3/23/24: Corey Anderson Earns Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship
Also: Jason Jackson's first appearance as Bellator Welterweight Champion announced
Welcome to a Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. As is usually the case on Saturdays, today is a busy issue of the newsletter. We have results from Bellator, the announcement of two major matchups, and a preview of three events taking place today. Let’s begin!
Corey Anderson Out-Wrestles Karl Moore, Earns Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship On Third Attempt
Corey Anderson completed his long-awaited goal of becoming Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion on Friday evening, putting together a controlling performance against Karl Moore to earn the vacant title.
Anderson walked away from the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland this weekend with a unanimous decision victory. His performance headlined Bellator’s first event since being acquired by the PFL in late 2023.
The fight was one-sided through all 25 minutes of action, with Anderson just dropping one round on two scorecards. The former UFC contender utilized a wrestling-heavy gameplan to stop Moore from finding success throughout the fight.
Anderson earned takedowns in each round of the fight and was also able to keep Moore against the cage for prolonged periods of time. The control and triking that Anderson was able to attain for large amounts of the fight allowed him to run away with rounds on scorecards and have a substantial lead against Moore by the end of the fight.
Moore had moments of success when fighting at stand-up range, notably hurting Anderson early with shots. A left hand followed by a head kick rocked Anderson in the opening round, although he stopped the brief momentum from the Irish talent with a takedown just moments later.
Anderson was appearing in his third Bellator title fight. The 34-year-old, who joined the UFC more than a decade ago before moving over to Bellator in recent years, can now call himself a champion in a major MMA promotion for the first time in his career.
“Yes sir, we finally did it,” Anderson said in his post-fight interview. “Momma we made it, we didn’t quit! We got here! Frankie Edgar, Nick Catone, Ricardo Almeida, Mark Henry. Been with you guys since TUF 19. You guys believed in me before I believed in myself.”
Anderson fought then-champion Vadim Nemkov twice in 2022, although he was unable to earn the belt in either instance. Their first meeting—in the finale of an eight-man tournament—had an unsatisfying no contest ending due to a clash of heads in the third round.
They met in a rematch later that year, with Nemkov retaining through a unanimous decision result. Nemkov vacated his belt earlier this year, announcing his move up to the heavyweight division.
Anderson found himself back in the title picture after Nemkov’s decision to drop the belt. He bounced back from his previous title loss last June, beating Phil Davis in a split decision.
Moore suffered his first promotional loss on Friday night. He had previously attained four victories in Bellator, overcoming talents like Alex Polizzi and Karl Albrektsson. Since he was representing the neighbouring Republic of Ireland, Moore had an audible amount of support in the audience.
Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull Snaps Losing Streak With Brutal Stoppage Against Jeremy Kennedy
Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull picked up his first victory in years during Friday’s co-main event, suddenly putting away Jeremy Kennedy in the third round after chipping away at the contender in previous frames.
Pitbull significantly upped his striking output in the third round after getting hurt by a shot from Kennedy. A left hook seemingly dropped Pitbull early in the frame, and Kennedy continued to pressure the champ following that moment.
Pitbull responded later in the round, hurting Kennedy with a pair of right hands. A wild flurry of shots followed as Pitbull unloaded on a covered-up but still-standing Kennedy with punches, knees, and elbows. The long series of blows from Pitbull eventually dropped Kennedy, causing the referee to step in and end the fight.
The fight was a slower-paced stand-up battle in the earlier rounds. Pitbull consistently landed with leg kicks, and Kennedy was able to respond with his own shots to keep the fight close.
Pitbull gave Kennedy credit afterward: “He’s a very good opponent,” he said during his post-fight interview. “He’s very tough. He almost tagged me with that left hand.”
Heading into this weekend, Pitbull was in an unusual situation: Despite being amid a multi-year title reign, he was also heading into the show on a two-fight losing streak. The skid for Pitbull came due to an unsuccessful title shot at bantamweight against Sergio Pettis and a short-notice non-championship bout against RIZIN standout Chihiro Suzuki last year.
The Bellator veteran started his third featherweight championship run in 2022, avenging a loss to AJ McKee Jr. with a unanimous decision outcome. He defended his title once later that year, overcoming Adam Borics.
Pitbull extended his Bellator record for most title fight wins in promotional history, marking his 13th championship bout victory since he made his debut for the brand in 2010.
Kennedy, a former UFC and PFL talent, was given a title shot after stringing together a trio of victories in Bellator. His series of wins included performances over former title challengers Emmanuel Sanchez and Pedro Carvalho. Friday was the first five-round fight in a major promotion for Kennedy since his 2013 debut.
Earlier on the card, Fabian Edwards out-landed Aaron Jeffery to earn a unanimous decision victory in a fight that was billed as a title eliminator for middleweight champion Johnny Eblen.
Here are the quick results from Bellator’s return:
Main Card (1:00PM EDT / 7:00PM GMT) (Max)
Bout 11: Corey Anderson def. Karl Moore via Decision, Unanimous (Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 10: Patricio Pitbull def. Jeremy Kennedy via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:07) (Bellator Featherweight Championship)
Bout 9: Fabian Edwards def. Aaron Jeffery via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Leandro Higo def. James Gallagher via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Manoel Sousa def. Tim Wilde via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:48)
Preliminary Card (Max)
Bout 6: Ciaran Clarke def. Darius Mafi via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 3, 0:41)
Bout 5: Alfie Davis def. Oscar Ownsworth via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Luke Trainer def. Grant Neal via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Nathan Kelly def. Vikas Singh Ruhil via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:40)
Bout 2: Abraham Bably def. Isaiah Pinson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Nate Kelly def. Jordan Elliott via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 1:48) (Amateur)
Jason Jackson To Defend Bellator Title For First Time Against Ramazan Kuramagomedov In Dublin
Jason Jackson will put his Bellator Welterweight Championship on the line for the first time when he heads to Dublin, Ireland later this year.
Jackson will meet undefeated Russian talent Ramazan Kuramagomedov in a title fight from the 3Arena Dublin on June 22nd, per an announcement made by the promotion Friday.
Jackson handed previous titleholder Yaroslav Amosov his first pro loss last year, stopping him in the third round with strikes to end his title reign. Jackson had put together an impressive run in the promotion before then, overcoming Paul Daley and Neiman Gracie as part of a six-fight winning streak.
The 33-year-old champion competed in a non-title fight earlier this year, scoring a finish against PFL’s Ray Cooper III in a promotion-versus-promotion event.
Kuramagomedov will enter the upcoming title bout with an undefeated record of 12 wins. He entered the Bellator roster last year, coming in after previously fighting in CFFC, Eagle FC, PFL, and making a 2019 appearance on “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
The Russian contender won his Bellator debut against Jaleel Willis, stopping him in just 84 seconds with strikes. He returned just a few months later to overcome Randall Wallace, catching him in the second round with a rear naked choke.
The upcoming fight will be Kuramagomedov’s first-ever five-round fight since debuting in 2014.
He has a chance to stun in just his third Bellator appearance, potentially ending the lengthy run of Jackson and becoming the 10th-ever undisputed welterweight champion in the promotion’s history.
Stamp Fairtex vs. Denice Zamboanga Re-Booked For ONE 167
Stamp Fairtex’s first appearance as ONE Championship’s 115-pound division champion is back on the schedule.
A fight between Stamp and Denice Zamboanga has been re-booked for ONE 167 on June 7th, as announced by the promotion this week. The event will take place during prime-time hours in the U.S. from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Stamp and Zamboanga were initially booked to face off at a ONE Championship card earlier this month. However, the fight was delayed, with the South China Morning Post reporting that plans for the fighters to be featured in a reality show were the reason for the fight’s postponement.
Stamp picked up a title in ONE Championship’s 115-pound weight class last September, earning a third-round stoppage against former RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ham Seo Hee. She was given a title shot after previously overcoming Jihin Radzuan and Alyse Anderson.
Stamp had previously challenged for the title in 2022, losing in that instance to incumbent champ Angela Lee.
Zamboanga is being given a title opportunity after putting together two wins as of late. The seven-fight ONE Championship vet is riding the momentum of performances over Lin Heqin and Julie Mezabarba.
Also announced for ONE 167 was a 155-pound Muay Thai title bout between Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym and Jo Nattawut.
Tawanchai has held a Muay Thai belt in ONE since September 2022, when he dethroned Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy. He has defended the title twice, beating Jamal Yusupov and Superbon Singha Mawynn.
Tawanchai beat Nattawut under kickboxing rules last year, winning on scorecards after three rounds.
Previews
Rose Namajunas Searches For First Flyweight Win In UFC ‘Fight Night’ Main Event
Rose Namajunas will attempt to snap a losing streak and pick up her first victory at flyweight when she meets Amanda Ribas in the main event of Saturday’s UFC “Fight Night” card. The 125-pound division talents, who are both aiming to return to a contender position in a division, will headline a card from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Namajunas moved up to flyweight after her second reign as UFC Strawweight Champion was cut short by Carla Esparza in 2022. The debut in a new weight class didn’t go her way, as she lost her first flyweight fight last year to rising talent Manon Fiorot.
Instead of facing a name with a lot of momentum—the case when she fought Fiorot last year—Namajunas will return this weekend against a name who is in somewhat of a similar situation as her.
Ribas has struggled to find her footing in recent years, flipping between wins and losses and not sticking to a singular weight class. While she is coming off a victory over Luana Pinheiro at strawweight last year, Ribas is now returning to a division where she has lost two fights and won in a singular appearance. A win on Saturday would put Ribas on a two-fight winning streak for the first time since the start of her run with the promotion from 2019 to 2020.
The main event certainly has two different stories: Namajunas is looking for success after coming down from the top accomplishment you can have in an MMA career, and Ribas has been searching for stability ever since her winning streak in the promotion was put to an end. But for both fighters, Saturday’s main event is an opportunity to break their current unsuccessful recent history and start a new run towards the top.
A total of 13 bouts will take place Saturday, making it a relatively busy day in the UFC APEX studio. While there are not any massive matchups lower on the card, there are certainly some notable appearances. Veteran names like Kurt Holobaugh, Julian Erosa, and Cody Gibson are all expected to appear on the prelims. Youssef Zalal will return to the UFC, taking a short-notice assignment against Billy Quarantillo. And a pair of prospects will meet at bantamweight when Payton Talbott and Cameron Saaiman face off.
Here’s the whole lineup:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 13: Amanda Ribas (12-4) vs. Rose Namajunas (11-6) (Flyweight)
Bout 12: Karl Williams (9-1) vs. Justin Tafa (7-3) (Heavyweight)
Bout 11: Edmen Shahbazyan (12-4) vs. AJ Dobson (7-2) (Middleweight)
Bout 10: Payton Talbott (7-0) vs. Cameron Saaiman (9-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 9: Billy Quarantillo (18-5) vs. Youssef Zalal (13-5-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 8: Luis Pajuelo (8-1) vs. Fernando Padilla (15-5) (Featherweight)
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT / 4:00PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 7: Trey Ogden (16-6) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (20-7) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Ricardo Ramos (16-5) vs. Julian Erosa (28-11) (Featherweight)
Bout 5: Miles Johns (13-2) vs. Cody Gibson (19-9) (Bantamweight)
Bout 4: Steven Nguyen (9-1) vs. Jarno Errens (13-5-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Montserrat Rendon (6-0) vs. Dariya Zheleznyakova (8-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Igor Severino (8-0) vs. Andre Lima (7-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Mohammed Usman (10-2) vs. Mick Parkin (8-0) (Heavyweight)
LFA Welterweight Champion Geraldo Neto Returns In Brazil
Geraldo Neto will look to defend his LFA Welterweight Championship for the first time on Saturday evening when he faces Vanilto Antunes. Their five-round title fight will headline LFA 179, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The show will begin in the late afternoon and end in the evening, likely concluding before the UFC card kicks off.
Neto captured LFA’s welterweight title last September, going five rounds against Magnus Conrado for a unanimous decision win. This victory added to a streak of wins that previously only consisted of finishes. Since 2021, Neto has stopped five different fighters, including another LFA appearance in 2023.
Antunes will try to end that run and pick up LFA gold when he competes on Saturday night. The 29-year-old prospect is entering this weekend with experience of over 20 appearances since his 2014 pro debut. Antunes is coming off a pair of finishes from 2022, including a victory over UFC alum Wendell Oliveira.
LFA will present a strong lineup of Brazilian prospects on Saturday’s undercard. Undefeated Michael Oliveira will search for his seventh pro win when he faces Dallys Gama at welterweight. Former title challenger Jose Delano will look to earn his fifth LFA win in the co-main event when he takes on Argentina’s Alan Villalba, who enters this weekend on a five-fight run of wins.
A bantamweight fight between Nicoly Pedroza and Tayna Lamounier was removed from the card Friday after both fighters missed weight for the fight, per an announcement by the promotion.
Here’s the full bout order:
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 5:00PM BRT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Geraldo Neto (18-6) vs. Vanilto Antunes (15-6) (LFA Welterweight Championship)
Bout 9: Jose Delano (13-3) vs. Alan Villalba (17-6) (Featherweight)
Bout 8: Felipe Oliveira (9-3) vs. Caio Machado (17-8) (Featherweight)
Bout 7: Michael Oliveira (6-0) vs. Dallys Gama (7-3) (Welterweight)
Bout 6: Erick Viscondi (13-2) vs. Joao Pedro Saldanha (10-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Augusto Matias (9-2) vs. Richard Martins (7-1) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card (1:00PM EDT / 2:00PM BRT) (LFA Youtube)
Bout 4: Mateus Soares (6-1) vs. Alexandre Junior (5-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Luiz Felipe Herculano (6-0) vs. Werick Douglas (5-2) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Carlos Sena (4-1) vs. Lucas Camacho (5-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 1: Joao Moraes (1-0) vs. Esterferson da Silva (0-0) (Lightweight)
Christian Jungwirth Looks To Snap Losing Streak At OKTAGON’s Stuttgart, Germany Debut
Germany’s Christian Jungwirth will have the chance to get back into the win column when he competes at OKTAGON 55 in Stuttgart, Germany this weekend.
The Czech Republic-based promotion will make their debut in the city when they head to the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle on Saturday. Jungwrith, a 12-fight vet for OKTAGON, will be trying to avoid suffering his third straight loss in the promotion. He dropped a pair of bouts last year, losing a decision to Bojan Velickovic and getting submitted by John Palaiologos.
Jungwirth will meet Robert Pukac, another experienced OKTAGON fighter who has recently been struggling in the promotion. Pukac has lost five of his last six fights, including a pair of defeats from last year. He’ll be trying to avenge a loss this weekend, as he previously was stopped by Jungwirth in March 2022.
Many German OKTAGON talents will compete as part of Saturday’s lineup. Alexander Poppeck will look to bounce back from a failed title shot when he faces Jeremy Kimball in the co-main event. Poppeck had a four-fight winning streak before his championship loss to Pavol Langer last year. Lower on the card, undefeated four-fight heavyweight Sebastian Herzberg will make his promotional debut against Ruben Wolf.
Here’s how the full lineup looks:
Main Card (1:00PM EDT / 6:00PM CET) (OKTAGON PPV)
Bout 12: Christian Jungwirth (14-8) vs. Robert Pukac (16-12-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 11: Alexander Poppeck (16-5) vs. Jeremy Kimball (19-10) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 10: Mate Kertesz (14-7) vs. Niklas Stolze (13-6) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Jamie Cordero (4-2) Vs. Dominic Schober (13-11) (Middleweight)
Bout 8: Ruben Wolf (12-12) vs. Sebastian Herzberg (4-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 7: Karol Rysavy (13-6) vs. Arijan Topallaj (6-0-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Jakub Bakhnik (9-4) vs. Wahid Najand (7-2) (Catchweight 163 lbs)
Bout 5: Jorick Montagnac (5-2) vs. Sebastian Heil (7-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Michael Deiga-Scheck (10-5) vs. Nikolaos Serbezis (8-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Lucia Szabova (6-0) vs. Roza Gumienna (5-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Ion Taburceanu (6-2) vs. Nenad Avramovic (12-9) (Catchweight 192 lbs)
Bout 1: Jacinta Austin (5-2) vs. Karolina Wojcik (11-4) (Strawweight)