Latest news with #Bellato
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC rebooks Rodolfo Bellato vs. Paul Craig days after last-second cancellation
UFC rebooks Rodolfo Bellato vs. Paul Craig days after last-second cancellation Days after it was unexpectedly canceled, Rodolfo Bellato vs. Paul Craig is back on the UFC books. The bout has been rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 69 in Atlanta, which takes place June 14 at State Farm Arena. The bout was scheduled as the co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) first reported the rescheduling date Thursday on "Leather'd Podcast", and it was confirmed by Bellato (12-2-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) on social media thereafter. Minutes before the scheduled walkouts at UFC Fight Night 256 on Saturday, Bellato was pulled from his fight vs. Craig by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) due to visible herpes on his face. Bellato is aligned for the highest-profile bout of his career vs. Craig , who aims to snap a three-fight losing skid. With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 69 lineup includes:
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paul Craig opens up on scrapped Rodolfo Bellato UFC bout, reveals plans of June rebooking
Paul Craig opens up on scrapped Rodolfo Bellato UFC bout, reveals plans of June rebooking According to Paul Craig, his fight with Rodolfo Bellato is expected to be rescheduled for June. Craig's (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) light heavyweight bout vs. Bellato (12-2-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 256 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was scrapped on the night of the event due to a medical issue with Bellato. Craig opened up on Bellato being pulled from their fight just moments before he was scheduled to make the walk to the octagon. "Hunter Campbell comes in and I'm like, 'Whoa, that's very unusual,'" Craig said on the "Believe You Me" podcast. "I don't know why he's coming in, he never comes in and wishes me the best of luck. He comes in and says, 'Look, your opponent has pulled out due to a skin infection.' "It's hard. Have you been in that predicament where you're literally ready to walk out? I'm talking like 30 minutes. It's almost surreal. You're frustrated, you want to kick stuff, you want to hit stuff. Everything you've worked for up until that point is kind of ripped away from you." Craig confirmed that the UFC plans on rebooking their matchup for next month. "They're like, 'Listen, we're going to look after you, we're going to reschedule this fight,' and the fight has been rescheduled," Craig continued. "It's going to be within a month of June, but it's not the same. When you do a 12-week fight camp and then you have to come back home to do another four-week fight camp or five weeks, or six weeks, it's not cool. But, it's part of business and I'm in the game of fighting." Bellato posted on his Instagram story that it was herpes which forced him to withdraw. Craig says he was told it was indeed a cold sore. "It was the referee who noticed that he had a cold sore on his face," Craig said. "From what I'm led to believe, it was a really bad cold sore. Like it was half way up his face and that kind of stuff. Maybe he's shaved or something and it made it worse, but from what they were talking about backstage, it was really bad on his actual face. The referee went and got the commission, and the commission said we can't let you fight and that was the whole process."
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rodolfo Bellato Reveals Herpes Diagnosis That Cancelled UFC Vegas 106 Co-Main vs. Paul Craig
UFC Vegas 106 delivered some solid action inside the Octagon, but not without a few curveballs. The main event featured a welterweight clash between Gilbert Burns and Michael Morales. It was a short-lived affair—Morales stunned the crowd by finishing Burns in the first round with a crushing knockout. But while the spotlight was on the main event, the biggest shock of the night came before it ever started. In a twist no one saw coming, the co-main event between Paul Craig and Rodolfo Bellato was canceled just over an hour before the fighters were scheduled to walk out. It was a light heavyweight matchup many considered pivotal for Craig, who entered the bout looking to snap a three-fight losing streak. Bellato, meanwhile, aimed to notch his first UFC win after a majority draw earlier this year. Rodolfo BellatoGetty Images Speculation swirled, but it didn't take long for answers. In an Instagram story, later translated and circulated by MMA Orbit, Bellato revealed the shocking—and let's be honest, slightly surreal—reason: 'I never thought that herpes would take me out of a fight! I'm sorry all of you guys, but it's something that's out of our control. I'll have more news soon!' It was the kind of fight night twist no one had on their bingo card: punches dodged, takedowns avoided, but it was a virus that landed the most unexpected knockout. The revelation sparked confusion and even some humor across the MMA world. Let's face it—when's the last time an STD was the main storyline on fight night? While UFC President Dana White did not comment on this specific case, the organization has previously canceled bouts due to cold sores or similar contagious conditions. During the filming of 'The Ultimate Fighter: Grasso vs. Shevchenko,' a fight was postponed for the same reason—highlighting how seriously the UFC treats the risk of transmission during sanctioned competition. Dana WhiteGetty Images With potential rescheduling in the works, Bellato and Craig may get a second chance soon—but for now, UFC fans are still recovering from one of the most bizarre fight week developments in recent memory. Advertisement Related: Rising Star Details Hidden Injury Before UFC 314 'The Stitches Never Re-opened' Related: UFC Star Open to Crossover Boxing Rematch with Ronda Rousey 'I'm Still Coming Out on Top'
New York Post
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
UFC Vegas 106 predictions, odds: Fight night full card picks for prelims and main card
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. Fresh off the possibly the best fight card we've seen this year at UFC 315, we head back to the warehouse at the APEX Center. Last weekend's results were fantastic, as we hit two long-shot plays with Navajo Stirling by decision (+270) and Modestas Bukauskas by decision (+310) to cash in on the prelim card. We profited 4.63 units for the entire card and are looking at more moneymaking opportunities in the coming weekend. The card begins at 4 pm. ET on ESPN+, with the main card beginning at 7 p.m. ET. UFC Vegas predictions Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales Coming in as a massive +575 underdog Saturday, it must be over for Gilbert Burns, the former welterweight title challenger. Burns has fought the best of the best in this division, nearly defeating current champion Jack Della Maddalena last year, before really struggling against Sean Brady last time out. He faces a shiny new object in undefeated welterweight prospect Michael Morales. Morales has defeated 12 of his 17 opponents by knockout and is certainly live to land a knockout win in this fight. He is -150 to win this five-round bout by knockout. What Burns should look to do is time a takedown correctly and get Morales to the mat, as Burns is long known as a jiu-jitsu savant. Michael Morales is undefeated. Zuffa LLC Morales has an obscene 92 percent takedown defense rate and Burns' striking is too low volume for me to really trust against a powerful fighter like Morales. Take Morales to win this one as a parlay builder, with the official pick being Morales wins in Over 1.5 rounds (-195, DraftKings). Feel free to dive into Morales live if his moneyline drops below -200 during round two, as well. PICK: Morales wins in Over 1.5 rounds (-195, DraftKings) Rodolfo Bellato posing before UFC 312 in 2025. Zuffa LLC Rodolfo Bellato vs. Paul Craig Coming off a loss to a since-deflated prospect in Bo Nickal isn't a great precursor to being favored in their next fight, regardless of opponent. Rodolfo Bellato certainly profiles as a similar step in competition to Nickal for Craig, although Bellato should have even better striking. I've been a fan of Bellato since his Dana White's Contender Series debut when he was knocked out by stud-prospect Vitor Petrino. Bellato fought Jimmy Crute to a majority decision draw last time out, a fight that showed his resilience after being knocked down, although his grappling didn't look particularly up to standard. Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps Bellato is largely unproven, but he's still a -550 favorite in this fight, meaning the co-main and main events have clear expected winners going in. These odds are just a bit too wide for me to look at backing Bellato, but I'm not a big Craig fan either, considering he doesn't do anything that can consistently win you rounds. Take a different approach to Saturday's co-main event and ladder the 'Over' props. In this case, I'm looking to wager 1.5 units on the fight, with 0.75 units on fight starts Round 2 (-144 to win 0.52 units) and 0.5 units on Over 1.5 rounds (+118 to win 0.59 units) and the remaining 0.25 units on goes the distance (+400 to win 1 unit). PICK: 0.75 units on fight starts Round 2 (-144, FanDuel) | Over 1.5 rounds (+118, BetRivers) | Fight goes the distance (+400, Caesars) UFC Vegas full card picks Sodiq Yusuff vs. Mairon Santos: Santos moneyline (-135, DraftKings) Dustin Stoltzfus vs. Nursulton Ruziboev: Live bet Stoltzfus after Round 2 Julian Erosa vs. Melquizael Costa: Erosa inside the distance (+275, Fanatics Sportsbook) Gabe Green vs. Matheus Camilo Gabe Green by KO/TKO (+550, Caesars Sportsbook) Jared Gordon vs. Thiago Moises: Gordon ML (-117, FanDuel Sportsbook) Yadier del Valle vs. Connor Matthews: Fight goes the distance (-104, BetMGM) Luana Santos vs. Tainara Lisboa: Santos ML (-163, BetRivers) Elise Reed vs. Denise Gomes: Small bet on Reed by decision (+800, BetRivers) HyunSung Park vs. Carlos Hernandez: Carlos Hernandez ML (+145, Fanatics Sportsbook) Tecia Pennington vs. Luana Pinheiro: Pinheiro by decision (+550, Caesars) Why Trust New York Post Betting Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he's showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rodolfo Bellato will use Paul Craig's 'big name' to elevate himself at UFC Fight Night 256
Rodolfo Bellato will use Paul Craig's 'big name' to elevate himself at UFC Fight Night 256 Show Caption Hide Caption Rodolfo Bellato plans to make his name off Paul Craig win UFC Fight Night 256's Rodolfo Bellato spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his light heavyweight bout vs. Paul Craig on Saturday in Las Vegas. LAS VEGAS – Rodolfo Bellato warns Paul Craig that he's no slouch on the ground ahead of UFC Fight Night 256. Bellato (12-2-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) will get the biggest fight of his career on Saturday when he meets longtime veteran Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) in the light heavyweight co-main event at the UFC Apex (ESPN+). Craig owns the second-most submission wins in 205-pound history, with his six finishes trailing only record holder Glover Teixeira, who has seven. He's a proven threat on the ground with tap outs of current champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Jamahal Hill, but that doesn't intimidate Bellato. "The fight starts standing. It starts on our feet, and there's a whole process for him to be able to take me down," Bellato told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 256 media day. I know he's got submission wins and he's a jiu-jitsu guy, but you can't forget that I'm also a black belt, so it's not going to be that easy for him, either." Bellato, 29, said he is "honored" to get co-main event placement against someone of Craig's credentials in just his third UFC appearance. He intends to make the most of it, and hopes the result will prove as a turning point in his surge toward the top of the division. "It's a great matchup for me," Bellato said. "We can create a good strategy around him, a good game plan. He's got a great name, so it's all good for me. ... He was ranked No. 8 in this division. He's a guy that's got a big name, so I'm so sure this is a fight that's going to get me closer to the rankings and is going to get my name out there, too."
