Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information
and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and
portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into
the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories
behind those numbers.
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TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR FIGHTS: 3,195
TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR EVENTS: 288
Bellator
MMA staged back-to-back weekend events for the first time in
months when it put on
Bellator 286 in California on Saturday. The Long Beach Arena
played host to a baker’s dozen matchups, bringing with it a main
card that did not live up to expectations. The event featured a
record of championship victories that will not likely be matched, a
ruthless Russian “Murdalizer” and a pair of painful injuries.
Call the Paramedics: Two different fights throughout the night
ended by injury, when
Aaron Pico
injured his shoulder and
Richard
Palencia snapped his leg. Bellator 286 is the third event in
company history to see multiple bouts end by injury stoppage,
joining Bellator 219 and 233.
Slow and Steady Won the Race:
Patricio
Freire staved off challenger
Adam Borics
to successfully notch his first defend on his third reign as champ.
He is the only fighter in Bellator history to defend his throne on
three separate championship runs.
The Pitbull Book: “Pitbull” further put space between the pack by
remaining the winningest fighter in organizational history. His 22
wins in the Bellator cage sit in the pole position.
He Wants a Bantamweight Run Too: The appearance was Freire’s 27th
since joining the roster in 2010. The Brazilian champ has competed
three more times than the next most active fighter of
Saad Awad.
The Champiest Champ: Freire has now recorded 12 wins in Bellator
championship bouts. This tally is double that of the No. 2 fighter
on the list:
Michael
Chandler.
Cardio is No Object: Six times in his Bellator run, Freire has
needed all five rounds to earn the win. He holds the most 25-minute
victories in promotional history.
Good Luck at 155: Moving up in weight,
A.J. McKee
outlasted
Spike
Carlyle to win a decision. “The Mercenary” added his 19th win
to his ledger, moving him into sole possession of the second spot
for the most wins with Bellator.
Gibson Risked Serious Damage:
Aaron Pico
is the third Bellator fighter to succumb to a shoulder injury
during his encounter with
Jeremy
Kennedy. The first took place in 2012, when
Kenny Moss
hurt his shoulder against
Raul Amaya.
In February, this occurred again, when
Aboubakar
Tounkara’s shoulder damage caused him to lose the fight.
You Can Bet That’s Getting Run Back: As a +550 betting underdog,
Kennedy sprang the upset when the -800 Pico could not continue at
the end of Round 1. Only
Blake
Perry’s submission at +600 against
Makoa
Cooper (-900) at Bellator 278 in April was more substantial
this year.
That’s a Doctor Stoppage! Tell Them! In his 14th fight with
Bellator, Pico has still only gone the distance one time. His
stoppage defeat officially in Round 1, eight of his career outings
have concluded in the opening frame.
Barzzzzzzzzzzzzzz: It took
Juan
Archuleta all three rounds to overcome
Enrique
Barzola on the scorecards. Barzola has now reached the third
round in each of his last 14 outings.
We Can’t Digg Postlims: The lone postlim saw
Keoni Diggs
outwork
Ricardo
Seixas to capture a decision verdict. The 15-minute affair
marked only the second time that “Sasquatch” Seixas has ever fought
beyond Round 2 in 13 pro appearances.
Jumpin’ Jay-Jay: By split decision,
Jay-Jay
Wilson beat
Vladimir
Tokov on the prelims. “The Maori Kid” saw his finish rate fall
to 78% by prevailing over the Russian.
The Murdalizer Keeps Murdalizing:
Khalid
Murtazaliev pounded out
Khadzhimurat
Bestaev in Round 2 to record his second Bellator victory. The
Dagestan-based Murtazaliev has notched 87% of his wins inside the
distance, with every one due to strikes.
Only Beaten One Opponent with a Winning Record:
Sumiko
Inaba remained undefeated as a pro at 5-0 by topping
Nadine
Mandiau on the scorecards. The Hawaiian nicknamed “Lady
Samurai” had never before gone the distance, with her past four
wins coming by stoppage.
Should Have Been Unanimous: In a surprising split decision,
Weber
Almeida won against
Ryan
Lilley. “The Silverback” had never needed the judges to record
a victory, with knockouts accounting for all of his previous
triumphs.
Slow Rolling: The spotless record of
Lance Gibson
Jr. improved to 7-0 when he tapped the overweight
Dominic
Clark in 109 seconds. “Fearless” Gibson Jr. has earned four of
his seven wins in the first round.
Never Say Never Again: Coming into Bellator 286, Borics (19 fights)
and Seixas (12 fights) had never lost on the scorecards, Barzola
had never dropped consecutive bouts (26 fights) and Palencia had
never been defeated (10 fights).