Skip to main content

Khasan Magomedsharipov doesn't see many upcoming threats in Bellator's featherweight division

DUBLIN – Khasan Magomedsharipov doesn’t see too many threats in the featherweight division.

Magomedsharipov (8-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) remained unbeaten when he stopped Rafael Hudson by TKO at Bellator 291 this past Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin.

One of the brightest prospects on the roster, Magomedsharipov is confident that with time, he can take out the division’s elite.

“I don’t see strong guys in featherweight,” Magomedsharipov said post-fight. “Yes, (A.J.) McKee, (Patricio) ‘Pitbull’ (Freire) and a couple of guys (are) very strong. The others guys are strong, but not fantastic. I feel I can beat everybody no problem – A.J. McKee, ‘Pitbull’ – but I need a little bit of time. A couple of years I’ll stay in Bellator. I’ll get this belt.

“(Opponent) doesn’t matter – wrestler, striker, grappler, it doesn’t matter. Just give me a fight brother, and (I’ll get a) finish.”

Magomedsharipov said his older brother Zabit, a former UFC featherweight contender, wanted him to log in more minutes for experience. However, the 22-year-old notched his fifth career first-round stoppage win against Hudson.

“My game plan this fight (was) three rounds,” Magomedsharipov said. “My brother told me, ‘You need three rounds. You need three rounds.’ But I’m very hungry. I see my chance, and I finished this guy.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.



from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/Sky1Tv3
via IFTTT

Popular posts from this blog

Burmese fighter: Joshua Van details pioneering journey to plant Myanmar's flag on UFC turf

Joshua Van remembers asking his mother why they had to live in Houston. Why couldn’t they just go back home where things were familiar? He was 12 years old at the time, and Van wanted to go back to where he lived the first decade of his life, in Myanmar. Life wasn’t easy for an undersized pre-teen who spoke little English and was picked on during school for both of those attributes. Looking back, the math adds up that he’d become the first Burmese fighter to compete in the UFC. “I was a small kid,” Van recently told MMA Junkie. “From where I come from, you get picked on. It’s kind of like I fight everyday, and I got to the point where I enjoyed fighting. I watched clips on street fights and how to win street fights. I tried it in my next fight and things like that. That’s what got me into my career.” Van grew up one of five siblings in Myanmar, a country ridden with military and political conflict . When things increasingly worsened, Van’s parents decided to move to Malaysia. Van...

Aspen Ladd vs. Olena Kolesnyk among announced fights to complete 2023 PFL 2 lineup

Aspen Ladd ’s return to the PFL cage has been booked as she will take part in the promotion’s women’s featherweight season. The former UFC contender is set to take on Olena Kolesnyk at 2023 PFL 2 on April 7 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The Ladd-Kolesnyk matchup was one of several announced Monday to complete the PFL 2 lineup. They join the previously announced main and co-main event bouts, with Ante Delija vs. Yorgan De Castro and Larissa Pacheco vs. Julia Budd. Ladd (10-3) is coming off a successful PFL debut , having beaten former Bellator champion Julia Budd in a showcase bout at the 2022 PFL Championships back in November. She defeated Budd by split decision. It was her first fight since her release from the UFC. Kolesnyk (7-5) is looking to bounce back from a loss to 2022 PFL women’s lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco. Prior to the defeat, the Ukrainian fighter was on a two-fight winning streak. Below is the complete 2023 PFL 2 lineup: MAIN CARD (ESPN 2...

Video: Oli Thompson lands devastating first-round knockout punch on Aleksei Oleinik in Russia

Aleksei Oleinik returned to action for the first time since his UFC exit, but things did not go in his favor. In the main event of REN TV Fight Club at Dynamo Volleyball Arena in Moscow, Russia, Oleinik (60-17-1 MMA) faced fellow UFC veteran Oli Thompson in a heavyweight bout. The result was a violent finish that left Oleinik staring up at the lights. Thompson (21-16 MMA) unleashed a crushing right hand that sent Oleinik crashing to the canvas with 35 seconds remaining in the opening round. Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter ): Oli Thompson destroys Alexey Oleynik with a massive right hand in the first round pic.twitter.com/AdWy25dQxR — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 26, 2023 Thompson, 43, returned to the win column for the first time since 2020, snapping a four-fight losing skid. His last victory was also a first-round stoppage; a 23-second knockout of Szymon Bajor at Fight Exclusive Night 28 on June 13, 2020. Oleinik, 45, competed in his final UFC bout in Octo...