Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov Vs Henderson – Breaking MMA News
Ahead of this Friday’s star-studded BELLATOR 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson event, several of the card’s world-class athletes spoke to the media today before descending upon the SAP Center for a night of thrilling MMA action in San Jose, Calif. The card airs LIVE on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Headlining BELLATOR 292 will be a Lightweight World Championship bout between reigning title holder and unbeaten Usman Nurmagomedov (16-0) and surefire future MMA Hall of Famer and former world champion #3-Benson “Smooth” Henderson (30-11). The five-round title fight will also serve as one of the opening quarterfinal matchups of the $1,000,000 BELLATOR Lightweight World Grand Prix, the best lightweight tournament field in modern MMA history.
In the co-main event of the evening, No. 2-ranked lightweight contender and former RIZIN champion Tofiq Musayev (20-4) will battle with No. 4-ranked Alexandr Shabliy (22-3) in a clash of two of the division’s most dangerous strikers. The Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter final will see each man put their undefeated BELLATOR record on the line in a fight pundits expect to contend for “Fight of the Year” honors when the dust settles.
Rounding out the main card are two pivotal matchups between Top-5 ranked contenders at heavyweight and welterweight sure to provide further clarity to each division’s title pictures: former Interim Heavyweight World Champion and No. 1-ranked contender Valentin Moldavsky (11-2, 1 NC) will look to take up his mentor Fedor Emelianenko’s mantle as the next heavyweight title contender in a rematch with surging U.K. star and No. 2-ranked Linton “Big Swarm” Vassell (23-8), who has gone a blistering 4-1 since moving up to heavyweight. Plus, BELLATOR’s all-time knockout leader in superstar No. 2-ranked Michael “Venom” Page (20-2) will battle BELLATOR’s all-time submission leader, No. 5-ranked Brazilian Goiti Yamauchi (28-5) in a can’t-miss affair.
The talent-stacked preliminary portion of the event, which features six exciting matchups including an all-Latin American clash between Enrique “El Fuerte” Barzola (18-7-2) and Erik “Goyito” Perez (20-8), will air LIVE and FREE beginning at an updated start time of 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel, the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, and Pluto TV.
Limited tickets for BELLATOR 292 remain on sale and can be purchased through Bellator.com.
Here’s what the BELLATOR 292 fighters had to say:
Usman Nurmagomedov: BELLATOR Lightweight World Champion
“I feel great both physically and mentally. I had a great camp, and I’m ready to go.”
On Looking Ahead to Defend His Title Multiple Times in the Grand Prix: “I always focus on the next opponent. I never try to look past any opponent, so it’s always one fight at a time. I know I am the priority for many fighters, but it’s just one fight at a time.”
On Facing Opponent Benson Henderson First: “It doesn’t really matter to me, because eventually I’ll have to get through them all anyway. Benson is a great opponent because he is a great fighter with a great legacy, so for me to defeat him first will be a great leg up. It’s a great start because he’s very well-known. It will be a good thing for my resume.”
On How He Approaches the Grand Prix: “The way I see it for myself, it’s more about advancing as a professional fighter. The fact that we have a Grand Prix is a bonus, but I see this as being about continuing to win and improving each fight. I don’t like to lose in anything. This is about defending my belt and improving, and that’s what it means for me.”
On People Counting Out Benson Henderson: “Whether in MMA or life in general, I never dismiss people. The fact that he lost could be due to multiple reasons, and people tend to improve from their mistakes. He is a strong fighter, and I do not underestimate him because he has lost fights before.”
Benson Henderson: No. 3-Ranked Lightweight Contender and Lightweight World Championship Challenger
On His Thoughts on the Grand Prix: “It’s a unique experience. I’ve been waiting for BELLATOR to finally do a Lightweight Grand Prix. They’ve never yet done lightweight; everyone I’d see, I’d be like, ‘When are we showing the lightweights some love?’ Now, it’s our time to shine and put on a show for BELLATOR.”
“I think winning this Grand Prix would be pretty amazing. I’ve done a lot of work. All the decisions I’ve made… winning this Grand Prix, getting this third belt of mine, it means everything to me.”
“I think Usman [Nurmagomedov] is a good champ. He’s a great striker. In his last fight, he showed that he has the skillset to wrestle; he was like, ‘You guys forget where I come from!’ I think the biggest takeaway from that, since he’s relatively young in the sport, is the skillset he has that he wasn’t able to showcase yet. It’s more about what else he brings to the table that he hasn’t shown yet; I’m paying a lot of attention to that, of course.”
On Being a Sizeable Sports-Betting Underdog to Nurmagomedov: “I have never once in my life looked at [betting] odds. I don’t even know how odds work. I don’t pay attention to that. But I understand the underdog thing. I’ve been the underdog for large parts of my career. People remember when I was champion, and I was the favorite in those fights, but I was the underdog for a long time before that. I have no problem being the underdog. It’s a fight: to true veterans, it doesn’t matter. It’s a fight. All the other incidentals — the home crowd, the walkouts, this and that — don’t matter.”
“For me, my end days are these last three fights, then I’m done. I signed a four-fight deal, then I’m done. It’s my wife’s turn — Maria, who signed with BELLATOR. My wife put off her career, like a lot of wives do — happy International Women’s Day, by the way! She had the four babies, now it’s my turn to take care of them now that she’s off at the gym training… at the end of these fights, I’m done. I think everyone at retirement age — look at Tom Brady — thinks they can play one more, but for me, it’s more about my wife getting her turn. She needs to be able to concentrate on training and the amount of work it takes to be good at MMA. When you’re the primary provider for the kids, it’s kind of hard to have that time.”
On His Favorite Memory from His Illustrious Fight Career: “I would probably say, for sure, getting to propose to my wife [in the cage] here in San Jose. I’m not the most outgoing person, so it was great to have that opportunity. [Winning the Grand Prix] won’t beat proposing to my wife, but it would be great.”
Tofiq Musayev: No. 2-Ranked Lightweight Contender and Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinalist
On If the Rigors of the Grand Prix Is Overwhelming: “No, instead, it motivates me a lot. It motivates me biggest we have a lot of top talents here, and that motivates me to be better. First of all, thank you to BELLATOR for giving me this opportunity to participate in such a massive tournament. I feel honored to be shortlisted. It gives me pleasure to be the first Azerbaijani to be participating in such an event. So, the event itself is historic for me and I feel honored by the opportunity.
“It’s not my first Grand Prix. It’s my second Grand Prix, but I feel honored to be a part of it. One thing I hope to do is a Grand Prix between BELLATOR’s 70kg fighters and the UFC’s 70kg fighters. I think it would be exciting, and I would love to do that one day.”
On Opponent Alexandr Shabliy: “Our styles are a little similar. That’s why I think we’re going to make some changes to our game. Overall, I think it will be a great fight. Everyone has their plan, I have my plan, and we’re going to do what we can to execute it. I want to thank my coach, who has played an immense role in me being here. I want to thank all my teammates, who put in such great effort to help me prepare.”
“I’ve had tough fights previously in my career, but I’ve always shown great character and done what I need to do to win. I look forward to doing the same on Friday. It’s time to change the game a little bit. I’m looking forward to this fight; it’s a great fight, and I’m looking forward to putting on a show for the fans. I look forward to representing my country.”
On His 27-Second Debut KO and Its Message to Fans and the Division: “Of course, it’s a great feeling to finish your first fight and to do so that fast. I want to put on a great show for the fans and finish fights for the audience here, so it’s a great feeling to do it. I don’t like talking too much. I don’t care about the other guys in the tournament. I’m here to be the strongest and the best, so I’ll let my fighting do the talking.”
“I came to this organization, I fought the No. 1 contender. In my opinion, I should have fought the champion. Then, some things changed and Usman [Nurmagomedov] fought for the belt. Of course, I would love to have on my legacy that I fought for the BELLATOR belt. So, I look forward to earning the chance in the Grand Prix.”
Alexandr Shabliy: No. 4-Ranked Lightweight Contender and Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinalist
On His 3-0 Start and Time in BELLATOR: “It’s been a long time coming since my first fight in the COVID times. I won, and they took me right out, so I didn’t let to get out my emotions. With the last fight against Primus, that’s when I started to feel like myself. With the Grand Prix, this is the best thing BELLATOR has done. I am excited to be a part of the tournament and put on a show.”
“The Grand Prix is very exciting; it’s an unparalleled event. For me, it’s a great opportunity. It’s my first time fighting five rounds, and I’m going to learn from that.”
On Opponent Tofiq Musayev: “I knew Tofiq before as a fighter, and once I heard BELLATOR signed him, I knew our paths might cross. I thought it might be for the belt. It’s going to be a great fight, and I look forward to it. I think fights like this are going to be good in any league. I don’t underestimate Tofiq, and I’m a good fighter. Many organizations would pay big money for this fight, so kudos to BELLATOR for making it happen.”
On What It Would Mean to Win the Grand Prix: “This is an expected outcome of all the hard work I took. Going back to when I took karate classes as a kid, it’s been a lot of work in the making. If I win, I’ll prove that all my training was not in vain. For me, this is the pinnacle. This is all my training coming to fruition.”
“As of now, I’m not trying to look past my current opponent. March 10 is my primary goal. A lot of effort was put into that these will be five round fights; for me, this was very important. Also, since this fight will be at a different altitude, I’ve done a lot of training in mountains, and I’ve put in a lot of thought to these differences in the fight before fighting on the other side of this country. I came in a little bit earlier, considering time zones. This isn’t my first time in California; I’ve trained at AKA [American Kickboxing Academy] and seen San Francisco.”
“I was waiting around, waiting for a UFC contract. I spent a lot of time being inactive. Looking back, I’m very glad to be in BELLATOR as a part of this Grand Prix. I’m very grateful to be a part of this event and to have been happy to build my career in BELLATOR.”
Linton Vassell: No. 2-Ranked Heavyweight Contender
On Rematching Former Interim Champion Valentin Moldavsky: “This is something I’ve been wanting for a while, so I’m glad I’ve gotten what I’ve wished for.”
On His Adjustment to Heavyweight: “I was struggling to make weight at light heavyweight, then I needed to make a change. Being naïve, I thought, I don’t have to do much cardio because it’s heavyweight. Obviously, that was a mistake. I’ve worked on my cardio and some holes in my game, and obviously it helped. It changed my game, it changed my record, and now I’m on a four-fight win streak.”
On His Three-Fight Losing Streak in 2017: “It was rough. I don’t like to lose, and I’d never lost two in a row — let alone three. I was contemplating retiring, but I talked to my coaches, and we decided I still had more to accomplish. I got the win, and that turned everything around. If I had lost the fight, I don’t think I’d be here right now.”
“[Heavyweight World Champion Ryan] Bader and Moldavsky are both ahead of me, and they both gave me my defeats. I think this was supposed to happen, like a fairytale. I feel like this is supposed to happen. My time is right now. I’ve got unfinished with both of them. But right now, I’ve got to take care of Moldavsky, and then we’ll go from there. Like I said, I hate losing; once I’ve lost against a person, I put everything into the rematch. I try to correct all the mistakes that I did. When I lost to Moldavsky the first time, I went back and fixed the mistakes that I made because I knew I would fight him again. Now, I’ll show what I’ve learned and do what I do on Friday night.”
“Like people say, I haven’t come this far to only come this far.”
Valentin Moldavsky: No. 1-Ranked Heavyweight Contender and Former Interim Heavyweight Titleholder
On Last Year’s Title Fight and No Contest: “Last year was a little weird, but hopefully this time I’ll win the fight, and everything will stabilize; get back to normal.”
On the Rematch with Linton Vassell: “It made sense. Since I’ve beaten him, he’s won four in a row. It makes sense that we fight each other for the No. 1 contender’s place. I didn’t watch our first fight. That was four years ago, when he had just become a heavyweight, so I think he was just getting acclimated to heavyweight. But I did watch the [Tim] Johnson fight and the [Tyrell] Fortune fight so I can see how he moves and fights as an adjusted heavyweight. This is No. 1 vs. No. 2. The only thing next is the title.”
“I’m expecting [Vassell] to have a little more stamina. In our first fight, he started to get tired. Now he’s gotten used to the weight. I don’t think his speed has gotten better, but he’s clingy; he ties you up. I don’t expect him to be faster, but he will be a tough opponent.”
On His Mentor Fedor Emelianenko’s Recent Retirement: “I was excited that Fedor [Emelianenko] had an illustrious career and was able to come to a fitting conclusion with so many of his luminaries from the PRIDE days there for him.”
Michael Page: No. 2-Ranked Welterweight Contender and BELLATOR’s All-Time KO Leader
On Opponent Goiti Yamauchi: “We’ve fought on the same shows many a time. As a fan of the sport and a fan of high-profile names, he’s been one of them. He wasn’t in my weight class at the time, but now he’s an opponent. With the highest submission rate, you can’t ignore him. I think it’s a great clash of styles, and I’m looking forward to it. I believe it’s as simple as: I want him in my arena, and he wants me in my arena. He said I’m underestimating his striking; I’m not underestimating his striking, I’m just saying his level isn’t at my level. I can put my ego to one side, accept that, and knock you out because that’s what I do best.”
On the Fight Being a Title Eliminator: “I think that’s what it is. It makes the most sense that that’s what it is. I don’t see anyone else on our level. I think the winner of this fight fights for the title next, after the fight between Amosov and Jackson.”
On the Size Difference Between He and Yamauchi: “Outside of the obvious advantages of size and reach, combat doesn’t work like that. I actually feel wrestlers are the only guys that can be undersized and be fine competing in a division above themselves. They have the great equalizer of making you the same size: putting you on your back. I think wrestlers get away with being slightly smaller, and I think if you’re a high-level jiu jitsu guy — like he is — you get the same benefits.”
On the Adage That Losing is Learning: “It’s weird. I’ve never personally agreed with it, and I don’t know if I’m hard on myself. I can win a fight and have so many mistakes in the fight, but because I’ve won, not look at the mistakes? You should be learning from every single mistake. Even if I won the round, I’m focusing on every single mistake. Learning comes from every mistake. For me, it’s the same [win or lose]. I just pick out the mistakes and fix what I need to change.”
On the Lightweight World Grand Prix: “There are some great styles in there. Even the first round of fights are great matchups. I’m really enjoying what BELLATOR are putting together. I’m just going to sit back and watch this one. Every single athlete in there is unbelievable.”
Goiti Yamauchi: No. 5-Ranked Welterweight Contender and BELLATOR’s All-Time Submission Leader
On If He Was Excited with the Michael Page Booking: “Of course. This fight comes at the right time. Unfortunately for him, it’s my time to shine. Michael was actually the No. 1 contender. Now Storley’s come back to the rankings, but he just fought for the title, and this win will guarantee the title for my next fight.”
“I believe good things take time. I had some opportunities in my past weight classes at 145, 155. I think I was pretty close to fighting for the title, but it’s all about timing. The fight game is all about timing. You have to be patient to fight at a high level and take no damage, and that’s what I’m trying to do. My time’s coming, and Friday will be my time.”
“It’s been a good change because the amount of weight that I don’t have to cut, but my mental health is really important, too. I have a better routine. I can just focus on my performance. It’s crazy to think that I used to cut to 145lbs. I’m not a tall guy, but I have a lot of mass, so it’s good to be here. It’s all about mindset. The great champions, the great fighters, they prove that how big somebody is does not matter. What matters to me is the size of your heart and spirit. Nowadays, you see a lot of double champions. They’re successful when they go up: when they try to go down, they fall short. Sometimes, it’s a good option to go up. You’re going to get stronger.”
On His Striking Skills Being Overlooked: “Like I said yesterday, don’t underestimate any fighter, especially me. Don’t underestimate my striking game, because I’ve been training since I was 10 years old. I’ve always been very patient with my striking. I always knew my skills would come, and now they have. I’m 30. People will see a lot of my striking game, and I will prove myself a dangerous striker.”
On Page Warning of His Own Grappling Skills: “Honestly, I don’t think he’s going to accept grappling. It’s kind of obvious that he’s going to try to stand up with me. But he’s worked a lot on his defense, so I just need to exploit his weaknesses, and that’s what I’m going to do Friday night.”
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BELLATOR 292: NURMAGOMEDOV VS. HENDERSON MAIN CARD:
SHOWTIME
Friday, March 10 — 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Lightweight World Championship Main Event: C-Usman Nurmagomedov (16-0) vs. #3-Benson Henderson (30-11)
Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal: #2-Tofiq Musayev (20-4) vs. #4-Alexander Shabliy (22-3)
Heavyweight Bout: #1-Valentin Moldavsky (11-2, 1 NC) vs. #2-Linton Vassell (23-8, 1 NC)
Welterweight Bout: #2-Michael Page (20-2) vs. #5-Goiti Yamauchi (28-5)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV
7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
Featherweight Bout: Enrique Barzola (18-7-2) vs. Erik Perez (20-8)
Bantamweight Bout: Cass Bell (6-2) vs. Josh Hill (21-5)
Middleweight Bout: Khalid Murtazaliev (16-3) vs. Tony Johnson (8-4)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Julius Anglickas (10-3) vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (19-7-1)
Featherweight Bout: Laird Anderson (3-0) vs. Rogelio Luna (1-0)
Middleweight Bout: Theo Haig (1-0) vs. Adam Wamsley (2-2)
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