UFC Fight Night 213 Prelims: Dolidze Hurts Hawes with Kneebar, Then Gets KO Victory

THIS KO FROM DOLIDZE 🥶 #UFCVegas63 pic.twitter.com/Ywrw3eGVp6

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 29, 2022

Phil Hawes will likely be feeling the effects of his encounter with Roman Dolidze for months to come.

Advertisement

Dolidze (11-1, 5-1 UFC) earned his third straight triumph in the Octagon, knocking out Hawes in the UFC Fight Night 213 featured prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The 34-year-old Georgian rendered Hawes unconscious with a vicious punching combination near the fence 4:09 into Round 1 of their middleweight bout.

Hawes (12-4, 4-1 UFC) landed a takedown early in the opening frame, but it was Dolidze who was the aggressor on the mat. He landed multiple elbows from his back before transitioning to from an armbar to a kneebar — and that’s where the tide turned for good. Hawes right knee appeared to pop before Dolidze released the hold, and he stumbled on his way back to his feet. While Hawes showed heart …

Read more
  • 0

Mansour Barnaoui Chokes Out Adam Piccolotti in Bellator 287 Main Event

👊 @Mansourbarnaoui applying the pressure to @adampiccolotti. #Bellator287 | 🇺🇸 @SHOSports | 🇬🇧 @BBCThree pic.twitter.com/GPac6q2UAb

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 29, 2022

The debuting Mansour Barnaoui took advantage of being in the main event of Bellator 287 and picked up a dominant win over Adam Piccolotti.

Advertisement

Piccolotti (13-5) wasted little time in implementing his game plan as he immediately took the fight to the ground, which wound up being a mistake. Barnaoui (20-4), who hasn't fought since 2019, survived an armbar attempt and was able to take the back of the American and control the rest of the opening frame. "The Afro-Samurai" would once again take the back of his opponent in Round 2 and sunk in a rear-naked choke that forced the tap.

The tap officially came at 2:51 of Round 2.

Edwards Controls Ward The co-main event was a European middleweight clash between England's Fabian Edwards and Charlie Ward …
Read more
  • 0

Bellator 287 ‘Piccolotti vs. Barnaoui’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog's live Bellator 287 coverage will begin Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Advertisement

Round 1 Hill (4-0, 0-0 Bellator) puts his unbeaten record on the line against Fusi (8-6, 1-1 Bellator), who enters the match on a two-fight losing streak and in search of his first win since May 2019. Bell once again serves as the referee. Hill shoots for an immediate takedown and settles for the clinch. He connects with some knees to the inside of Fusi’s leg, holds him along the fence and secures double underhooks. Hill lowers his center of gravity, delivers a takedown and seeks to consolidate those efforts with positional control. Fusi builds his base and gets back to his feet, only to be returned to the mat. Hill postures inside the Italian’s open guard and chips away with punches to the body. Fusi again returns to his feet but fails to create the space necessary to get himself of th…
Read more
  • 0

Roberto Souza Claims ‘Lethal’ Ground Game Superior to A.J. McKee’s

porque eu gosto de luta assim quando mais desacreditar em mim quando maior for meu gigante, maior ainda será minha Fé Não fui eu que ordenei a você? Seja forte e corajoso! Não se apavore nem desanime, pois o SENHOR, o seu Deus, estará com você por onde você andar”.Josué 1:9 pic.twitter.com/X9DOfN2wF7

— roberto satoshi de s (@ToshiJJ) October 26, 2022 If the fight hits the mat, Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight kingpin Roberto de Souza believes he can teach his Bellator MMA-based foe a thing or two.

On Wednesday, Bellator and Rizin announced a unique and potentially thrilling show for Dec. 31 at a joint press conference, titled Rizin 40: Rizin vs. Bellator. Together, the promotions will pit champions from their respective leagues, or top stars in certain weight categories, against one another in the Rizin ring. The fights will be held under Pride-style rules, and the marquee match held at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, will be Ri…

Read more
  • 0

Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva Weigh-in Results: Paul, Silva Cleared for Action

Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva: Weigh-In | SHOWTIME PPV" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen> Jake Paul's latest foray into boxing will see the celebrity-turned-boxer go up against a mixed martial arts legend in Anderson Silva.

Ahead of their scheduled pairing on Saturday, the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission met on Thursday evening to discuss remarks Silva made about being knocked out multiple times in training -- comments Silva later walked back. The commission cleared Silva again for competition, after requiring the 47-year-old to take additional medical tests. Per ESPN, the MRI that Silva submitted was "pristine" and his exams went well enough to allow him to fight after all. The boxing match will be held at a 187-pound catchweight. Silva was the first of the two headliners to come to the scale, and came in joking around while weighing 186.1 pounds. Paul later hit the scale…

Read more
  • 0

UFC Fight Night 213 Weigh-in Results: Main Event Set; 1 Fighter Heavy

First to the scale! ⚖️@CalvinKattar in at 146lbs for tomorrow's main event

📺 #UFCVegas63 live tomorrow on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/VnvxilQXAK

— UFC (@ufc) October 28, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns this week to the UFC Apex with an intriguing featherweight clash between two entertaining contenders.

Advertisement

The five-round main event between Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen is now official after both weighed under the featherweight limit. Nearly all fighters on the 11-fight card managed to make weight. However, Joshua Weems came in 3.5 pounds over the bantamweight limit and has been fined a percentage of his purse.

This marks the fifth straight main event for Kattar (23-6), who has become very accustomed to going five rounds. "The Boston Finisher" hasn't lived up to his nickname in these fights, though, as all four went to a decision. Kattar is looking to bounce back from a split decision defeat to Josh Emmett …

Read more
  • 0

Bellator 287 Weigh-in Results: All Fighters Make Weight

5️⃣ rounds in Milano!

Will it be @adampiccolotti or @Mansourbarnaoui who comes out on top?#Bellator287 is LIVE at a special time this Saturday. 👇

Advertisement

🇺🇸 @SHOSports - 4pm ET/1pm PT🇬🇧 @BBCThree - 9pm BST🇮🇹 @MolaTVSport - 10pm CEST pic.twitter.com/HrJtrc0SQ7 — BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 28, 2022 Bellator MMA returns to Italy with a lengthy mixed martial arts card.

All fighters made weight for Bellator 287, which features 17 fights in total. It is headlined by a lightweight battle between Adam Piccolotti, who has Italian ancestry, and the debuting Mansour Barnaoui. Both will look to take advantage of the spotlight with a win that compels them into contendership.

Piccolotti (13-4) has been in Bellator since 2015, and recently come up short in major matches against Benson Henderson and Sidney Outlaw. However, those two split-decision defeats haven't deterred "The Bomb," as the 34-year-old believes the best is yet …

Read more
  • 0

18-Year-Old Raul Rosas Jr. to Make Octagon Debut at UFC 282

Raul Rosas Jr. will officially become the youngest fighter in promotion history when he makes his debut against Jay Perrin at UFC 282.

Advertisement

Iridium Sports Agency, which represents Rosas Jr., announced the bantamweight booking via social media on Wednesday. UFC 282 takes place on Dec. 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight title rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira.

Rosas Jr. was just 17 years old when he earned a UFC contract with a unanimous decision victory against Mando Gutierrez on Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 20. The 10th Planet Las Vegas representative turned 18 on Oct. 8. He will bring a 6-0 mark into his first promotional foray.

Perrin is 0-2 in the Octagon after dropping unanimous decisions against Mario Bautista and Qileng Aori thus far in 2022. The 29-year-old Syndicate MMA representative is 10-6 as a professional with bouts in Bellator MMA, CES MMA and the Contender Series.

Read more
  • 0

Anderson Silva Claims He ‘Misspoke’ About Being Knocked Out Twice in Sparring

According to Anderson Silva, he didn’t say exactly what he meant to say in an interview that became a hot topic heading into this weekend’s fight with Jake Paul.

Advertisement

Concerns regarding Silva’s health became a focus earlier this week when “The Spider” said in an interview that he had been knocked out twice in sparring during camp.

“I talked to my coach and even said, ‘Coach, let me tell you something, why the guys knock me out two times?’” Silva told MMA Weekly at a press conference for the event on Sept. 13. “And the coach said, ‘You need to prepare for war, and you prepare for war.’”

The interview prompted the Arizona Gaming Department, which is regulating the event, to look into the matter. However, Silva recently issued a statement via TMZ Sports claiming that he misspoke during the interview with MMA Weekly.

"After seeing the reports and concern for me, I'd like to clarify two important things. One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I mis…

Read more
  • 0

Bellator MMA Signs Ex-UFC Flyweight Poliana Botelho

Bellator MMA has signed former UFC flyweight competitor Poliana Botelho to an exclusive, multi-fight deal.

Advertisement

AgFight was first to report the signing. A date for Botelho’s promotional debut is currently unknown, and terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Botelho went 3-4 during a seven-bout UFC stint from 2017 to 2022. She ended her tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion on a three-fight losing streak that included a first-round submission defeat to Karine Silva at UFC Fight Night 207 this past June.

The 33-year-old Nova Uniao product returned to the win column at Invicta FC 49 on Sept. 28, when she defeated Helen Peralta via unanimous decision. Botelho is 9-5 over the course of a professional career that began in 2013.

Read more
  • 0

A.J. McKee vs. Roberto Souza Tops Bellator vs. Rizin Lineup on New Year’s Eve

A.J. McKee will face Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight king Roberto de Souza in the main event of Bellator vs. Rizin-themed offering on New Year’s Eve.

Advertisement

Four of the five main-card matchups for the event were announced during a press conference on Wednesday. In the co-headliner, reigning Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire will lock horns with Rizin 145-pound title holder Kleber Koike Erbst. Additionally, former Bellator bantamweight king Juan Archuleta will lock horns with two-division Road FC kingpin Soo Chul Kim, while Kyoji Horiguchi returns to the flyweight division to take on Rizin grand prix winner Hiromasa Ougikubo. A fifth main-card pairing will be announced at a later date.

The event is officially entitled Rizin 40 and takes place on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The fights will be contested in a ring under Rizin rules, which allow soccer kicks and knees to a grounded opponent. Rizin 40 will be broadcast …

Read more
  • 0