Category: Uncategorized

You Can Feel The Momentum

It’s hard to quantify the emotional feeling of momentum. You can gain it or lose it for various reasons that are hard to explain. Does a player suddenly go on a streak because they learned something during batting practice? Or was it a steak made just the way they like it the night of a game that put them in the right mood and gave them just a bit of a better eye for the ball at the plate?

You can’t put into factual numbers how momentum works or is in play on an emotional level (now watch someone reply with a stat that is actually able to put this in numbers, cause, you know, baseball). But, what we do know is that momentum exists and is real.

I can’t put myself in the shoes of the Toronto Blue Jays and tell you what level of momentum they have. But, I can say this: They have a lot.

The Toronto Blue Jays are currently on what feels like an unreal run. The team is on an eight-game winning streak that has put them at an impressive 30-20. To think that before this run, they were just hardly staying afloat above .500. They’re still five games off the strong New York Yankees, but we’re too early in the year to even be discussing that.

As I wrote before – it was almost hard to believe – but the Jays had a batting issue. The starting rotation had done its job, and it was the team’s performances at the play that let them down somewhat. There are no real notes for the Jays rotation currently (except one thing that we’ll get to in a moment), and the focus remained on how the batting would improve.

The batting woes have begun to change, and some of the more unlikely names have emerged in headlines because of it. Notably, interchangeable catchers Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk have had breakout performances as of late and impressed critics.

Jansen has shown unusual improvement at the plate compared to previous years as a pro. It’s progress that has people wondering when things will change. “The big question is whether Jansen can maintain this pace, or anything remotely close to it,” said The Star’s Gregor Chisholm.

Kirk has proven to be a big bat that has also impressed. He notably hit two home runs in one game against the Chicago White Sox, making him a fundamental part of their 5-6 win Tuesday. Similar to Jansen, the question going forward will be what level of recent success can be actually maintained, and what amount is just a brief jolt in the arm that we’re seeing.

Eight in a row is glamorous on paper, but the wins haven’t always been easy. Some have been ugly, and many have been comebacks. So many of them have been close. Since the start of this run, five games have been won with a one-run differential between the two teams. My goodness. The close wins have become a reputation for the team.

That reflects their ability to perform in the clutch, but it’s also a sobering reminder that this team isn’t getting ahead as often as most successful teams. A win with a big or small margin all counts the same in the standings, but it’s tiring for the team and a sign that the team is often just a few plays away from losing in many of their successful outings. Personally, I view this as a sign that the batting still has room to improve. It’s hard to take these issues out on the bullpen when they are often allowing just a few runs.

Of course, there will always be things to worry about with the pitching. Atop the list may be the sole dent in the team’s pitching rotation currently: Ryu Hyun-jin. The leftie has patched up his rough-around-the-edges game as of late, but continues to face struggles out of his control.

After getting taken out of a game early in two consecutive instances, Ryu was put on the injured list for the second time this year. Injuries for Ryu are arguably worse than seeing him get lit up on the mound. When he was bad, it was of course argued that he can improve. There’s not much control that Ryu has over his own fate when he’s battling his own body.

Overall, the momentum of the Jays right now is undeniable. But like the streaks of Jansen and Kirk, or like the situation of Ryu’s injury, two questions are the main focus right now – how long can this go on for, and what will things be like after then?

Seventh Inning Rally Gives Wyverns Win Over Giants

Kicking off their week of play with a win, the SK Wyverns won a back-and-forth game of baseball 10-8 over the Lotte Giants on Tuesday. The win was the first of a homestretch for the Giants at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

The game saw big swings in momentum at points. The Wyverns took the lead early, although the Giants were able to come back and even take the lead of the game at one point before the Wyverns took over yet again.

Wyverns Get Three To Start Lead By Romak

The Wyverns had an explosive first inning, as a three-run home run from Jamie Romak put the team on the board.

The team scored three more in the fifth inning. The first came off the bat of Choi Jeong, scoring one run. Romak scored another home run in the inning to bring in two more runs, carrying the game to a 6-0 score.

Giants Battle Back, Take Lead

The Giants scored their first run later in the inning, as a hit from Son Ah-seop brought in a run.

The game became close in the sixth inning after the Giants mounted a comeback. After walks forced two runs home, Son hit a grand slam to make the game 7-6 for the Giants. Kim Tae-hoon was the first reliever for the Wyverns in the inning, with Kim Se-hyun taking over after the first run was walked home.

Wyverns Have Strong Seventh

The biggest turning point in the game was the seventh inning, as troubles with Giants pitching allowed the Wyverns to have a rally.

After Romak scored a run against pitcher Park Jin-hyung, the second pitcher of the inning, a hit from Jeong Eui-yoon took three runners home to make the game 10-7. The runs came against Koo Seung-min, the third pitcher in the inning to appear.

Park was given the loss for his performance in the seventh inning.

The win for the Wyverns went to reliever Kim Jung-bin, who pitched in the seventh and eighth innings. Following him saw Seo Jin-yong, who was given his third save of the season for his closing performance.

The Giants were able to get one more run on the board in the game, as Han Dong-hee drove home a run in the ninth inning.

Giants Risk Losing Sixth

Losing to kick off the week of play, the Giants had their record bumped down to 44-41-1 for the 2020 season. The win puts them in a fragile place while sixth in the KBO, as the team is now only half-a-game behind the seventh-place Kia Tigers, who have a record of 45-43.

The Giants will host the Wyverns one more time this week, with their Wednesday game beginning at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).

Around The KBO

The Samsung Lions took the lead in a tied 3-3 game on Tuesday against the LG Twins after a solo home run from Daniel Palka put the team ahead. The game was Palka’s second as a Lion, as he joined the KBO last week.

A dominating performance saw the top-ranked NC Dinos steamroll the Hanhwa Eagles 11-3.

Regaining the lead late, a hit from Choi Joo-hwan drove home two runs for the Doosan Bears in the eighth inning and helped give the team a 10-8 win over the Kia Tigers.

Holding onto runs they scored early, the Kiwoom Heroes defeated the KT Wiz 4-1.

Giants Start Week With Shutout Win Versus Wyverns

The Lotte Giants started their week with a shutout 8-0 win over the SK Wyverns on Tuesday. The win kicked off a series at the home ballpark for the Wyverns, the Incheon SK Happy Dream Stadium in Incheon, South Korea.

The game saw the Giants get ahead in the first half with numerous high-scoring innings. The second half of the game saw neither team score.

Giants Get Ahead

The Giants got ahead early, scoring three runs in the first inning. First came a hit from Son Ah-seop, driving home a run. After that, a two-run home run was shot into the outfield by Jeon Jun-woo to make the game 3-0.

A series of hits in the second inning was capped off by a hit from Lee Dae-ho, which drove home two runners.

Jeon scored his third RBI of the game in the third inning, driving home a hit to extend the lead.

The final inning of scoring from the Giants was in the fourth, with hits from Min Byung-hun and Jung Hoon both scoring runners, taking the game to a 8-0 final score.

Starters Given Decisions

After the eighth run came in for the Giants, Wyverns starter Ricardo Pinto was taken out of play. Being given the loss for the game, Pinto’s record moved to 4-7. He evened his record against the Giants this season, which is currently 1-1 through three appearances.

A six-inning performance from Giants starter Seo Jun-won gave him the win. Allowing six hits, Seo did not have any runs earned against him through his performance. His 2020 record moved to 5-4, with two of the wins coming against the Wyverns. The game was also Seo’s fourth shutout game of the year.

Giants relievers had a successful night, leaving the Wyverns hitless in the final third of the game.

Giants To Play Two More Games Versus Wyverns

The Giants are set to play two more games this week at the home ballpark of the Wyverns. Wednesday’s game has a start time of 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT), although, like many games on Wednesday, early forecasts predict rain could intervene.

Around The KBO

KT Wiz star pitcher Odrisaimer Despaigne helped lead his team to a 4-2 win over the Kiwoom Heroes on Tuesday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs.

A quick lead from the Samsung Lions gave them the win, as the team scored four runs in the first inning against the Doosan Bears, including a three-run home run from Kang Min-ho. The team finished with a 6-3 win.

A high-scoring victory went to the LG Twins, who defeated the Kia Tigers 15-5.

A game between the NC Dinos and the hosting Hanhwa Eagles was rained out.

 

Fifth Inning From Tigers Takes Game Out Reach For Giants

In what started as a trailing-yet-attainable performance for the Lotte Giants became a blowout after the fifth-inning, which saw the Kia Tigers score seven runs.

Finishing as a 11-2 win for the Tigers, the team won again at home, at the Gwangju Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Korea.

Teams Warm Up With Runs

The game was close for only one inning, as both teams drove in one run in the first inning. It started with the Giants, with Lee Dae-ho driving home Son Ah-seop with a hit.

The Tigers answered back, as Choi Hyung-woo drove home Kim Ho-ryeong.

Trouble For Sampson

Giants starter Adrian Sampson got himself in a jam in the second inning, as the bases were loaded with no outs. After getting a strikeout, a pitch hit the hand of Kim Sun-bin, forcing a run home. A double play, throwing to home then first allowed the Giants to escape the inning.

The play took a long time before it was ruled final though, as the Tigers challenged the throw to first base. After many minutes of review, the ruling was upheld.

Another run came an inning later, with Baek Yong-hwan batting in the third run for the Tigers.

Fifth Inning Blowout

A strong fifth inning from the Tigers, which saw seven runs and 11 at-bats, was what took their game from a small lead to a blowout performance.

The rally started against Giants pitcher Sampson, being pulled after Baek Yong-hwan batted in the first run of the inning.

Park Shi-young was then brought in, being able to attain the second out of the inning before giving up three more runs.

Ko Hyo-jun became the third pitcher of the inning, starting his stint by giving up a three-run home run from Preston Tucker. The shot was the seventh home run of the season for Tucker, who leads the club in the statistic.

Tucker, who was holding his left thigh while rounding the bases, was replaced by Choi Won-joon in the next inning.

Ko was able to finish the inning for the Giants, with the team trailing by nine runs in the end.

Starters Add To 2020 Records

The performance from Sampson, which ended in the fifth inning, gave him his second loss in two appearances. Allowing nine hits and six runs in his performance, Sampson’s ERA moved to an inflated 9.40 over two games.

The pitching from the Tigers was a significantly different story, with Yang Hyun-jong being given the win after allowing only two hits in six innings, along with four strikeouts.

Apart from the early run from the Giants, the only blunder from the Tigers bullpen came late, allowing a solo home run from Heo Il against closer Hong Gun-hee.

Tigers Stay Perfect Against Giants

Now down to an 11-14 record, the Giants have fallen to seventh place, tied with the KT Wiz, who they will play later in the week. The Tigers find themselves tied with the Kiwoom Heroes in fourth, identically holding 14-12 records.

With the win, the Tigers have moved to 5-0 against the Giants, being the only team they have remained undefeated against so far. Similarly, the Tigers are the only team the Giants have been unable to defeat this season.

Having played two games in the series now, the Tigers will host the Giants once more on Thursday, with the game starting at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).

Around The KBO

Allowing only two hits over seven innings, KT Wiz starter So Hyeong-jun was an essential part of the team’s 7-2 win against the Doosan Bears. 

With runs coming in early for both teams, a lead for the Kiwoom Heroes was taken to the end against the Hanhwa Eagles, with a final score of 6-2.

Bouncing back from a previous loss, the NC Dinos held onto a lead, despite a late rally from the SK Wyverns. Staying atop the KBO standings, the Dinos won 8-6.

While the LG Twins had the lead early, it became all Samsung Lions starting in the fourth, finishing with a 12-6 win.

Over Being Over 002: “HBK” Shawn Michaels with The Score’s Joseph Casciaro

On the second episode of Over Being Over, the hosts were grateful to have TheScore’s Joseph Casciaro, who is a self-professed Shawn Michaels superfan. The hosts and Joseph both chose a match from “Mr. Wrestlemania’s” catalogue to discuss.

From his childhood, Joseph’s match was Shawn Michaels going an hour with Bret “The Hitman” Hart at Wrestlemania 13.

From our childhood, we chose when Michaels challenged “The Streak” for the first time, fighting The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 25.

Thanks again for Joseph being on the show and delivering on what he said he would do: “dropping knowledge on us.”

Follow Joseph Casciaro on Twitter.

Listen to Joseph’s podcast “Pound The Rock.”

Follow The Hosts

Follow Gavin: @Gavin77axe

Follow Joseph: @jcasciarooo

Follow Jack: @JackWannan

Follow the podcast: @overbeingover

Timestamps:

0:00: Introductions + Is Shawn Michaels the GOAT?

5:30: Shawn Michaels vs. Brett Hart (Iron Man Match) – Wrestlemania 13

30:30: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker – Wrestlemania 25

52:40: Closing Remarks + Short Chris Jericho talk

Bears Take Comeback Win Into 11th Inning Against Giants

Going into the 11th inning, a hit from Doosan Bears player Hur Kyoung-min took Ryu Ji-hyeok home, ending the Saturday evening game as a 5-4 win against the Lotte Giants. The game saw the Bears battle back from a three-run lead that the Giants gained in the first half of the game.

The win, which happened at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Korea, was the second in the series for the Bears.

Getting his second win of the season, reliever Kwon Hyuk earned two outs in the 11th inning of play.

Giants Get A Jump On Bears

The Giants got the lead early on, with An Chi-hong batting in Jeon Jun-woo in the first inning.

Scoring the second run for the Giants, Lee Dae-ho batted Jeon home in the third inning.

After reaching home twice, Jeon was on the other side of the play, batting in Son Ah-seop in the fifth inning to put the Giants up 3-0.

Bears Begin Comeback

The Bears are no stranger to mounting a comeback. In the 2019 Korean Series, what earned the Bears their fourth-straight win and the championship was their ability to come back from a five-run lead that the Kiwoom Heroes had.

The runs kicked off in the sixth inning, with Jose Miguel Fernandez batting in Jung Soo-bin. Fernandez picked up his 23rd RBI of the season, putting him second in the league for most runs batted in.

Giants starter Seo Jun-won pitched six innings, allowing five hits and one run.

Shot From Choi Ties It Up

A two-shot home run from Choi Joo-hwan tied the game up at 3-3, bringing home Kim Jae-ho as well. The home run was his fifth of the year, putting him ahead of the rest of the team in the category.

One of the best relievers for the Busan team, Park Jin-hyun pitched in the inning. Being his 11th appearance of the year, it was the first time that Park had given up a run.

Four A Piece

Before heading into extra innings, the teams traded runs. First, An Chi-hong from the Giants drove home Son Ah-seop off of a hit.

Tying it back up again, a sacrifice fly ball from Bears player Hur Kyoung-min took Park Se-hyuk to the home plate.

The game-deciding play in the 11th came against veteran Giants player Song Seung-jun, who was given his first loss of the year.

Bears Look For Sweep

Finishing up the fourth week of KBO play, the final game in the series takes place on Sunday, with first pitch at 2:00PM KST (1:00AM EDT).

Around The KBO

With a 9-1 blowout win, the Samsung Lions become the first team to defeat the NC Dinos twice this season.

After getting seven innings in the fifth, the Kia Tigers were able to glide to a 10-6 win against the LG Twins.

While the KT Wiz had the lead early on, the Kiwoom Heroes left no doubt in people’s minds, finishing the game with a 14-3 win.

A fifth-inning rally from the SK Wyverns put them ahead of the Hanhwa Eagles 9-3 in the end.

Lions Win By 10 Runs Over Giants

Making up for a previous low-scoring loss, the Samsung Lions defeated the Lotte Giants in a blowout 11-1 performance. The game tied up the series against the Giants, taking place at the Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Korea.

Impressive Pitching For Daegu Crew

Lions starting pitcher Won Tae-in had a strong outing, going eight innings before being pulled from the game. He earned six strikeouts, allowing four hits overall.

Jang Ji-hoon came in to pitch the final inning against the Giants.

Teams Exchange Runs

The runs first kicked off for the Lions with the second batter, Park Gye-bom, who hit a solo home run to put the team up by one.

The Giants answered back in the bottom of the first off of an error. On his way to first base, Jeon Jun-woo was hit on the top of the head by the glove of Tyler Saladino, as an error made him swing his hand down in an attempt to catch the ball. The ball went loose, and in the process allowed runner Min Byung-hun to run home and tie up the game. Despite being down for a moment, Jun-woo was able to continue playing.

Lions Pull Ahead

Once the game crossed into the second inning, it went in favour of the Lions for good. In the second inning, a solo home run from Saladino gave the team the lead once again.

Another run came in the fourth inning, as a hit from Park Chan-do brought in Saladino.

A sacrifice fly ball from Lee Won-seok brought in Kim Dong-yeop in the next inning. Before the fifth inning was finished, Giants starter Park Se-woong was pulled from the game. Being given the loss of the game, he allowed four runs and five hits in his appearance.

The sixth inning was a big one for the Lions, scoring three runs in total. Won-seok hit a ball off an outfield wall, bringing in the first two runs. Later, Saladino hit a fly ball that brought in another runner. The score was then extended to 7-1.

An inning later, the team got up by three more runs. First, Park Gye-beom batted in a run. Later, a hit from Won-seok brought in two more runs to make the game 10-1.

The final run for the Lions came in the eighth, when a sacrifice fly drove Park Chan-do home.

Lions Tie For Eighth Ahead of Final Game In Series

The win on Wednesday tied the Lions for eighth in the league, along with the Hanhwa Eagles, who have an identical record of 7-13. The Giants, who have a 10-9 record, remain in fifth place, half a game between going up or down in the rankings.

The Giants host one more game before hitting the road, with the Thursday match against the Lions starting at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).

Per MyKBOStats.com, Adrian Sampson will make his first start for the Giants on Thursday. He was out of the lineup before due to serving a two-week quarantine, having come from the United States.

Around The KBO

The KT Wiz put on a shutout performance against the Kia Tigers, helped by starting pitcher Odrisaimer Despaigne who allowed four hits over eight innings. The home team won 5-0.

A series of runs in the fifth inning helped give the Doosan Bears a 4-2 win over the SK Wyverns.

The LG Twins got to scoring early and finished with a 15-4 score against the Hanhwa Eagles. 

In their second landslide performance against the Kiwoom Heroes, the NC Dinos put on a 10-3 performance to win.

Watch ONE Championship: Fire & Fury Weigh-Ins & Hydration Tests

On Friday, ONE Championship will return to the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines for “ONE Championship: Fire & Fury.” Headlining the card is Joshua Pacio attempting to defend his ONE Strawweight World Championship (125 lbs) against Alex Silva.

Before that, however, Pacio, Silva and the 20 other fighters on the card have to weigh-in and take their hydration test. The process will be broadcasted live on Youtube on Thursday at midnight EST. Watch in the link down below. Results from the weigh-ins will be posted below:

Fights confirmed (made weight and passed hydration test):

Bout 11: Joshua Pacio (18-3) vs. Alex Silva (9-4) (ONE Strawweight Championship) (MMA Bout)

Bout 10: Eduard Folayang (22-8) vs. Pieter Buist (16-4) (170 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Bout 9: Danny Kingad (13-2) vs. Xie Wei (5-2) (135 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Bout 8: Petchdam vs. Momotaro (135 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)

Bout 6: Kwon Won Il (8-2) vs. Shoko Sato (34-16-3) (145 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Bout 4: Lita Adiwang (10-2) vs. Pongsiri Mitsatit (10-4) (125 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Bout 3: Gina Iniong (8-4) vs. Asha Roka (4-1) (115 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Bout 2: Rodlek Jaotalaytong vs. Chris Shaw (145 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)

Bout 1: Jomary Torres (4-4) vs. Jenny Huang (5-5) (115 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Fights awaiting retest (cut-off time is 4PM PHT).

Bout 6: Tatsumitsu Wada (21-11-2) (Passed) vs. Ivanildo Delfino (8-0) (Failed) (135 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Bout 5: Alma Juniku (Failed) vs. Anne Hogstad (Passed) (115 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)

Bellator 238: Budd vs. Cyborg Preview

Bellator will kick off it’s 2020 schedule on Saturday with the promotion debut of Cris Cyborg. Fighting for the first time outside of the UFC since 2016, she will challenge for Julio Budd’s Featherweight Championship in a five-round fight. The stacked card features many returning Bellator names, many other former-UFC fighters debuting and the continuation of the Featherweight Grand Prix. In the promotion’s return to The Forum in Inglewood, California, USA, this is Bellator 238.

Click here to jump to the main card.

Prelims

Bout 1: Tony Bartovich (0-0) vs. Jarett Conner (0-0) (Featherweight)

The preliminary portion of the card features a matchup between two debuting featherweights. Conner had a 2-4 record in amateur MMA, with Bartovich going 2-1. It’s worth noting that some of the preliminary fights could be bumped to the postlim spot, depending on how they go about scheduling the card.

Bout 2: Miguel Jacob (3-0) vs. David Pacheco (1-0) (Welterweight)

Undefeated welterweights Miguel Jacob and David Pacheco will be put against each other in the next prelim fight. Pacheco’s pro debut was in Bellator nearly a year ago, stopping Jorge Juarez. Jacob will be making his Bellator debut, picking up all three of his previous wins in the regional MMA promotion Fight Club OC.

Bout 3: Anthony Taylor (6-5) vs. Chris Avila (7-8) (Lightweight)

Anthony Taylor will see his return to Bellator this weekend, after fighting elsewhere for seven fights. Taylor made his debut in Bellator, going on a 1-3 run before going to other promotions. All three losses came via rear naked choke, with notable losses over James Gallagher and Adam Borics (who fights later on this card). He has since fought in high-level regionals like BAMMA and Combate Americas, currently riding a four-fight winning streak. His opponent, Chris Avila, will try to break even on his MMA record with this fight. He is 1-1 in Bellator, most recently losing to Brandon Faumui in April.

Bout 4: Brandon Bender (12-1) vs. Joshua Jones (9-5) (Featherweight)

After disappearing from the MMA scene for nearly six years, Brandon Bender will make his return against Joshua Jones on this undercard. Bender has an impressive 12-1 record, with his most recent (if you want to say recent) fight being a win over Mario Navarro at Bellator 116 in 2014, bouncing back from his sole loss. Around the same time, Jones debuted as a pro. He is 2-2 in his Bellator career so far, having two fights outside of the promotion within that timespan.

Bout 5: Curtis Millender (17-5) vs. Moses Murrietta (8-3) (Catchweight 175 lbs.)

Similar to Cris Cyborg’s fight, Curtis Millender will be having his first fight after his UFC run. Millender’s UFC career ended at 3-2, after losing to Belal Muhammad in April. He faces Moses Murrietta, who will also be debuting in Bellator. Murrietta has fought in LFA recently, although his last two fights were losses, including a 24 second stoppage.

Bout 6: AJ Agazarm (2-1) vs. Adel Altamimi (8-6) (Featherweight)

California-based Bellator fighters AJ Agazarm and Adel Altamimi are booked against eachother for the next preliminary matchup. Agazarm has had his short pro career fully in Bellator, going 2-1. Altamimi made his Bellator debut in 2019, defeating Brandon McMahan with an armbar. He recently lost a scorecard battle against Salim Mukhidinov, and will attempt to bounce back from that loss on Saturday.

Bout 7: Aaron Pico (4-3) vs. Daniel Carey (7-3) (Featherweight)

In 2018, Aaron Pico was known as one of Bellator’s biggest rising stars. However, back-to-back losses in 2019 have made people skeptical if Pico was actually worth what he was made out to be. He will be put against Daniel Carey on Saturday, with a loss extending the longest losing streak of his short career. All of Pico’s fights, win or loss, have all ended via stoppage. His last two losses came to Henry Corales and Adam Borics. Carey is 3-2, recently winning over Gaston Bolanos in September with a guillotine choke.

Bout 8: Ricardo Seixas Filho (8-2) vs. Dominic Clark (14-9) (Lightweight)

Also on the preliminary card, Cali fighters Ricardo Seixas Filho and Dominic Clark will battle. Both are coming off of losses, with Clark’s in Bellator against Joshua Jones. Filho’s last two fights were losses in LFA in 2018.

Bout 9: Jay Jay Wilson (4-0) vs. Mario Navarro (4-5) (Featherweight)

Undefeated Bellator fighter Jay Jay Wilson will bring Mario Navarro back to the cage in the next fight. Wilson had an explosive 2019, getting three wins, two of them in Bellator. Navarro has fought in Bellator before, but his last match was over three years ago, being a loss to Chinzo Machida.

Main Card

Bout 10: Ava Knight (1-0) vs. Emilee Gettys (3-3) (Strawweight)

The main card begins with former boxer Ava Knight had a successful MMA debut three months ago, stopping Shannon Goughardy with body strikes on a Bellator card. In her second match, Knight will be paired against Emilee Gettys. Knight has a 19-2-5 record as a professional boxer, with her career spanning from 2007 to 2019. Gettys is on a three-fight winning streak, taking her career from a 0-3 record to an even record. The fight will be the debut of Gettys in Bellator.

Bout 11: Raymond Daniels (1-1) vs. Jason King (8-5) (Welterweight)

Experienced kickboxer Raymond Daniels will return to MMA in a fight with Jason King on the main card. Daniels has 35-3 kickboxing record, fighting in Bellator Kickboxing and GLORY in the past few years. His most recent MMA fight was a knockout of Wilker Barros with a flash right hook which made the rounds online. King is seemingly a good matchup for Daniels, having most of his wins and losses from striking battles. King has fought quite a bit in Valor FC, getting a first-round stoppage over Brian Jackson in November.

Bout 12: Juan Archuleta (23-2) vs. Henry Corrales (17-4) (Featherweight)

The next main card fight sees two eliminated fighters from the featherweight grand prix fight. Juan Archuleta, who lost to Patricio Pitbull, will fight Henry Corrales, who lost to Darrion Caldwell. The loss for Archuleta broke his impressive 18-fight winning streak. Corrales was riding a five-fight streak, not being favoured on the scorecards when fighting Caldwell.

Bout 13: Sergio Pettis (18-5) vs. Alfred Khashakyan (11-4) (Bantamweight)

As part of the trio of debuting former-UFC fighters on this card, Sergio Pettis will fight Alfre Khashakyan. Pettis fought in UFC 14 times, going back to 2013. While not having fought in the UFC in the past, Khashakyan will also be making his Bellator. In 2019, he on three in a row in 2019 in newly formed regional promotion LXF. Khashakyan’s most well-known fight is a loss to Sean O’Malley, on the series premiere episode of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Bout 14: Darrion Caldwell (13-3) vs. Adam Borics (14-0) (Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix Quarter-Finals)

The co-main event of the evening sees Darrion Caldwell and Adam Borics battle in the quarter-finals of the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix. Borics debuted in Bellator in 2017, going 5-0 since then, all via stoppage. He stopped Pat Curran with ground and pound in September to advance through the first round of the tournament. Caldwell’s round-of-16 win over Henry Corrales was his first win in a year, losing twice to Kyoji Horiguchi before. The second of the two losses saw Caldwell lose his Bellator Bantamweight Championship. Caldwell has fought all but three of his pro bouts in Bellator (including a fight in RIZIN which was co-promoted by Bellator).

Bout 15: Julia Budd (13-2) vs. Cris Cyborg (21-2) (Bellator Featherweight Championship)

The main event of the evening will is Cris Cyborg taking a shot at the Bellator Featherweight Championship against the current champion Julia Budd. Cyborg’s last UFC fight was a win over Canadian prospect Felicia Spencer. Before that, she lost her UFC Featherweight Championship to Amanda Nunes in under a minute via strikes. The matchup was one which many argued deserved a rematch, but was not made as Cyborg’s departure from the UFC was one that was not on good terms.

Budd has been the promotion’s featherweight champ since 2017, capturing the belt by defeating Marloes Coenen. Since then she has made three defences, most recently against Olga Rubin. Budd’s two career losses come to the prolific Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey, although those losses were in 2011. Vegas currently has Cyborg as a heavy favourite, sitting at -450 currently. 

Bellator’s next event after this one will be on February 21st, presenting Bellator 239 from the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, USA. Headlining the card currently is Ed Rush and Yaroslav Amosov.