For that and more, read on!

PFL Regular Season Result Overturned Following Drug Test Failure

Klidson Abreu’s win over Renan Ferreira at PFL 5 in Atlanta, GA has been overturned to a No Contest.

The change comes as a result of a failed drug test.

On September 23, the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment commission communicated to Abreu that they had opted to “Indefinitely suspended your license until you can attend a commission meeting and present your case to the failed test.” MMA Junkie first reported the news, and provided a copy of the statement the commission sent to the fighter.

Abreu, a former UFC fighter, did not make the post-season. Ferreira did, but was eliminated by Ante Delija.

The league concludes its season this November.

Dana White Admits Chimaev vs. Diaz Would Not Have Been Good

Stating what pretty much everyone already knew, Dana White has gone on record to say that UFC 279’s original main event would not have been good.

“After you watch the fight, you realize Khamzat vs. Nate Diaz would have been f*cking – that wouldn’t have been good,” White said on The Action Junkeez Podcast this past week. “Khamzat, I know the fans got pissed at him for not making weight and everything else, but Jesus f*cking Christ. What he went out and did to Kevin Holland – did you see Kevin Holland post the picture the other day that his eyes were all red from the f*cking choke? I mean, holy sh*t.”

Well, better late than never.

Conor McGregor Not Tested by USADA in 2022 — And He’s the Only One

The entire UFC roster, barring fighters signed in the past couple of weeks, has been tested by USADA in 2022, with one notable exception: Conor McGregor.

TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter cross-referenced the names on USADA’s athlete test history database, which is publicly available, to confirm that the Irish star was the lone outlier not tested (the only other exception was Ricky Legere Jr., who competed on TUF 16 in 2012 and has never fought in the UFC, so he really shouldn’t count).

In the past, McGregor has been tested repeatedly without incident. Over the past year, however, he’s been rehabbing the leg he broke in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. That could certainly explain the discrepancy, though other injured fighters have been tested. Realistically, the only time fighters aren’t tested is when they retire, or leave the promotion. Presumably, neither is the case here.

Melvin Manhoef Retires Following Bellator 285

As expected, MMA legend Melvin Manhoef retired following Bellator 285.

While the night didn’t go the way he’d hoped — Yoel Romero finished Manhoef with elbows in the third round — he got a thunderous round of applause from the audience in Dublin, Ireland after taking off his gloves and calling an end to his career.

"Today I think we have to hang up the gloves, after 28 years of fighting. Thanks for the support, you made my life great." Classy Melvin Manhoef lays down the gloves following #Bellator285

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) September 23, 2022

Manhoef finishes his MMA career with a record of 32-16-1, 2NC including 29 wins by way of KO/TKO. Among the notable names the Dutch striker defeated, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, Mark Hunt, and PRIDE legend/UFC Hall of Fame member Kazushi Sakuraba, a.k.a. “The Gracie Hunter.” He also shared the cage with the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Robbie Lawler, and twice faced Rafael Carvalho for the Bellator MMA middleweight title.

Luca Poclit’s Submission of Dante Schiro Was Something Else

Speaking of Bellator 285, the card-opener between Luca Poclit and Dante Schiro resulted in an absolutely wild finish. A modified arm-triangle choke announced as the “Lucanator” put Dante Schiro to sleep, it what was immediately being talked about as a Submission of the Year candidate.

Sub of the year contender right here. #Bellator285 pic.twitter.com/N0z2aYgKjF

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) September 23, 2022

Chael Sonnen, Teflon Don?

Chael Sonnen has reportedly had two battery counts filed against him following a hotel altercation dropped.

According to a report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the retired UFC/Bellator star and current analyst/podcast host now faces four battery counts in the ongoing case, down from six.

Prosecutors dropped a felony battery charge lodged against Sonnen back in March; on Wednesday, a judge dismissed two misdemeanor charges. The charges in question alleged that Sonnen had attacked a couple, unprovoked, at a Las Vegas-area Four Seasons hotel in December 2021.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Merback stated that the prosecution had been unable to obtain statements the complainants in the case — who also filed a civil suit against Sonnen — made to a California TV station. Sonnen’s attorney has claimed the statements the couple made, including that the fighter was “uttering gibberish,” could be exonerating.

The remaining charges are related to accusations that Sonnen assaulted several other hotel guests who came to the couple’s aid.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Sonnen Sees Charges Dismissed, McGregor Not Tested by USADA appeared first on Cageside Press.

Manhoef, who has knocked out everyone from Kasushi Sakuraba to Mark Hunt, had stated that after this fight, at the age of 46, he would lay down his gloves and call it a career. Opposite the cage from him stood Yoel Romero, still going strong at age 45, and looking to reinvent himself in the Bellator light heavyweight division. There he currently is ranked seventh, after a career spent largely in the UFC middleweight division.

Though their goals were very different with Romero still trying to win a belt while Manhoef was just trying to win his retirement fight, both men were expected to bring all of their intensity, determination, and explosive knockout power into the cage in Dublin, Ireland.

Yoel Romero is known for patience interspersed with massive explosions of power on the feet and that was on display early in this one. He connected with a left hook that countered a Manhoef leg kick early. Soon after that, a massive leg kick took the legs out from under Melvin and Yoel took advantage of his Olympic wrestling pedigree to gain control in top half guard.

Romero landed some ground and pound but did not get too excited as he maintained dominant top control. A massive elbow around the halfway point of the round drew reactions from the crowd and reminded everyone of his explosiveness. After that he began to look for an Americana submission. Although Romero had a solid grip, Melvin was able to defend and free his arm. The Irish crowd was fully behind the Cuban Yoel Romero at this point, as they chanted, “Yooo-el Romerrr-o,” repeatedly before the ‘Solider of God’ closed out the round with a pass to full mount right before the bell.

Manhoef came out in the second showing a lot of hand feints against the completely stationary Romero, but appeared initially hesitant to engage up close, opting for a leg kick from distance instead. When Yoel did explode he landed a right hand down the middle that wobbled the legs of Melvin, but Romero did not press the issue and Manhoef recovered quickly.

Melvin Manhoef then came forward with a left hand of his own that landed around the guard of his foe. Around the halfway point of the round Yoel shot a double leg but Melvin was able to shut it down and land a straight right hand soon after. Romero then landed a left straight that pierced the guard but did not stagger Manhoef like the last shot that he ate. A failed takedown attempt and a big round kick to the body were the next offerings from the Cuban before both men landed a hook simultaneously. Melvin got the worst of that exchange though, stumbling briefly once more. Romero shot a takedown with fifteen seconds left in the round. Manhoef stuffed the takedown, but on the sprawl he overexposed himself and ate a big strike before barely avoiding one of Yoel’s patented flying knees. It was a close, low volume round but Melvin reacted worse to the shots of Romero, who likely won the round.

Yoel Romero came out to start round three with a quick flurry that missed, backing up Manhoef to the fence. Melvin returned with a hook to the body of the Cuban. A feinted takedown from Romero made Manhoef bite hard and sprawl all the way to the ground. That may have dulled the reactions of Melvin Manhoef because Yoel’s next takedown attempt was successful at locking his hands behind the butt and dragging his opponent to the ground.

Romero kept his head buried into the chest of Melvin to maintain control while in half guard but he did land shots at the same time. A vicious forearm choke made it hard for Manhoef to breathe but he was not going to tap out from such a submission. ‘Solider of God’ opened up more after that, posturing up to land big elbows and punches. During this flurry, one of the elbows put Melvin Manhoef out cold on the canvas. So it was that Yoel Romero won another fight by brutal knockout in round three, a recurring theme in his career as he often waits and conserves energy before opening up in the final round.

In his post-fight interview Yoel Romero called for a title shot and claimed to be the best fighter in the world at 185lbs before ceding the mic to the retiring Manhoef. Despite not being victorious Melvin drew massive cheers, even on par with Romero’s, from the Dublin crowd as he thanked everyone for the support throughout his career and said that it indeed is time for him to hang up his gloves. An emotional, tear-stained embrace with his team and his family was the last picture of Melvin Manhoef inside the octagon that fans were left with.

"I am the best 185lb'er in the world!" Yoel Romero still eying middleweight division #Bellator285 pic.twitter.com/BlWpxtOgRf

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) September 23, 2022

Official Result: Yoel Romero def. Melvin Manhoef by knockout, Round 3, 3:34

The post Bellator 285: Yoel Romero Knocks Out Retiring Melvin Manhoef in Final Round appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the main event, former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson looked for his second straight win over former Bellator title challenger Peter Queally. A victory for either would push the winner closer to a title shot, with the belt on the line later this year between Patricky Pitbull and Usman Nurmagomedov.

In the co-main event, Yoel Romero was also looking for his second straight win, against another veteran in Melvin Manhoef. Both men retained knockout power, with the possibility of an explosive finish high.

Bellator 285 goes down live at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on Friday, September 23, 2022. The preliminary card gets underway at 12:55PM ET, followed by the main card at 3:55PM. Full results can be found below; the Bellator 285 prelims can be streamed above, and the main card below where available.

Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally Results

Main card

Lightweight: Benson Henderson def. Peter Queally by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45)
Light Heavyweight: Yoel Romero def. Melvin Manhoef by knockout, Round 3, 3:34
Women’s Featherweight: Leah McCourt def. Dayana Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Pedro Carvalho def. Mads Burnell by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Catchweight (150 lbs): Ciaran Clarke def. Rafael Hudson by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 2:50
Light Heavyweight: Karl Moore def. Karl Albrektsson by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:36

Preliminary card

Bantamweight: Brian Moore def. Arivaldo Lima da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight: Brett Johns def. Jordan Winski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Lightweight: Darragh Kelly def. Kye Stevens by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Lightweight: Kane Mousah def. Georgi Karakhanyan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Kenny Mokhonoana def. Alex Bodnar by technical submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 2:42
Featherweight: Asael Adjoudj def. Jordan Barton by TKO (head kick/ground strikes), Round 1, 2:39
Welterweight: Luca Poclit def. Dante Schiro by technical submission (modified arm-triangle), Round 2, 4:31

The post Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

There is plenty of Irish talent on the card beyond Queally, including appearances by Ciaran Clarke, Brian Moore, and Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt.

The co-main event, however, might have been the most anticipated fight on the Dublin card this Friday. In that, Yoel Romero will look for his second straight win against another hard-hitting veteran, Melvin Manhoef.

Weigh-ins for Bellator 285 take place Thursday; full results and the ceremonial weigh-in live stream can be found below. The event takes place Friday, September 23, 2022 in Dublin, Ireland at the 3Arena, airing on Showtime in the U.S.

Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally Weigh-In Results

Main card

Lightweight: Benson Henderson (155.4) vs. Peter Queally (154.2)
Light Heavyweight: Yoel Romero (205.9) vs. Melvin Manhoef (205.7)
Women’s Featherweight: Leah McCourt (146) vs. Dayana Silva (146)
Featherweight: Mads Burnell (145.8) vs. Pedro Carvalho (146)
Catchweight (150 lbs): Ciaran Clarke (149.2) vs. Rafael Hudson (149.8)

Preliminary card

Bantamweight: Brett Johns (135.7) vs. Jordan Winski (135)
Featherweight: Asael Adjoudj (146) vs. Jordan Barton (146)
Bantamweight: Brian Moore (135.7) vs. Arivaldo Lima da Silva (135.9)
Light Heavyweight: Karl Albrektsson (205.2) vs. Karl Moore (205.8)
Lightweight: Darragh Kelly (155.2) vs. Kye Stevens (155.2)
Lightweight: Georgi Karakhanyan (156) vs. Kane Mousah (155.7)
Featherweight: Kenny Mokhonoana (146) vs. Alex Bodnar (145.6)
Welterweight: Luca Poclit (169.7) vs. Dante Schiro (169.9)

The post Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

After announcing the news following Romero’s win against Alex Polizzi this past Friday without specifying the date, Bellator MMA confirmed the details on Monday. Romero (14-6) will face Manhoef (32-15-1, 2NC) on September 23, 2022 at the 3Arena in Dublin.

Yoel Romero is coming to Dublin!!🤯 @YoelRomeroMMA @Bellator_Europe pic.twitter.com/uhaHlaPu9D

— Ross Edmonds (@RosssEdmonds) May 9, 2022

Manhoef was Romero’s original opponent for Bellator 280 in Paris, but had to pull out of the fight due to injury. Polizzi, the #7-ranked light heavyweight in the promotion, then stepped in on short notice, only to be toyed with by “The Soldier of God” before being put away in the final second of the fight.

Romero scored multiple knockdowns in the bout, putting in his best performance in years and getting the crowd firmly behind him. The win snapped a four-fight skid dating back to his UFC days. Now, he’ll look to make it two in a row against one of the few fighters on the Bellator roster older than himself.

Melvin Manhoef is about to turn 46. Romero turned 45 at the end of last month.

Manhoef will compete for the first time since a loss to Corey Anderson in November of 2020 when he steps into the cage in Dublin. The loss snapped a modest two-fight winning streak Manhoef had put together in 2019.

The Dutch fighter is a two-time middleweight title challenger in Bellator who has competed for M-1, DREAM, Heroes, Cage Rage, K-1, Strikeforce, ONE Championship and other promotions.

The post Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoel Romero Set for September 23 in Dublin, Ireland appeared first on Cageside Press.

Romero (13-6) will now face Alex Polizzi (10-1) at the event in Paris, France on May 6. Dutch outlet Telesport was first to report the news.

Cageside Press confirmed the booking Saturday with multiple sources familiar with the situation. The bout will serve as the co-main event at the AccorHotels Arena, where Bellator debuted in 2020.

Manhoef made headlines earlier this month when he spotted and chased down a trio of burglars scouting his home. Unfortunately, it appears he did not come away unscathed — though the crooks, at least, were taken into custody.

Having lost his promotional debut against Phil Davis, Yoel Romero now looks to rebound and snap a four-fight skid dating back to 2018. In that stretch, Romero has come up short in fights with Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Israel Adesanya, and then Davis. As with his debut, Romero’s Bellator 280 fight will come in the light heavyweight division.

Polizzi will be getting the toughest test of his young career in the match-up. He’s won three straight since his lone loss to Julius Anglickas in November of 2020. Just last month, “Easy” Polizzi submitted Jose Augusto Azevedo.

The Bellator 280 card is topped by a heavyweight title fight, as Ryan Bader runs it back with France’s own Cheick Kongo. With the addition of Polizzi to the Romero fight, the card now breaks down as follows:

• Ryan Bader (c) vs. Cheick Kongo – for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship
• Yoel Romero vs. Alex Polizzi
• Søren Bak vs. Charlie Leary
• Lorenz Larkin vs. Kyle Stewart
• Mike Shipman vs. Gregory Babene
• Pedro Carvalho vs. Piotr Niedzielski
• Lewis Long vs. Thibault Gouti
• Fabacary Diatta vs. Jordan Barton
• Davy Gallon vs. Benjamin Brander
• Yves Landu vs. Gavin Hughes
• Nicolò Solli vs. Joël Kouadja
• Lucie Bertaud vs. Katarzyna Sadura
• Youcef Ouabbas vs. Matthieu Duclos
• Victor Verchere vs. Bourama Camara

The post Melvin Manhoef Out, Yoel Romero Now Faces Alex Polizzi at Bellator 280 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Chael Sonnen Hit with Eleven Criminal Charges, and a Lawsuit

First, Chael Sonnen was facing five criminal charges relating to a brawl in a hotel hallway in Las Vegas late last year. Then, those charges were dismissed without prejudice. Now, he’s been slapped with eleven counts — 10 misdemeanor battery charges and one count of felony battery by strangulation. Plus a civil lawsuit.

The lawsuit has been brought about by an alleged victim, Dr. Christopher Stellpflug, and his wife, who claim the retired Bellator and UFC star attacked them without provocation. They told their story to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In comments to the paper, both Stellpflugs claimed to be recovering from concussions and and bruises, while Mrs. Stellpflug suffered a split lip.

A police report listed only that five individuals had suffered “apparent minor injury.”

Previously, fellow fighter Brendan Schaub let slip that Sonnen was defending his wife in the altercation. Or at least his wife’s honor. Sonnen himself, wisely, has not commented, but there’s likely more to this story than we’re getting. As for loading up on 10 battery charges in a brawl involving five other individuals, that’s the usual tactic used in the hopes of forcing a plea deal on a suspect. Whether Sonnen takes the bait remains to be seen.

Sonnen is currently suspended from his duties with ESPN while the legal process plays out.

And then there were fewer

Scratch that. Later in the week, Chael Sonnen saw a felony charge and four misdemeanor counts dropped by prosecutors. Sonnen’s lawyer, Dayvid Figler, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the D.A. “realized that the more appropriate way to move forward would be with this amended complaint.”

Sonnen still faces the remaining misdemeanor charges, and the civil lawsuit.

Deiveson Figueiredo wants “Dirty Kiwi” Kai Kara-France Next

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo — or whoever is working his social media accounts these days — says he wants “dirty Kiwi” Kai Kara-France next.

The comments were made in a post following the New Zealand flyweight’s win over Askar Askarov at UFC Columbus. Currently, the UFC is thought to be working on a fourth fight between Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, given their career series is tied 1-1-1.

According to the “God of War,” or more likely, manager Walid Ismail, “Assassin Baby” Brandon Moreno “just took the back seat.”

Honestly, both of these fights sound fun, so, whatever.

Congratulations you dirty kiwi @kaikarafrance you just punched your ticket with the God of War. @theassassinbaby you just took the back seat. You are 0- 2 against @Pantojamma if you could beat him I’ll give you the next title shot. 🇧🇷 Vs🇦🇺 let’s make it happen @danawhite pic.twitter.com/mysuGl9Wsa

— Deiveson (@Daico_Deiveson) March 27, 2022

Curtis Blaydes Hits Back

Curtis Blaydes had a little message for the “all you do is wrestle” crowd following his main event win at UFC Columbus.

“aLl YoU dO iS wReStLe” pic.twitter.com/pqQkHhamEk

— Curtis Blaydes (@RazorBlaydes265) March 27, 2022

Felder Plays Matchmaker, Strikes a Nerve

Paul Felder’s attempt at booking future title shots for the welterweight division got a cool reception this past week.

“After what Belal [Muhammad] showed in his last performance with [Stephen] ‘Wonderboy’ [Thompson] and what Sean [Brady] has shown throughout his career, I think it’s one of those two guys in the future [fighting for the title],” he told MMA Fighting recently.

That was after noting that Leon Edwards deserves the next shot, which he will likely get this July.

Khamzant Chimaev, meanwhile, still has more to prove as a welterweight, Felder believes — primarily when it comes to making the weight.

Chimaev has competed twice in the UFC as a welterweight, beating Rhys McKee and Li Jingliang. He successfully made weight both times, despite it being a struggle ahead of the Jingliang fight, and will get another shot at it when he faces Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.

Fans online were quick to chastise Felder for his picks, noting that Brady and Muhammad seemingly have little to offer champ Kamaru Usman. Chimaev, should he get past Burns, is another story entirely.

The Oscars Incident Somehow an MMA Story?

This isn’t unique to MMA media, because some pro wrestling dirt sheets did it as well. But conjuring up a story on the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident at the wholly unnecessary Academy Awards (as in, the entire sorry show is unnecessary at this point, the slap included) is the worst example of clickbait journalism. Well, maybe not the worst. But up there.

Yes, big news happened. It didn’t happen in your sphere. Sometimes, it’s okay to let things pass. No, we didn’t need a comparison of Smith-Rock to Masvidal-Covington.

That said, Rock took the slap and carried on like a pro, while Smith is being mercilessly reminded of his failed marriage on social media. There is a story — it’s just not an MMA one.

LFA fighter’s pre-fight medical exams detect brain aneurysms, will undergo surgery

In a shining example of why medicals are important, LFA featherweight Rafael Barbosa had brain aneurysms detected prior to a title challenge in mid-March. As a result, he was pulled from the LFA 126 card for precautionary reasons (read: he had brain aneurysms!), and will have further testing and surgery later in April.

Barbosa announced the news on social media; the full story from MMA Fighting is well worth a read.

The cost of pre-fight medicals is often a sore spot for fighters, who normally foot the bill. This is a reminder that such exams can save lives.

It’s not the first time pre-fight medicals have potentially averted tragedy. Ahead of UFC 129 in Toronto back in 2011, Brian Foster’s MRI revealed a brain hemorrhage. He was pulled from his planned bout with Sean Pierson, underwent surgery, and returned to competition, fully healthy, later that year.

Melvin Manhoef 3, Burglars 0

If you’re going to break into someone’s house, well, don’t. And if you absolutely, positively must break into someone’s house, make sure they’re not a professional fighter. Especially make sure they don’t have the striking skills of Melvin Manhoef. Oh, and make sure they aren’t actually Melvin Manhoef.

There’s dumb, and then there’s these three — who Manhoef chased down and detained for police. Technically, they didn’t even get to the breaking part of breaking and entering, let alone entering, but they were caught casing Melvin’s house, and fled the scene when he caught them in the act. Manhoef actually crashed his car into the suspect’s vehicle, and they allegedly had burglary tools on hand.

https://twitter.com/GS_Hollanda/status/1508482677267120147

Jon Jones Admits “Candle for Light Heavyweight Blew Out”

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is focused on a move to heavyweight, which may or may not come sometime this year.

However, he recently opened up about the end of his run at 205lbs, and admitted to his fight against Dominick Reyes being a “bad performance.”

“My candle for light heavyweight blew out, it showed in my last fight, instead of being discouraged by a bad performance, I’m stoked about this new season,” Jones wrote on social media this past week. “New energy. My time at LWH was over, I see that more clear today than ever.”

Jones’ (26-1, 1NC) last fight, against Reyes, came at UFC 247 in February 2020. Although the record shows it as a unanimous decision victory for Jones, many saw the fight in favor of Reyes. The bout followed another close win, a split decision victory against Thiago Santos.

More Fighter Pay Controversy

With Ohio being one of the rare athletic commissions to still publicly disclose purses, we got a look at exactly what each fighter on the UFC Columbus card made last week.

It wasn’t always a pretty picture.

First, the bright spots. Matt Brown made $105,000 in a losing effort against Bryan Barberena, and picked up an extra $50,000 by way of the Fight of the Night bonus. Add in his outfitting pay, and that’s okay money.

Neil Magny was able to pocket $230,000 ($115,000 to show, and that again for the win) for his decision victory against Max Griffin. Given how often Magny fights, he’s getting a decent bump thanks to outfitting pay on top of that.

But let’s be real: Askar Askarov getting $26,000 for what amounted to a title eliminator is pathetic.

Viachaslav Borshchev, Denis Tiulinin, and Bruno Souza all made just $12,000 in their first or second fights with the company. All three lost, so no win bonus there. Aliaskhab Khizriev made $20,000 — $10,000 to show, $10,000 to win. And Luis Saldana made $24,0000 at 12/12.

Those numbers are frankly sad to see, coming off a year which many saw as the promotion’s best ever. At least Curtis Blaydes had a good night, walking away with $312,000 (including a Performance bonus), without factoring in outfitting pay. But when you consider that Mark Hunt was making $950,000 as a heavyweight six years ago, and Blaydes was in the main event, you really have to wonder.

MMA Fighting has the numbers for the full card.

Bas Rutten Believes Dale Brown’s Methods Are Going to Get People Dusted

D.U.S.T. Commander Dale Brown became a viral sensation over the past year, and even turned up in the corner of UFC middleweight Joaquin Buckley. But the self-defense guru’s methods have been a constant point of contention, and the legendary Bas Rutten is among those critical of Brown — who he sees as the type of snake oil salesman who is going to get someone killed.

“The not real guy? With the black hair and ‘stache, that guy? Very funny… Guys like that get people killed, because they give them a false sense of security,” Rutten said during an appearance on The MMA Hour recently. “That’s why I don’t teach self defense in my classes.”

Suggesting that defending against a knife was “almost worse” than defending against a gun, Rutten explained that “imagine I just teach a knife defense and then a friend of a person I taught it to is getting in trouble. Someone pulls a knife and he goes, ‘Hey, step back, I got it. They just taught me this in class.’ And then he gets stabbed to death. That’s a problem.”

Beyond that, what works in a classroom may play out very differently under pressure in a life or death situation.

“It’s like fighting. It looks real easy and in the dojo, you’re really good and everything works, but that’s without stress,” Rutten noted. “How many fighters do we have that are dojo fighters. Every fighter you hear talks about this, they work circles around world champions and then under pressure they can’t perform. They can’t bring out what they can do without any pressure. And that’s just fighting, now imagine a weapon presents itself. Even I’m gonna go like, ‘Sh*t.’ There’s gonna be a lot of nerves and you better make everything perfect.”

Rutten might know a thing or two about the self-defense subject: he released his own video on it, Lethal Street Fighting, back in the early 2000s.

Amosov retrieves Bellator championship belt from rubble in Ukraine

Yaroslav Amosov is the reigning Bellator MMA welterweight champion. He’s also actively defending the European nation from invasion by neighbouring Russia. Prior to the bombs falling, Amosov’s mother apparently hid his championship belt — which he recovered in the video below.

No words.

🇺🇦 @YaroslavAmosov defending his country, but reminding everyone who the champ is. pic.twitter.com/lwWMkPR3fX

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 1, 2022

Bonnar and family lose home to fire, Go Fund Me established

A fire has destroyed Stephen Bonnar’s home in Henderson, Nevada, with a Go Fund Me campaign established to help the Bonnar family recover. The UFC Hall of Fame member and his wife have said they’ve essentially lost everything, although Bonnar was able to at least retrieve a couple of keepsakes. Still, small solace in the face of massive loss.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbz2RHMFcTT/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f9dc2b34-284f-4842-b2f1-95657788c1b1

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Manhoef Nabs Would-Be Burglars, Jones Admits “Candle Blew Out” at 205 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Promotion officials announced on Thursday that Romero (13-6), a multi-time middleweight title challenger in the UFC, will face Melvin Manhoef (32-15-1, 2NC) at 205lbs in the Bellator Paris main event.

The card takes place on May 6, 2022 at the Accor Arena in Paris, France.

Romero made his promotional debut for Bellator MMA last September, losing a split decision to former light heavyweight champ Phil Davis. “The Soldier of God” had been expected to take part in the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix initially, only for medical issues to force him out of the tournament before he got started.

The loss to Davis dropped Romero to 0-4 in his last four fights, with two of those losses coming against UFC champions Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.

This time around, the Cuban will face off with veteran Manhoef, who last competed in a losing effort against Corey Anderson in November 2020. That loss snapped a two-fight win streak for Manhoef, who twice competed against Rafael Carvalho for Bellator’s middleweight championship.

In something of a rare occurrence, Yoel Romero is actually the younger fighter in this match-up, as he’ll turn 45 by the time the fight rolls around. Melvin Manhoef will turn 46 a week after the contest.

Bellator Paris is headlined by a heavyweight title fight, as champ Ryan Bader will run it back with rival Cheick Kongo after their first meeting ended in a No Contest.

The post Yoel Romero vs. Melvin Manhoef Set as Bellator Paris Co-Main appeared first on Cageside Press.

Paired up against Melvin Manhoef on Thursday, Anderson did exactly what he was supposed to do — rely on his powerful takedowns and dominate an aging Melvin Manhoef. Picking up the second round TKO, Anderson may have earned himself a shot against the winner of Nemkov vs. Davis 2.

Check below for full results and a gallery of main card highlights from Bellator 251

Bellator 251: Manhoef vs. Anderson Results

Main Card:

Corey Anderson def. Melvin Manhoef by TKO, Round 2, 2:34
Tyrell Fortune def. Said Sowma by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Austin Vanderford def. Vinicius de Jesus by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Derek Anderson def. Killys Mota by TKO, Round 2, 4:27

Preliminary Card:

Georgi Karakhanyan def. Bryce Logan by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Julius Anglickas def. Alex Polizzi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Janay Harding def. Jessy Miele by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ali Zebian def. Piankhi Zimmerman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-38)
Jaylon Bates def. Joe Supino by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
Sumiko Inaba def. Jessica Ruiz by TKO, Round 1, 4:59

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Anderson figured to be a big part of its future, a former contender in the UFC always given the cold shoulder in his old home, thanks to his wrestling-heavy style and lack of trash talking. Manhoef, of course, would look to spoil that.

As the fight itself got underway, Anderson went straight to beast mode. A big slam takedown punctuated the first minute of Anderson’s career inside the Belaltor cage. Melvin Manhoef tried to tie him up from the bottom, but he was in a bad spot, far away from the fence. Manhoef wound up covering up, eating several punches in the process. Anderson wound up in half guard, adding in an elbow or two, but while trying to pass, Manhoef escaped in a scramble. It wasn’t long, however, before Anderson changed levels, landed another takedown, and absolutely unloaded on Manhoef. The Dutch fighter managed to survive that barrage, and the round, but would need to stay on his feet moving forward.

👊💥 Heavy shots from @CoreyA_MMA as round 1️⃣ of the #Bellator251 main event winds down.

Catch round 2️⃣ LIVE & FREE now on @CBSSportsNet in he U.S. and with @SkySports Mix in the U.K.#MMA #Bellator pic.twitter.com/BL1EwMzpHw

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 6, 2020

Manhoef opened round two with a kick, but it wasn’t long before Anderson trapped him by the fence and more or less muscled him to the floor. In a striker vs. wrestler battle, the wrestler was in full control. Once again in half-guard, Anderson went to work softening up the body. Some nasty elbows followed, and the ref took a good look. Paging Dr. Ortiz, Dr. Tito Ortiz. The elbows kept on coming. Manhoef was opened up. A couple of blows later, and Corey Anderson had a TKO win in his promotional debut.

Given Melvin Manhoef’s age and recent level of competition, Anderson by no means beat a world-beater. But he did exactly what he needed to do, win in dominant fashion. A title shot or another big match-up would not be surprising for his next outing.

Official Result: Corey Anderson def. Melvin Manhoef by TKO, Round 2, 2:34

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