Marunde (16-10), who appeared as part of The Ultimate Fighter 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson in 2012, recently announced plans to run for city council in Henderson, Nevada, declaring for Ward 2.

The welterweight, who competed in both Strikeforce, the UFC, and numerous regional promotions, last fought in 2015. Since then, he has starred in HGTV’s Flip or Flop Vegas, serving as host alongside wife Aubrey— though that resulted in a lawsuit, settled out of court in 2019, over allegations of a home renovation that was not up to code.

Marunde appeared twice inside the UFC octagon, posting an 0-2 record in 2013. He then returned to the regional circuit, winning four straight fights before a loss to fellow TUF alum Gilbert Smith, his last fight of record.

In a press release announcing his candidacy for Councillor, Bristol Marunde was quoted as saying “I’m running for Henderson City Council because I believe in the power of community and its ability to uplift individuals, strengthen bonds, and address real needs,” adding that “Henderson is our home, and we genuinely want to give back to the city we love. This campaign is about meeting needs, enhancing public safety, responsible growth, and active resident engagement for Henderson’s betterment.”

After a three-season stint on Flip or Flop Vegas, Marunde turned his focus to Alter Luxury, a contracting and real estate business.

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Fan favorite and The Ultimate Fighter 10 winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson was headlining the show, fighting for a shot at the promotion’s inaugural heavyweight title against fellow UFC ex-pat Alan Belcher.

Nelson had absolutely wrecked Dillon Cleckler at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 4 earlier this year, flat-lining the BKFC veteran with his infamous right hand. As for Belcher, he had run up an undefeated record in both boxing and bareknuckle boxing over the past couple of years, making him a genuine threat in the heavyweight division.

Featuring the full MMA ruleset minus gloves, the latest Gamebred card had a whole lot of recognizable names in action. In the co-main event, Jason Knight, a former UFC featherweight and recent TUF 31 standout, was paired up with New England’s Randy Costa. Former Bellator champ and UFC vet Hector Lombard, plus UFC alums Sasha Palatnikov, Chase Sherman, Brandon Davis, Alex Nicholson, Francisco Trinaldo and others were also in action.

Where to Watch Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 6

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 6: Nelson vs. Belcher goes down Friday, November 10, 2023 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi. The entire event streams live and free on the promotion’s Youtube Channel; a livestream of the full event is available in the embed below. Full results can also be found below.

The event gets underway at 8PM ET.

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 6: Nelson vs. Belcher Results

Alan Belcher def. Roy Nelson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Randy Costa def. Jason Knight by knockout (punches), Round 1, 1:41
Chase Sherman def. Carl Seumanutafa by knockout (strikes), Round 1, 2:34
Brandon Davis def. Joe Penafiel by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Curtis Millender def. Joel Bauman by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Junior Maranhao def. Joshua Weems by submission (kimura), Round 3, 2:41
Alex Nicholson def. Prince McLean by knockout (punches), Round 1, 0:19
Francisco Trinaldo def. Sasha Palatnikov by TKO (injury), Round 1, 1:55
Chris Sarro def. Hector Lombard by DQ (illegal blows to back of the head), Round 1, 1:09
Tyler Hill def. James Freeman by TKO, Round 1, 2:48
Mike Sanford def. Alex Gordy by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:47

Updated to reflect that the Nelson vs. Belcher winner will earn a shot at the Gamebred Bareknuckle title, expected to come against Junior Dos Santos.

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The ever-popular “Big Country” has raked in nearly one million views on Youtube alone after his highlight reel KO of Cleckler went viral back in May, the biggest moment in the fledgling promotion’s history to date. Nelson, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 10 as a heavyweight and a longtime UFC (and later Bellator MMA) veteran, had been considered a possibility to face the winner of this weekend’s Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum.

Instead, he’ll take on fellow UFC ex-pat and ex-BKFC standout Alan Belcher. Jorge Masvidal, the man behind Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, announced the news on Wednesday during an appearance on The MMA Hour.

The fight will see the promotion, which features the Unified Rules of MMA minus gloves, venture outside its home base in Florida, hitting up the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, MI on October 28, 2023.

No other fights have been announced for the event thus far.

Belcher (18-8), who competed as a middleweight in the UFC, put together a 5-0 record as a boxer and 4-0 record in bareknuckle boxing since leaving the octagon behind. That includes winning the BKFC heavyweight championship in his last fight for the company. He was later stripped of the title after pursuing a boxing match.

Nelson (24-19) competed for the first time in nearly three years when he defeated Cleckler this past May. In addition to being the TUF 10 champ, he held heavyweight gold in the now-defunct International Fight League (IFL).

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“Big Country,” 46, was paired up with Dillon Cleckler, five his years junior and with far less mileage in comparison to The Ultimate Fighter 10 winner, who spent years plying his trade for the UFC and Bellator MMA.

Nelson hadn’t fought since 2020, and hadn’t won a fight since 2017, though the judges were at least partially to blame on that front.

No judges were required at the FLA Arena on Saturday, however. Nelson made sure of that. And, quite frankly, so too did Clecker.

From the outset, Nelson was clearly the fighter more willing to grapple, almost immediately pursuing a takedown. Cleckler on the other hand seemed content to stand and trade with a man known for his iron chin and granite right hand.

To his credit, Cleckler landed several solid shots on Nelson, at times putting him off balance. An early leg kick also landed on Big Country with an audible crack; more of those might hamper the rotund Nelson’s movement. But as the minutes ticked away in the opening round, Nelson seemed to find his range. He landed a number of counters on the taller Clecker, then closed in for what turned out to be the kill.

A left hand whiffed for Nelson, but his ever-dangerous right hand followed. It connected clean, and Cleckler went down in a heap. Nelson was already unloading a follow-up as Cleckler rolled, dazed. The ref hurried over to make the save; Cleckler, when he regained his senses, would likely regret standing and trading with Roy Nelson.

Roy Nelson wins via knockout!!!#GamebredBareknuckle pic.twitter.com/3FxftsFE1O

— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) May 6, 2023

To the many who had written him off ahead of Friday’s fight, Nelson said following the bout that “I’m not a sheep, I don’t listen to what everybody says. I do what I want to do.”

Jorge Masvidal, on hand despite some obvious family concerns, floated a potential fight for Nelson against any of Alex Nicholson, Fabricio Werdum, or even Junior Dos Santos moving forward, though it’s not certain where any of those free agents, or even Nelson, will land next.

Official Result: Roy “Big Country” Nelson def. Dillon Cleckler by TKO (right hand), Round 1, 3:24

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The brainchild of now-retired UFC star Jorge Masivdal, who got his start in the combat sports realm fighting in Florida backyards, Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA was billed as the first sanctioned bareknuckle MMA event in the state. And that, it seems, plus a presumably hefty payday, was enough to lure the notoriously hefty “Big Country” from his slumber (no, despite various reports, Nelson never officially retired following his Bellator MMA run).

Featured on the card were names like PFL champ Emiliano Sordi, fighting UFC and Gamebred Boxing alum Markus Perez, Irwin Rivera, Jon Tuck and more. Not to mention Charles “Felony” (but maybe better known as Krazy Horse) Bennett.

Full results and a live stream of the action can be found below. The card kicks off at 8PM ET.

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA: Big Country vs. Cleckler Results

Main Card

Roy “Big Country” Nelson def. Dillon Cleckler by TKO (right hand), Round 1, 3:24
Emiliano Sordi def. Markus Perez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Sean Soriano def. Ago Huskić by TKO, Round 2, 1:30
Irwin Rivera def. Joseph Penafiel by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Carl Seumanutafa def. Jamahl Tatum by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Alexander Schenk def. Fidel Paulino by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:00
Darion Abbey def. Frank Tate by knockout, Round 1, 2:54
Handesson Ferreira def. Anthony Njokuani by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:09
Ryan Kuse def. Jarod Grant by submission (kimura), Round 1, 2:28
Keith Speed def. Charles Bennett by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:22

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Though seemingly retired since his stint with Bellator MMA came to an end, “Big Country” is set to compete against Dillon Cleckler as part of a Gamebred Bareknuckle bout on May 5, 2023 at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL.

While the “bareknuckle” reference might suggest boxing to some fans, Gamebred Bareknuckle is actually Jorge Masvidal’s bareknuckle MMA promotion — and per a video announcement by “Gamebred” announcing the fight, the card will be sanctioned by the State of Florida.

“This guy does everything big,” Masvidal exclaimed while announcing the return of one of the UFC’s most popular heavyweights in his heyday.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrRD7HPgG5b

Masvidal, who retired in the octagon earlier this month at UFC 287, has for the past couple of years been wearing the promoter’s hat, and doing a solid job for the most part, juggling combat promotions including Jorge Masvidal’s iKon FC, Gamebred Boxing, and Gamebred FC (Gamebred Bareknuckle).

Nelson (23-19 MMA), 46, last competed in 2020 in a losing effort against Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 244, after which he was released by the promotion. It was the fifth straight loss for Nelson, though many had him winning what was ultimately a majority decision loss against Matt Mitrione as part of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2018.

“Big Country” holds notable wins over Stefan Struve, Cheick Kongo, Brendan Schaub, Bigfoot Silva, Mirko Cro-Cop and others.

Cleckler is 11-1 in MMA, but has become better known for his bare-knuckle efforts, competing for BKFC on multiple occasions, and fighting for their heavyweight title.

Nelson vs. Cleckler will serve as the Gamebred Bareknuckle main event on May 5.

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Nelson, even at 44 and on a losing streak, certainly brought name value with him. A victory over “Big Country” could easily launch Voldavsky into the upper tier of Bellator’s heavyweight division, especially with names like Mir, Fedor, and Mittrione aging out.

In recent years, Nelson’s tendency to hunt for a fan-friendly knockout had failed him more than once. Ahead of Bellator 244, he suggested that with fans absent, he’d be solely focused on the win — and he showed it with an immediate level change. However, Nelson couldn’t land the takedown, and Moldavsky reversed. Back at range, Moldavsky was able to get his hands moving, forcing Nelson to cover up. Moments later, a crisp right hand landed for Moldavsky, followed by a knee that just missed.

The Russian picked things up right where he left off in round two, utilizing his speed to fire leg kicks and move in and out. Despite a 30lb weight differential, Modavsky was able to out-muscle Nelson as well. In the clinch, he landed short punches and elbows, not giving Nelson any room to work. Nelson would get off an elbow and knee here and there, but Modavsky was doing far more and controlling the fight. Headed into the third, Nelson was well behind and in need of a finish.

Moldavsky was on his bike in the third. And Nelson’s 265lb frame struggled to catch him. When they did come together, it was Moldavsky closing the gap and putting Nelson against the fence. He finally got off the cage with 90 seconds remaining, but couldn’t get the right hand off, and wound up right back where he started. They’d trade a couple more times to the bell, with Moldavsky cruising to a one-sided decision.

You’d have to imagine, that with five straight losses, Nelson’s days as a Bellator heavyweight are over. Moldavsky acquitted himself well, and has likely earned a step up in competition for his next appearance.

Official Result: Valentin Moldavsky def. Roy Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Roy Nelson heads into Bellator 244 on the worst skid of his career, with four consecutive losses under the Bellator MMA banner. His last win came over Javy Ayala in 2017, but “Big Country” isn’t ready to call it a career just yet.

“It’s one of those things, as long as I’m competitive, I’m okay with [whatever]. I know where I stand in the whole heavyweight division in the world, from UFC to Bellator to ONE FC to the whole nine yards,” he said Wednesday during the Bellator 244 media day. “As long as I’m competitive, I keep doing what I’m doing.”

To be fair, Nelson (23-18), always a fan favorite for his knockout ability, has lost some close decisions in his current slump. Including a controversial majority decision loss against Matt Mitrione in the heavyweight grand prix.

But it’s not the losing streak that may change his fighting style this Friday. It’s the lack of fans in the arena, something Nelson first experienced as part of The Ultimate Fighter.

“It changes your fight style. Because you’re not going out there and making sure you’re pleasing the fans. So you’re just going out there and getting the W any way you know how,” Nelson said when asked about fighting in an empty venue.

With fans in the building, fighting becomes like rock n’ roll, believes Nelson. You’re not just concerned with the best performance, but making sure everybody’s happy. Without spectators, however, “you can stick to a game plan better.”

It’s not that his mindset has changed completely, mind you. “Big Country” has always been about entertaining. But with the pandemic, things are a bit different. “The fans are the ones that pay the bills, but it’s different when it’s live. They’re not paying the bills now. Now it’s TV stuff. It’s a little bit different now,” Nelson stated. “You just go out and win. That’s all that matters, because that’s all that matters to the network.”

Should he pick up a win over Valentin Moldavsky, a rising Russian prospect training alongside Fedor Emelianenko, Nelson will earn himself some breathing room. And a fight with Fedor could be an opportunity down the road, given what a win over one of his proteges would mean.

“I’ve always wanted to fight Fedor,” admitted Nelson. “But if I get past Moldavsky, or when I do, I think it’s time for me to actually start picking who I want to fight, versus just taking whoever they want to give me.”

As to who his choices would be, “There’s fights that I want and people I want to beat up,” answered Nelson. “Fedor is number one. One of those legacy ones. Matt Mitrione, I just want to beat him up and make some money.”

“Cheick Kongo would be another. Cheick’s right there, he just fought for the belt last,” Nelson added. Roy has a memorable knockout of Kongo from back in the pair’s UFC days. “I’d like to give him the chance to knock me out now.”

Bellator 244 takes place this Friday, August 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The main card airs live on Paramount Network and DAZN.

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On Friday, Bellator officials confirmed to Cageside Press that popular heavyweight Roy Nelson would take on Russia’s Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 244. The bout was first reported earlier this month by Russia’s SportExpress.

Nelson (23-18) will be looking to pull out of a tailspin in the fight. The Ultimate Fighter 10 winner is just 1-4 under the Bellator MMA banner, and has lost four consecutive bouts against Matt Mitrione, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Cro-Cop, and Frank Mir. Three of the four went to decision, with only the heavy-handed Kharitonov able to stop Nelson.

As controversial as those losses have been (the Mitrione fight ended in a majority decision that many saw as a draw), at 44, Nelson’s time is quickly coming to a close. With Ryan Bader holding both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles in Bellator, any hope at contention for “Big Country” rests with a win against Moldavsky.

Moldavsky (9-1) has won all four of his Bellator MMA bouts to date. The Russian most recently defeated Javy Ayala at Bellator 239 back in February. His only loss as a pro came via split decision to Amir Aliakbari in RIZIN’s 2016 Open Weight Grand Prix.

Bellator 244 takes place Friday, August 22 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. Ryan Bader defends his light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov in the main event.

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Friday night’s Bellator 231 was headlined by a fight many MMA fans would have preferred five or six years ago in the UFC. A rematch between Roy Nelson and Frank Mir, once two of the most popular heavyweights in the world. While much of their fanbase remains, the pair were on a significant skid heading into Friday night — enough so that Bellator CEO Scott Coker had painted their meeting as a “loser leaves town” match-up.

Nelson offers knockout power few can match, but has struggled in Bellator, going 1-3 since joining the promotion. And while a couple of those losses could have gone the other way (Mitrione, Cro-Cop), a three-fight skid is a three-fight skid.

For Frank Mir, things were actually looking worse. While most concede that Nelson can still hang with the top heavyweights — at the very least, he’s not being knocked out by them — Mir had not won a fight since 2015, had lost four straight, and was finished in the last three of those. In the middle of that skid, he also sat out a couple of years thanks to a USADA suspension that ended his career with the UFC.

Careers were on the line Friday. At least as far as Bellator was concerned.

Nelson backed Mir up early, using his jab and position to try to force him into his right hand. Mir found some success with his inside leg kicks, while Nelson put a combo together. ‘Big Country’ went to the body a couple of times, but Mir’s kicks were having an impact. Nelson would fire a crushing right hand, but it was off the mark. Mir, meanwhile, fired a spinning kick, and touched Nelson with a left. Nelson would land a left, and a glancing uppercut at round’s end, while Mir was looking at the clock.

Round two saw Mir fire a high kick just seconds in. That was blocked, and the pair traded. Nelson’s right hand went sailing by Mir’s head again. A second right would land, but not clean. A left landed for Nelson, who then complained of a low blow. In a clinch, Nelson landed body shots, while Mir landed a knee. The inside leg kick followed tripping Nelson up. In a veteran move, he made sure to have both hands planted to keep himself grounded, then backed off to regroup. Mir, however, was ahead in the fight. Nelson would land an uppercut, but Mir would answer back with another crippling leg kick. Nelson was nearly taken off his feet again. He’d finally back Mir up against the fence, but couldn’t land clean, and wind up reversed.

The third and final round had Roy Nelson down and needing a finish. He again found a way inside on Mir, but couldn’t land anything solid — though a cut did open up under Mir’s eye. Nelson then fired a leg kick, but in the next exchange, Mir’s kick landed low. As in below the belt. A leg kick spot on when they restarted, again taking Nelson out of position. Roy landed a right, but Mir shook it off. The rest of the round was Nelson walking down Mir, landing a couple of times, then scoring a late takedown. But while he won the round, he didn’t win the fight.

Official Result: Frank Mir def. Roy Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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