PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty ImagesBellator 263: "Pitbull vs McKee" is set to air TONIGHT (Sat., July 31, 2021) from The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif., broadcasting via Showtime. Headlining the event "
Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
Bellator 263: "Pitbull vs McKee" is set to air TONIGHT (Sat., July 31, 2021) from The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif., broadcasting via Showtime. Headlining the event will a Featherweight title fight between division kingpin, Patricio Friere and A.J. McKee. The bout will also mark the conclusion of the promotion's $1 million Featherweight Grand Prix, which began in mid-2019 and was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bellator 263's main card will air on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET. MMAmania.com will deliver results for the full card and comprehensive play-by-play for the televised portion of Bellator 263 below.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 263) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it's always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 263 QUICK RESULTS
145 lbs.: Featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull vs A.J. McKee (Featherweight World Grand Prix Final) - McKee via first round submission (HIGHLIGHTS) 145 lbs.: Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Mads Burnell - Burnell via unanimous decision 155 lbs.: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Manny Muro - Nurmagomedov via first round TKO (HIGHLIGHTS) 155 lbs.: Brent Primus vs. Islam Mamedov - Mamedov via split decision 155 lbs.: Goiti Yamauchi vs. Chris Gonzalez - Yamauchi via first round TKO 125 lbs.: Vanessa Porto vs. Ilara Joanne - Porto via split decision 155 lbs.: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Daniel Carey - Rabadanov via first round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS) 145 lbs.: Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Jonathan Quiroz - Magomedsharipov via second round TKO (HIGHLIGHTS) 180 lbs.: Joshua Jones vs. Johnny Cisneros - Jones via second round TKO 155 lbs.: Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Kiefer Crosbie - Karakhanyan, first round submission 135 lbs.: Brian Moore vs. Jordan Winksi - Moore via unanimous decision
BELLATOR 263 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Patricio Pitbull vs A.J. McKee - Featherweight World Grand Prix Final
Round 1: McKee with an inside leg kick. "Pitbull" lands a hard low kick. Both men are tentative to start. A lot of circling, feeling out. McKee lands a hard right kick that stuns "Pitbull." He's hurt! McKee goes in for the kill and "Pitbull" looks like he's out. McKee celebrates the win but the fight is not over. McKee goes in and latches on a guillotine. It's tight, "Pitbull" is out! Now it is over and McKee pulls off the upset! Wow!
Final Result: Mckee via first round submission
Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Mads Burnell
Round 1: High kick from Sanchez. Burnell goes in for the single leg, no-go. Nice low kick from Burnell. Body shot from Sanchez, then up top. Body shot from Burnell and Sanchez fires right back. No one is backing down in this slugfest. Sanchez with a nice liver shot but Burnell eats it right up. Low kick from Burnell and Sanchez fires right back. These two are exchanging shots until Burnell goes in and lands the takedown. Burnell lands a nice one-two punch combination on the break. Both of these men are letting it all fly. What a great first round. Sanchez is bleeding from his left eye. Nice uppercut from Sanchez finds its spot and Burnell goes in for another takedown and he gets it. Great first round. 10-9 Sanchez
Round 2: Burnell goes in and lands another hard takedown, Burnell's wrestling is on point tonight. He has Sanchez up against the cage. Sanchez separates and starts to let his fists fly. This is an absolute dog fight. Sanchez goes in for a lazy takedown. Spinning kick from Sanchez and Burnell ducks right under it. Both men look exhausted. Nice shot to the body from Burnell and he goes in and lands another takedown. Burnell in half guard. Sanchez trying to throw shots from the bottom position. Burnell in control in top position. Sanchez trying to grab a hold of Burnell's wrists. 10-9 Burnell.
Round 3: Burnell goes in for another takedown early and he secures it. Sanchez gets up but Burnell takes him down one more time. Burnell takes his back and is looking for a rear-naked choke. Sanchez defends well but Burnell isn't let the position go. Sanchez rolls out of it and he is now in side control. Sanchez needs to do something here because he could very well be down on the judges' scorecards. Burnell trying to land another takedown and he gets it with two minutes remaining. Sanchez staying busy, though, looking for submissions. He simply doesn't stop moving. Burnell now in side control with one minute remaining. Sanchez with an elbow from the bottom. Sanchez looks for advice from his corner. Both men trying to score some points as the fight comes to an end. Will be a tough one to call. 10-9 Burnell.
Final result: Burnell def. Sanchez via unanimous decision
Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Manny Muro
Round 1: Nurmagomedov with a high kick and then another, follows it with a straight right hand. Another high kick. Nurmagomedov takes him down with the quickness and he now has his back. Muro in trouble here. Nurmagomedov looking for the rear-naked choke. Muro eating shots from the side. He scrambles but Usman is too quick and takes him down again. Muro is back up but Nurmagomedov simply takes him down again. Muro's eye is starting to swell. He reverses position and he gets back up. Nurmagomedov tags him with a vicious knee to the body and drops Muro. Nurmagomedov goes in for the kill an earns the first round stoppage win.
Final result: Nurmagomedov def. Muro via first round TKO
Brent Primus vs. Islam Mamedov
Round 1: Inside leg kick from Mamedov. Primus with a one-two combination. Kick to the body from Mamedov, Primus returns the favor. Big right hand from Mamedov finds its spot. Double jab from Primus. Primus pushes Mamedov to the cage and unloads a right and a left hand. Mamedov reverses position and pushes the former champion against the cage. Reverse from Primus. Mamedov reverses position and lands a takedown. Primus looking for an ankle and now Mamedov is in full guard. Primus looking for an omoplata. Mamedov once again in guard. Primus holding him close to his body. Mamedov separates and tries to unload some ground-and-pound. 10-9 Mamedov
Round 2: Mamedov with a jumping knee to start the round. Primus grabs a hold of him and pushes him up to the cage before being taken down. Primus gets right back up almost instantly. Jockeying for position against the cage. Nice elbow from Primus lands. Mamedov scores a nice judo throw and is in side control. Primus looking for the submission but Mamedov defends well. Though on the bottom, Primus is staying very busy in search of a submission forcing Mamedov to defend. 10-9 Primus
Round 3: Mamedov sweeps Primus early in the round and he jumps into half guard. Once again Primus defends and goes on the offensive from the bottom. Close fight going into the last round. Nice short elbow from the bottom position from Primus. A lot of the same as the first two rounds, Mamedov is in top position but isn't doing much with it. Primus has a tight hold on Mamedov's arm and he is torqueing it, he is really bending it but he refuses to tap. Wow, that looked painful. Primus lets go and Mamedov is once again in guard. This is going to be a tough fight to score. 10-9 Mamedov
Final result: Mamedov def. Primus via split decision
Goiti Yamauchi vs. Chris Gonzalez
Round 1: Gonzalez opens up with a high kick. Blitzes in with a left hand that grazes Yamauchi, who counters with a high kick. Hard kick to the body from Yamauchi and another. Low kick from Gonzalez. Inside leg kick form Yamauchi and a jumping knee. Kick to the body lands for Gonzalez. Uppercut lands for Gonzales who fires right back. Intense first round. They exchange knees in the clinch. Counter right hook from Gonzalez. Yamauchi lands a three punch combination and then a right uppercut. Yamauchi lands a straight right hand that floors Gonzalez! He pounces and starts landing bombs to put an end to the fight. Wow.
Final result: Yamauchi def. Gonzalez via first round TKO
To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCSean Strickland delivered the goods last night (Sat., July 31, 2021) at UFC Vegas 33 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the middleweight contender put a beating on Uriah Hall to win his first mai"
Sean Strickland delivered the goods last night (Sat., July 31, 2021) at UFC Vegas 33 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the middleweight contender put a beating on Uriah Hall to win his first main event bid (highlights HERE).
In addition to the middleweight headliner, a slew of main card and "Prelims" fights produced memorable action. Check them out below and let us know which one stood out the most.
Women's strawweight prospect Cheyanne Buys scored a one-minute TKO win over Gloria de Paula (see it HERE)
Jason Witt outlasted welterweight counterpart Bryan Barberena in a wild main card opener that produced one of the best third rounds of all time
Welterweight power puncher Jared Gooden looked vicious in his first-round knockout finish over German prospect Niklas Stolze
Former kickboxer Melsik Baghdasaryan impressed in his Octagon debut with a second-round head kick TKO stoppage over Collin Anglin (watch HERE)
Philip Rowe turned things around in his second UFC appearance with an impressive TKO stoppage over previously undefeated prospect Orion Cosce to spark the "Prelims"
In order to sift through the action and see which fighters took home an extra $50,000, we take a closer look at the official UFC Vegas 33 bonus winners below:
Fight of the Night: Jason Witt vs. Bryan Barberena
Performance of the Night: Cheyanne Buys
Performance of the Night: Melsik Baghdasaryan
For complete UFC Vegas 33 results and coverage click here.
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Bellator MMABellator MMA has a new Featherweight champion and star in A.J. McKee, who stunned the combat world by submitting the now-former champ-champ, Patricio Freire, in the very first round at Bellator 263 to win the Grand Prix, as well as the divisio"
Bellator MMA has a new Featherweight champion and star in A.J. McKee, who stunned the combat world by submitting the now-former champ-champ, Patricio Freire, in the very first round at Bellator 263 to win the Grand Prix, as well as the division title.
Both men got off to a tentative start, going through a feeling out process. "Mercenary" eventually landed a flush high kick that stunned and dropped "Pitbull," and then proceeded to follow up with some huge shots.
McKee, however, celebrated a bit too early, pulling away and raising his hands in victory instead of going in for the finish. Upon realizing the referee hadn't called an end to the fight. McKee went right back to work and sunk in an air-tight guillotine choke.
"Pitbull" tried his best to hang on before he went out on his feet. This time the stoppage was called and a new champion was crowned. After a few seconds, "Pitbull's" team seemed to be protesting the stoppage, but it fell on deaf ears because the former champ was clearly out.
Check out McKee's finish above along with other main event highlights below:
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Bellator MMAThe Nurmagomedov family just keeps on winning. Usman Nurmagomedov scored his second straight win inside the Bellator cage by running right over Manny Muro in the very first round at Bellator 263 in Los Angeles, Calif. From the jump, it was cl"
The Nurmagomedov family just keeps on winning. Usman Nurmagomedov scored his second straight win inside the Bellator cage by running right over Manny Muro in the very first round at Bellator 263 in Los Angeles, Calif.
From the jump, it was clear that Muro was outmatched because Nurmagomedov was just too quick and too smooth with his wrestling transitions. If that weren't enough, his kicking game was on point, blasting Muro with one high kick after another.
Towards the end of the round, Nurmagomedov clipped Muro with a nasty knee to the liver that dropped him to the canvas. From there, he pounced on his wounded foe and delivered some relentless ground-and-pound to put an end to the fight. The 23-year old improves to 13-0, 2-0 under the Bellator umbrella.
And coach Khabib Nurmagomedov picks up yet another win, as well.
For complete Bellator 263 play-by-play updates and results click here.
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCSean Strickland and Uriah Hall go to war tonight (Sat., July 31, 2021) in a main event Middleweight clash from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, at UFC Vegas 33. Both men enter this bout in similar positions, riding four-"
Sean Strickland and Uriah Hall go to war tonight (Sat., July 31, 2021) in a main event Middleweight clash from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, at UFC Vegas 33. Both men enter this bout in similar positions, riding four-fight win streaks and hoping to earn a Top Five-ranked foe next. Hall has finished three of his last four wins across the last couple years, whereas Strickland has quickly won three in a row at Middleweight since returning from a motorcycle accident. Though both men are strikers, it remains a clash between calm explosion and constant aggression.
Though not a title eliminator, one man will take another step closer to Middleweight gold. Strap in for tonight's main event and follow along below for live updates and highlight clips:
Round One
Strickland sticks the jab early, and he's pressuring hard right away. Strickland missing narrowly with his wide right hand, but the jab is scoring. Hall jabs back to the body, but he's falling behind majorly on the volume just 90 seconds into the bout. Strickland is absolutely marching his foe down, and those right hands are starting to land. Hall finds a calf kicks, but Strickland gives him no space. Hard counter right from "Primetime." Hall starting to answer more often, but Strickland is still the more active man. Big right scores from Hall in the final 15 seconds of the round.
Hard exchange of jabs begins round two as Hall takes the center. Strickland swings big with a four-piece combination, and Hall appears stunned. Strickland swarms, but Hall covers up against the cage and defends a takedown. Hall fights off the fence and eats a check hook. Hall advances forward, lands a low kick. Double jab connects for Hall. Both men are jabbing actively until a Strickland low blow stalls the action. Hall rips a calf kick. Strickland answers with a couple solid kicks in the final seconds of the round, and he avoids a spin from Hall. Close round!
Round Three
Hall aggressive to start the third, scores with his low kicks. Body jabs from Hall. Strickland scores with some nice straight shots. Strickland lands a hard right hand and a takedown! It looks like Hall is hurt bad, and Strickland swarms with a bunch of ground strikes. Hall stays tough and works up to his feet. Strickland drags him back down but cannot keep him there. A third takedown lands for Strickland, this one in the center of the Octagon. Strickland working from half guard, looking for submissions and occasionally landing an elbow. Hall gives up his back, but he avoids the choke to survive the round.
Hall still looks a bit hurt, but he's swinging hard to start the championship rounds. Hard low kick lands for Hall. Strickland checks a kick, lands a jab. Strickland lands a hard series of jabs. Hall attacks the mid-section. Strickland keeps his jab flowing as Hall refuses to listen to his coach, who is begging for longer combinations. Strickland finds the 1-2, absorbs a pair of body shots. Stiff jab from Hall. Another. A Strickland right hand wobbles Hall, and he uses it to score the double leg takedown. Hall works up to his feet at the cost of knees. Strickland lands on the break, and Hall is cut. Still, he survives the round, even landing near the bell.
Hall comes out hard, and he lands some good shots. Strickland stays evasive, finds a few lead hand shots on the counter. Big exchange of right hands. Strickland clinches briefly, and that seems to really drain the energy from Hall, whose punches immediately look more labored. These two are EXCHANGING in the phonebooth range! Strickland jams his foe into the clinch after a series of flicking straight punches. Strickland lands a big right as Hall tries to escape of the fence. Strickland is really mugging Hall along the fence with his dirty boxing, but Hall frees himself with 40 seconds remaining. His time in the center does not last long, however, as Strickland just keeps pressuring him to the final bell.
Result: Sean Strickland defeats Uriah Hall via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 49-46) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE!
For complete UFC Vegas 33: "Hall vs. Strickland" results and play-by-play, click HERE!
PunchDrunkGamer posted: "One of Khabib Nurmagomedov's rising pupils, Gadzhi Rabadanov, made his Bellator MMA debut earlier tonight at Bellator 263 against Daniel Carey in Los Angeles, Calif., and it couldn't have gone better for him, scoring a vicious first round knockout w"
One of Khabib Nurmagomedov's rising pupils, Gadzhi Rabadanov, made his Bellator MMA debut earlier tonight at Bellator 263 against Daniel Carey in Los Angeles, Calif., and it couldn't have gone better for him, scoring a vicious first round knockout win.
Unfortunately, the knockout shot and follow up blows took their toll on Carey, who remained on the canvas unconscious. The medical staff were quick to come to Carey's aid, who brought in a stretcher for precautionary measures. And they had an extra hand to assist them.
Khabib showed his true sportsmanship by being one of the first people to come over to help the medical staff tend to Carey, who was put in a neck brace. Khabib helped the fallen fighter and put him on the stretcher while embracing his corner, as well.
No word yet on the current condition of Carey.
For complete Bellator 263 play-by-play updates and results click here.
