Latest news with #RodolfoBellato
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Morales TKOs Burns in first round at UFC Vegas 106
Welterweight Michael Morales has made short work of former UFC welterweight champion Gilbert Burns, earning a first-round TKO at 3:39 in the UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas. Ecuador's Morales (18-0 MMA) improved to 6-0 in the UFC since 2022 with Saturday's win and extended Burns' losing skid to four dating to April 2023. Morales said he couldn't have envisioned a better outcome, crediting Brazilian Burns (22-9 MMA) for his extensive resume. "This is tough work, hard work," Morales said. "Every fight is tough. We got it done." Wasted no time in this one 😮💨Michael Morales gets the first round finish at #UFCVegas106! — UFC (@ufc) May 18, 2025 The co-main event saw Rodolfo Bellato pull out of his light heavyweight bout with Paul Craig after the UFC broadcast team revealed Bellato had unspecified medical concerns. Middleweight Nursulton Ruziboev and lightweight Mairon Santos won their respective fights against Dustin Stoltzfus and Sodiq Yusuff by unanimous decision. Ruziboev (36-9 MMA) has won two in a row while Stoltzfus (16-7 MMA) has lost three of his last five. Santos (17-1 MMA) still has not lost since Feb. 2022. Meanwhile, Yusuff (13-5 MMA) has lost three in a row. Melquizael Costa became the first UFC fighter in 2025 to win three fights inside of a calendar year. Costa (24-7 MMA) earned a unanimous decision over Julian Erosa (31-32 MMA) by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. The fight was extremely high-octane with Costa landing at a frenetic volume while Erosa wasn't able to get the fight to the ground to sway the judges in the opposite direction. UFC Vegas 106 marked the first event in Las Vegas since early April. The UFC takes a week off before staying put for a UFC Fight Night event on May 31 at UFC Apex, headlined by a five-round flyweight main event between Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber.
USA Today
18-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC Fight Night 256 loses co-main event minutes before walkouts due to medical issue
UFC Fight Night 256 loses co-main event minutes before walkouts due to medical issue The UFC Fight Night 256 co-main event was in the on-deck circle when the promotion announced it was canceled due to a medical issue. Due to an undisclosed issue with Rodolfo Bellato, his co-headlining bout vs. Paul Craig scheduled for Saturday's card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was nixed. No further information about the medical issue specifics was given. Bellato (12-2-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was aligned for the highest-profile bout of his career vs. Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC), who aimed to snap a three-fight losing skid. With the cancellation, Mairon Santos vs. Sodiq Yusuff was slid into co-main event position. Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 256 results
Forbes
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
What Time Does Tonight's UFC Vegas 106 Fight Card Start?
An incredibly important welterweight matchup headlines tonight's UFC Vegas 106 fight card. In that bout, former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns looks to end a three-fight losing skid against the unbeaten Michael Morales. In the UFC Fight Night 256 co-main event, Paul Craig faces Rodolfo Bellato. Below, we look at details from the headlining bouts and the start time for each portion of the UFC Vegas 106 fight card. Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025 Location: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV Main Card Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Preliminary Card Start Time: 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato Sodiq Yusuff vs. Mairon Santos Dustin Stoltzfus vs. Nursulton Ruziboev Julian Erosa vs. Melquizael Costa Gabriel Green vs. Matheus Camilo Jared Gordon vs. Thiago Moisés Yadier Del Valle vs. Connor Matthews Luana Santos vs. Tainara Lisboa Elise Reed vs. Denise Gomes Park Hyun-sung vs. Carlos Hernandez Tecia Pennington vs. Luana Pinheiro Burns (22-8) is the No. 8 competitor in the official UFC welterweight rankings. Burns had won six straight when he battled then-UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman in February 2021. Usman won that contest by TKO in the third round. Since that setback, the 38-year-old Burns has gone 3-4. He is riding a three-fight losing skid heading into UFC Vegas 106, falling to Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena, and Sean Brady in those contests. Burns fell from No. 6 to No. 8 following his UFC Vegas 97 decision loss to Brady in September 2024. Morales (17-0) joined the UFC in 2021 when he won a contract via a decision victory on a Dana White's Contender Series fight card. Since then, Morales has gone 5-0 with the UFC with three knockouts and two decisions. The 25-year-old Morales broke into the official UFC welterweight rankings in August when he earned a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his first-round knockout win over long-time UFC competitor Neil Magny. The main event of UFC Vegas 106 is an excellent opportunity for the 38-year-old Burns to show that he remains an elite UFC welterweight. As for Morales, Saturday's UFC Fight Night is his chance to show that he belongs among the top 10 of the 170-pound division. Paul Craig has been with the UFC since 2016. He enters his UFC Vegas 106 matchup against Rodolfo Bellato on the worst run of his professional career, going 1-5 since July 2022 and losing his past three outings. Craig knows Saturday's fight could be his last under the UFC banner with a loss. As for Bellato, he is a relative newcomer to the UFC, joining the promotion via the Dana White's Contender Series in 2023. He is 1-0-1 with the promotion and coming off a UFC 312 draw with Jimmy Crute. Stay tuned for more coverage from the UFC Vegas 106 fight card. Including live UFC results, reactions, recaps and video highlights during tonight's event.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rodolfo Bellato vows to stop ‘predictable' Paul Craig after showing heart in back-to-back UFC wars
Former LFA champion Rodolfo Bellato hopes for a drama-free night in the cage when he co-headlines a UFC event for the first time Saturday as he faces Paul Craig at UFC Vegas 106. 'Trator' was signed by the UFC after two appearances on Dana White's Contender Series and had to dig deep in his debut, surviving an onslaught before knocking out Ihor Potieria for a $50,000 bonus at UFC Austin in December 2023. Advertisement Just over a year later, with then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in his corner, Bellato was once again almost finished in the opening round, this time by Jimmy Crute. However, he survived to go the distance and walk home with a rare majority draw. Bellato met UFC CEO Dana White backstage moments after the 15-minute war and said he was praised by the executive for 'getting beat up but coming back.' At UFC Vegas 106, though, he's aiming for a clean victory. If there's blood spilled, make it Craig's only. 'Every fight teaches us something,' Bellato told MMA Fighting. 'Thank God I was able to see that it will never lack heart in me [laughs], but if it could be with a little bit less of emotion, that's better. Every fighter dreams of being there, landing one punch, the guy goes down and you go out celebrating with your coaches [laughs].' Craig returns to the light heavyweight division after a 1-3 trip to middleweight between 2023 and 2024, losing to Bo Nickal, Caio Borralho and Brendan Allen. He had previously left the 205-pound class after defeats to Johnny Walker and Volkan Oezdemir, so Bellato expects him to be under pressure. Advertisement 'He's not someone I expected to fight, but when it got booked, my coach and I said there was no better guy for us to fight right now,' Bellato said. 'A great strategy, a style that matches up well with ours. It's the perfect matchup for us. He's a dangerous guy and deserves all respect, but I'm in a better moment than him, who's coming off three losses. 'It's a dangerous guy, he has a good ground game, but maybe it's a style that is a bit predictable, and we're able to study well and see holes that fit well with our game. I'm well-trained for this fight, I had a full camp this time. … He's definitely feeling under pressure. He tried at [185], at [205], but I can't let that interfere with my performance. I'll go there and fight like any other fight, not thinking about my opponent. Go there and impose my game, you know?' Craig makes his 20th walk to the UFC cage with a promotional record of 9-9-1, having beat future and former champions like Magomed Ankalaev, Jamahal Hill and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua. Despite Craig's experience with elite fighters and all-time greats, Bellato expects the Scottish veteran to struggle with his well-rounded game. 'Most of his fights, except for his last one against Bo Nickal where he kept it on the feet for three rounds, he tries the takedown and pulls guard and tries to play on the ground at all costs,' Bellato said. 'And since my fights had no significant ground work yet, I believe he's thinking, 'It's going to be easier to go to the ground.' But little does he know that I'm also a jiu-jitsu black belt and train that a lot. It won't be easy for him if the fight goes to the ground.' Advertisement 'I don't want to make this a striker-versus-grappler type of fight either,' he continued. 'No, I'm an MMA fighter, and I train everything. I'm ready for anything. Wherever the fight goes, I'm ready to finish it.' More from
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘This game's over' – Paul Craig admits Dana White and Co. may wield UFC axe if he loses crunch Rodolfo Bellato clash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PAUL CRAIG will enter the cage this weekend with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Scottish submission artist will make his 20th venture to the octagon early on Sunday morning at UFC Vegas 106. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Paul Craig returns to the octagon early on Sunday morning at UFC Vegas 106 Credit: GETTY 7 Craig enters his 20th octagon outing with the weight of the world on his shoulders Credit: GETTY 7 The Scot is on the worst run of his career having lost his last three in a row Credit: GETTY 7 'The Bearjew' admits it could be curtains for his UFC career if he tastes a fourth-straight loss Credit: GETTY And he'll do so in uncharted territory having lost his last three in a row, the worst skid of his near nine-year run in mixed martial arts' top promotion. Brazilian bruiser Rodolfo Bellato stands between the Airdrie assassin and a much-needed return to the win column in the final fight of his current contract. And he admits it could be curtains for his time as a fighter in MMA's top promotion if he doesn't have his hand raised in the Sin City showdown. In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: "The way the UFC works is you need to be winning. That's what this sport is about, and what you do in that octagon. READ MORE UFC NEWS 'MY ABSOLUTE' Jon Jones issues Tom Aspinall UFC fight message after confirming career move "It's not about all the extra media you do or your ability to chat. That's a very small part of this job. "It's about what happens in that octagon. And I do believe that coming off the three losses, with three of those losses being against three good opponents. "It wasn't like I had been beaten off no-names. I got beat off, Brendan Allen, who's in that top 15 and he's in that mix. "And I got beat off Caio Borralho who's the same. And some people say he's probably the next champion in that division. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 7 Paul Crig faces Brazilian bruiser Rodolfo Bellato in his 20th UFC bout Credit: GETTY "And then when you look at Bo Nickal, I wasn't beaten. I beat myself in the Bo Nickal fight. You're always worried about your next contract. "And this is kind of one of these moments where if you don't perform on Saturday night against Rodolfo Bellato, there's a good chance that the UFC won't pick you back up. Conor McGregor explains reason for major career changes amid UFC 'plateau' as MMA return remains a mystery "So that fear is what kind of motivates me as well. "We've seen that when I fought Magomed Ankaleav and I got that victory in the last fight of my contract for that period. "And I'm coming to the same sort of moment in my life where this is all or nothing. "'Do you want to be a UFC fighter? Or do you want to go back to Monday [to Friday] nine-to-five and be a teacher or be working in a gym? Is that what you want to do as your job?' "And I'm like, 'You know what, I do believe there's a little bit left in me to be a UFC fighter and be a light heavyweight champion.' "So it's all or nothing come Saturday. "I would love to say you're going to see a different version of Paul Craig, but you never know what happens on that night. But I'm definitely going there out on my shield. And it's a victory I'm looking for." Paul's back may be up against the wall, but he has a habit of rising to the occasion when the going gets tough. Two of his best wins have come when he's suffered consecutive losses, the first being his Hail Mary stoppage of 205lbs champ Magomed Ankalaev and his beatdown of middleweight contender Andre Muniz. "When there is pressure, I do believe that's when you see the best Paul Craig," he said. "Somebody made a meme online and it's like, 'Paul Craig can beat anyone on any given night.' And it's true, I can beat anyone. 7 Paul Craig recorded a sensational last-gasp win over 205lbs champ Magomed Ankalaev while on a two-fight skid Credit: GETTY 7 The Airdrie assassin stopped middleweight bruiser Andre Muniz while on a separate two-fight losing streak Credit: GETTY "If you put somebody in front of me and as long as I'm switched on and there's enough added external pressure, then I will rise to the occasion. "And I do believe this is going to be one of these moments." Paul will have to be the most "switched on" he's been in recent years to get the better of Dana White's Contenders Series graduate Bellato, a hard-hitting former LFA light-heavyweight champion. Bellato's early handiwork in the UFC has impressed Paul, although he believes the Brazilian bruiser has shortcomings when it comes to fortitude. "He's an amazing MMA practitioner," Paul said of the 29-year-old. "He's coming off a draw. "He's working with guys like Alex Pereira. He's got a very good jiu-jitsu ground game and he's got a very good stand-up striking game. "But what he's not got is he's not got that heart of a warrior. He's not got that Celtic blood in him that runs deep. "And I do believe that's what we're going to show on Saturday night. I need the win or this game's over for Paul Craig in the UFC." Paul Craig on his showdown with Rodolfo Bellato "That ability to pick ourselves back up and keep driving forward and looking for our victories." Victory over Bellato with his proverbial back up against the wall will not only save Paul's UFC bacon, it'll stop him from walking away from the sport entirely. And the magnitude of the do-or-die desert dust-up will continue to weigh heavily on his mind until the dust has settled on the Apex clash. He said: "It needs to be a victory for the UFC career-saving moment. This is the last fight on my contract. I do want to keep being a fighter. "I do believe, as I get a little bit older, that I'm getting better, skill-wise, with regards to jiu-jitsu. I'm always learning. "I do believe that I'm a much better version of a mixed martial artist than I was back when I first started. And that's the thing that keeps me in this sport. "As long as I can keep getting better, then I'll keep staying in this sport. "And as we said, there's a lot of pressure coming off of three losses. I need the win or this game's over for Paul Craig in the UFC."
