Tag Archives: James Gallagher

Leandro Higo to Fight Defending Bellator Bantamweight Champion Patchy Mix

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Leandro Higo is officially in the mix…

The 35-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will fight Patchy Mix in the main event of the Bellator Champions Series: Paris at the Adidas Arena when Bellator returns to Paris on November 16.

Leandro Higo,Mix is return to action to defend his Bellator bantamweight championship against Higo.

Mix (20-1) is looking to bounce back after an underwhelming split decision win over Magomed Magomedov in May.

This will be Mix’s second defense of the title that he unified when he defeated Sergio Pettis by submission in November 2023.

Mix, ESPN’s No. 7-ranked bantamweight, is riding an eight-fight winning streak.

Higo hopes to cash in on his second opportunity to capture 135-pound gold after back-to-back wins over Nikita Mikhailov and James Gallagher.

The latter he faced on short notice in a featherweight bout.

He fell short in his first attempt back in 2018 when he was submitted by Darrion Caldwell.

The co-main event features the undefeated Baissangour “Basi” Chamsoudinov (8-0) returning to home soil for a fight with Sweden’s Oliver Enkamp (11-4). This will be Chamsoudinov’s first fight since he defeated Cedric Doumbé in highly controversial fashion. The fight was stopped when Doumbe had a piece of glass embedded in his left foot and Chamsoudinov was awarded a TKO.

Ricky Bandejas to Fight Ray Borg in Eagle FC 46 Next Month

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Ricky Bandejas is readying for a fight…

The 30-year-old Latino mixed martial artist will be among the fighters set to take part in Eagle FC‘s return to the United States.

Ricky Bandejas Bandejas will fight against former UFC title challenger Ray Borg in a bantamweight bout and Rizvan Kuniev will defend his heavyweight title against UFC veteran Anthony Hamilton at Eagle FC 46 on March 11 in Miami, according to promoter Khabib Nurmagomedov.

This will be the first time Kuniev will defend the Eagle title on United States soil.

Bandejas (15-6) has won two of his last three fights with Combate Global. The New Jersey native beat Conor McGregor protégé James Gallagher under the Bellator banner in 2018.

Borg (15-5), known as The Tazmexican Devil, has won two straight after departing the UFC. Most recently, the Mexico native defeated Cody Gibson via unanimous decision last month at Eagle FC 44.

Borg, still just 28 years old, challenged Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title at UFC 216 in October 2017. He struggled with personal issues, including a brain illness affecting his infant son Anthony, and weight-cutting difficulties in the UFC before being released in 2020.

Sergio Pettis Defeats Ricky Bandejas in Bellator MMA’s Return After Five Months

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Sergio Pettis is proving to be a contender…

The 26-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American mixed martial artist, the  younger brother of former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, defeated Ricky Bandejas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) this weekend in the bantamweight main event of Bellator 242.

Sergio Pettis

Bellator, the second-most prominent MMA promotion in the U.S. after the UFC, hadn’t held an event since February 22 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The card took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, overseen by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation. 

COVID-19 protocols were implemented, including multiple coronavirus tests and the keeping of fighters, corners and staff within a kind of bubble at the Mohegan Sun resort and casino.

The original Bellator 242 main event was supposed to be a bout for the bantamweight title between Juan Archuleta and Patrick Mix, but Archuleta withdrew. The expectation is that bout will be rebooked for the belt.

During his fight, Pettis put himself in the No. 1 contender conversation. He had an economical performance against Bandejas, outstriking the taller man and piling on the calf kicks through the first two rounds. At one point, Bandejas seemed to lose his footing due to the damage caused by those repeated kicks to the lower part of his left leg.

In the third round, both men opened up. Pettis wasn’t content to cruise to a decision and put forth several flashy techniques, clearly looking for a knockout. Pettis threw spinning kicks, and Bandejas came back with some of his own, including a wheel kick to the head that was just barely blocked by Pettis. Pettis threw another spinning kick with seconds remaining that narrowly missed as well.

Pettis (20-5) has won three straight, including his first two in Bellator. The Milwaukee native left the UFC as a free agent last year with a 9-5 record in the organization, going back and forth between flyweight and bantamweight. Pettis owns a victory over Joseph Benavidez, who just fought for the UFC flyweight title last weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Bandejas (13-4) had a two-fight winning streak snapped. The New Jersey native propelled himself up the Bellator bantamweight ladder in 2018 when he stunningly knocked out Conor McGregor protégé James Gallagher. Bandejas, 28, trains out of the vaunted American Top Team in Florida.