mind I just want to walk in the center of the cage and see whose balls are hanging lower. And it’s just like ‘F*ck dude, I can’t help it’. That’s why my record’s not, I’m 20-6 now, It’s not as good as it should be, but f*ck I’m still learning I guess.”

With this being the last fight on his Bellator contract Corrales expressed a want to stay with the promotion. As far as what’s next for Corrales should he stay with Bellator he said he’s ready for anyone.

“I work hard and I’m very consistent and I show up. I’ll fight any one of these mother f*ckers anytime. I haven’t turned down a single fight. I’ve had 15 fights with Bellator and I’m like ‘Let’s get it dude!’ Any of these mother f*ckers want it let’s go. I’m working, you know? I’m here to fight people.”

Watch the full Bellator 273 post-fight press conference with Henry Corrales above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post Bellator 273’s Henry Corrales: “Let’s get it dude!” Down To Fight Anyone appeared first on Cageside Press.

Corrales was 2-3 in his past five, and looking to regain the momentum he had from 2017 to 2019, when he won five straight and toppled the highly touted Aaron Pico. Lee, a Cage Warriors tournament winner, was also looking for his second straight win.

“O.K.” Corrales opened the action with a leg kick on the taller man. Less than a minute in, Corrales would catch a kick, then land a punch over the top that sat Lee down. He was quickly back up, apparently no worse for the wear. Opting to get mobile, Lee circled, fired a leg kick, as Corrales continued to walk him down. The American also continued to chop away at Lee’s lead leg, each kick bringing with it the potential of slowing Aiden Lee down.

Round two saw Lee circling again; Corrales chased him, and continued to work in low kicks. Lee fanned with an uppercut, then landed a jab. Corrales finally corralled Lee against the fence near the midway mark of the round, but he couldn’t keep him there. He’d get a hold of Lee again with about two minutes remaining, looking for a guillotine. They’d go to the ground moments later, Corrales on top.

The third frame was paused early due to an accidental eye poke. And did the Phoenix crowd ever let Lee have it. Despite being the victim, the fans treated him like the bad guy — especially when he couldn’t continue. That sent the fight to the judges, who awarded the technical decision to Henry Corrales.

Official Result: Henry Corrales def. Aiden Lee by unanimous technical decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

The post Bellator 273: Henry Corrales Picks Up Decision After Fight with Aiden Lee Ends Early appeared first on Cageside Press.

The former King of the Cage champ told media outlets following the win that he’s looking to move to bantamweight, to pursue a rematch with Juan Archuleta. The pair met in January at featherweight, and Corrales was not happy with how events played out, win or lose. Archuleta then moved back to 135lbs and won the title there.

It’s something “OK” Corrales had mentioned in his pre-fight interview, and it remained a big theme after the win over Girtz. “I’ve made 35 before. No big deal,” said Corrales, asked about shedding the extra ten pounds.

His full attention is on the rematch with the recently crowned bantamweight champ, for a number of reasons.

“I like Juan Archuleta on a personal level. he’s a good guy, he’s a good father, a good friend to his buddies,” explained Corrales. “But professionally as a competitor, he’s a f*cking gimmick. Any Mexican from Southern California that calls himself a Spaniard and dresses up in costumes, he ain’t a real one, dude. I’m not cool with that guy.”

The bigger bone of contention for Corrales, perhaps, is that “there wasn’t a winner in our fight. He ran, I chased. Nothing f*cking happened. I dropped him, I got the only takedown. For him to jump on the cage and celebrate like he f*cking won something wasn’t cool. It didn’t sit well with me,” Corrales continued. “The fans were booing, and justifiably so. My mother was in the crowd in L.A., my friends and family. He flipped everybody off. I’m not down with that dude. He’s next.”

As for the Girtz fight, it appeared that leg kicks were a big part of the game plan. They were, in fact, Corrales told Cageside Press. Which almost came as a surprise to him. “I didn’t think that I was going to be able to get to it and stick to it. Just the way his knee’s positioned, he’s really wide on it,” said Corrales. “So if I was to go up top to the inner thigh, he would have checked it really hard with that knee. So I had to go lower to a spot that you don’t really kick too often, but that was the only spot that was available, and that was the front side. But I had to take what I could get.”

Watch the full Bellator 250 post-fight press conference with Henry Corrales above.

The post Bellator 250: Henry Corrales Looking at Drop to Bantamweight to Pursue Archuleta Rematch appeared first on Cageside Press.

It certainly felt like the cage was a powder keg in the opening round. Corrales pressed the action early, with Girtz on the outside. Not surprisingly, he had a bit of an edge in speed, but Girtz wasn’t far behind in his featherweight debut. And he was no less explosive than at lightweight. Corrales employed a few kicks, Girtz had to be careful off a slip, and it felt as if either man could find the finish at any given moment.

Round two saw Corrales go body-head as Girtz moved in. Girtz managed to kick an elbow, potentially hurting his opponent’s arm. The pair seemed to have loosened up, and things were picking up. Corrales kicked a leg, the pair exchanged, and again, it felt like either man remained capable of finding a finish. Girtz, however, seemed to be having some issues with his lead leg, and Corrales chopped away at it again. The cumulative effect of those attacks was likely going to impede Girtz’s ability to execute his own game plan, if he continued to eat them.

The leg kicks continued to land for Corrales in the third. Girtz remained on the outside, trying to close the distance in explosive fashion, taking big swings. But Corrales was able to slip out of range, work the leg over, and being the more mobile fighter at that point, land his own attacks. With the edge in volume swinging in his favor, it was Corrales walking away with the decision win. The only surprise, really, was an opposing 30-27 score for Girtz from one judge.

Official Result: Henry Corrales def. Brandon Girtz by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)

The post Bellator 250 Results: Henry Corrales’ Leg Kicks Carry Him Past Brandon Girtz appeared first on Cageside Press.

That was not the case last time out for “OK” Corrales. The Bellator featherweight was paired up with Juan Archuleta after both were bounced from the promotion’s featherweight grand prix. “He ran. I chased. That was that.”

Corrales doesn’t begrudge Archuleta his eventual bantamweight title win, something that happened earlier in the pandemic. But he’s not exactly a fan either. “I just don’t like the way he carried himself after our fight. He got on the ring and celebrated like he won a fight, when there was no winner in that fight,” exclaimed Corrales. “He ran like a little girl, and I chased him. I dropped him, I landed the bigger shots, I controlled 100% of the ring. There was nothing to celebrate on his behalf.”

Archuleta flipping off the crowd, where Corrales’ friends and mother were seated, didn’t impress him either.

Chances are, there will be no running this Thursday at Bellator 250 however. Opponent Brandon Girtz is known to bring the fight to his opponents. Corrales is that same type of explosive fighter. It’s a recipe for fireworks. “This is why I started fighting, to fight guys like this,” said Corrales. “To fight.”

Period. And while Girtz is best known as a lightweight, there’s no added motivation for Corrales to stop him in his featherweight debut. “Not so much,” said Corrales — but another factor might play something of a motivational role. “The fact that he called me out personally, that’s something I think about.”

Watch the full Bellator 250 virtual media day press scrum with Henry Corrales above.

The post Henry Corrales Happy to Have Opponent He Won’t Have to Chase at Bellator 250 appeared first on Cageside Press.