Bellator News
Miesha Tate praises Cris Cyborg: 'She's damn near one of a kind'
Mike Pendleton - January 31, 2020
Cris Cyborg made a successful Bellator MMA debut when she defeated Julia Budd at Bellator 238 and won the featherweight title. In doing so, Cyborg also added her fourth promotional world title, adding the Bellator belt to a trophy case that already included Strikeforce, Invicta and UFC belts. Feeling refreshed with her new promotion unlike her time in the UFC, Cyborg put on a performance to remember in her Bellator debut. Her performance against Budd was masterful enough to get the attention of a former champion as well.
Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Lovato Jr. reveals he has a rare brain condition, career on pause
Cole Shelton - January 29, 2020
Rafael Lovato Jr. doesn’t know if he will fight again. The 36-year-old has not fought since his upset win over Gegard Mousasi to win the Bellator middleweight title in June of 2019. He’s 10-0 as a pro recently discovered he has a problem that went undetected because he often fought with commissions that didn’t require brain scans. But, when he needed one for the Mousasi fight, that is when he realized something is wrong.
MMA veterans Jessica Penne and Bec Rawlings are offering 'premium content' on OnlyFans subscription service
Natasha Hooper - January 29, 2020
Jessica Penne and Bec Rawlings have found another stream of income, and that is their own subscription accounts on OnlyFans.com. The two athletes have records that encompass the UFC, Invicta and Bellator. Jessica Penne hasn’t fought since 2017 after coming off three back-to-back losses and Bec Rawlings is also coming off 5 consecutive losses, though she’s riding a few big wins in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ring.
Strikeforce, UFC, Bellator veteran Josh Thomson announces his retirement
Tom Taylor - January 28, 2020
Josh Thomson, a veteran of the Strikeforce, PRIDE, UFC and Bellator cages, has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. Thomson, 41, announced his retirement from the sport on his Weighing In podcast on Tuesday.
John McCarthy shuts down Brendan Schaub’s claim that all the best fighters are in the UFC
Tom Taylor - January 28, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub recently claimed that all the best fighters are on the UFC roster. Unsurprisingly, this comment generated a torrent of backlash — including a retort from MMA referee turned Bellator commentator John McCarthy. Hear what McCarthy had to say about Schaub’s claim below (via Twitter):
Bellator 238 medical suspensions: Julia Budd out 45 days
Tom Taylor - January 28, 2020
Bellator 238 was an action-packed card, with violent finishes from the likes of Cris Cyborg, Sergio Pettis and Aaron Pico. As is always the case with highlight-filled cards like this, the result is a long list of medical suspensions — particularly for the Bellator 238 losers.
Bellator 238 Salaries: Julia Budd banks 100k more than Cris Cyborg
Harry Kettle - January 28, 2020
Julia Budd received $100,000 more for her performance at Bellator 238 than the woman that beat her for the title, Cris Cyborg. The two main eventers went toe to toe for the Bellator Featherweight Championship, and after a fascinating encounter, it was Cyborg who cemented her place in the record books with an impressive fourth-round TKO.
Cris Cyborg says she's happy in Bellator after feeling like a 'slave' in the UFC
Cole Shelton - January 27, 2020
Cris Cyborg is very happy to be fighting for Bellator. Cyborg had a public falling out with the UFC after her knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at The Forum. UFC president, Dana White said Cyborg didn’t want the Nunes rematch while the Brazilian claimed she did.
PHOTO | Darrion Caldwell praises opponent Adam Borics after Bellator 238 victory
Adam D Martin - January 26, 2020
Bellator featherweight contender Darrion Caldwell praised his opponent Adam Borics following his first-round submission victory at Bellator 238. Caldwell and Borics met in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix. The oddsmakers actually favored Borics slightly to get his hand raised, but ultimately Caldwell and his vaunted grappling attack proved to be too much for the undefeated Hungarian, and Caldwell was able to get the win and move on to the next round of the featherweight tournament.
PHOTO | Cris Cyborg shows off her four MMA belts
Adam D Martin - January 26, 2020
New Bellator women’s featherweight Cris Cyborg took to social media to share a photo of herself posing with her four belts from major MMA promotions. Cyborg dominated Julia Budd en route to a fourth-round TKO win in her Bellator debut. It was an incredible performance by Cyborg, who displayed her trademark striking and punching power to go along with her underrated grappling game. Budd was game for the fight but ultimately wasn’t in the same class as Cyborg.
Pros react after Cris Cyborg TKO’s Julia Budd at Bellator 238
Natasha Hooper - January 25, 2020
Tonight in the blockbuster main event of Bellator 238, Cris Cyborg challenged the organization’s featherweight champion, Julia Budd. Cyborg announced her departure from the UFC in 2019 due to mounting tensions with Dana White. The pair became embroiled in an ongoing conflict over derogatory comments made about her by White, and contract negotiations. Shortly after her UFC contract finished, Cyborg announced a new multi-fight contract with fellow fighting company, Bellator.
Bellator 238 Results: Cris Cyborg TKO's Julia Budd (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - January 25, 2020
Former UFC and Invicta FC champion Cris Cyborg squares off with Julia Budd for the Bellator women’s featherweight title this evening in Inglewood, California. Cyborg (21-2 MMA) was last seen in action at July’s UFC 240 event, where she earned a unanimous decision victory over Felicia Spencer. Prior to the victory, Cris Cyborg was coming off a first round knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232, where she lost the promotions featherweight championship.