Fortune and his team received word recently that his bout against Daniel James at Bellator 288 in Nov. 2022 had been overturned and changed to a ‘no-contest’. The reason for the change was a reported failed PED test by James the day before the bout took place.

“We immediately contested the fight because of the illegal blows. If you watch the replay Bellator continues to post you can see I’m struck to the back of my head six times before he transfers it to elbows that were legal,” Fortune told Cageside Press.

“But you had hit me six times to the back of my head and Daniel James is a big man.”

When Fortune and his manager Matt Aptaker contested the fight they were told that Fortune had lost that contest.

Fortune said “They then get back to me to tell me that have a congruent case that will overturn the contest but they can’t state why.”

Tyrell Fortune and his team waited over 11 months for an answer regarding his fight with Daniel James and wanted to get answers.

After going back and forth with the Commission for months and waiting for some clarification they received news a few days before Fortune’s scheduled bout with Marcelo Golm at Bellator 301 that his fight with Daniel James would be ruled a no contest.

Cageside Press was able to verify the positive PED test through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. An unspecified anabolic substance was to blame; James was fined $5,000 for the incident, and suspended three months. He received an additional suspension for unpaid child support.

Combatreg.com subsequently changed the Tyrell Fortune vs. Daniel James fight to a no contest as a result of the positive test and the fight will not reflect either fighters’ record. Fortune added he was notified by the commission by letter that the result was overturned.

“Daniel James was a big man on steroids. It took almost a year for them to tell me he popped positive for steroids and my fight was now officially ruled a no contest,” Fortune told Cageside Press.

According to Tyrell Fortune, Bellator MMA had no idea that Daniel James tested positive for a banned substance, because Illinois does not fall under the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).

“I walked from the commission office to Bellator to tell them Daniel James got popped for steroids and my fight was ruled a no contest and they said they had no idea,” said Fortune.

Daniel James was previously pulled from his scheduled fight against Davion Franklin in May 2022 due to a positive test, making this his second drug test failure in less than two years.

“I contacted Bellator before our fight to ask them what are we doing to make sure I’m safe fighting him and they said he’s going to have to test negative before you guys fight and he passed that test so between that test and the time we fought he started taking steroids again,” he said.

Fortune and his team feel very strongly about fighting clean and not taking steroids, because as Fortune put it, “peoples lives are at stake and my career is on the line.”

The post Tyrell Fortune Says Bellator 288 Fight with Daniel James Ruled No Contest Due to Failed Drug Test appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both men were coming off single wins, and looking to build some momentum on one of the biggest cards of the year.

In the first (and as it turned out only) round Pat Sabatini looked to land in the pocket and set up his wrestling. Diego Lopes was clipped early, but his body language showed he was still there and in control of his faculties. Lopes and Sabatini were trading in the pocket but Diego Lopes caught Sabatini with a right hand that stunned him. Lopes followed it up with a combination putting Pat Sabatini down. Lopes aggressively followed Sabatini to the ground to get the first round finish.

Diego Lopes took a short notice fight in his UFC debut and dropped a decision. Since then he has proven that he is here to stay with two finishes in his last three fights. The Brazilian has become a rising fan favorite and looks to continue his run in the future.

Official Result: Diego Lopes def. Pat Sabatini by KO (punches), Round 1, 1:30

The post UFC 295: Diego Lopes Ends Pat Sabatini’s Night Early appeared first on Cageside Press.

The undefeated Bishop (6-0) has fought in Wisconsin, Colorado, Arizona, and even Burbank, CA — but her October bout with Ilara Joanne was her first chance to fight at home in San Diego.

Bishop picked up a submission win inside of a round at the event, latching onto a nasty-looking arm-bar. A few weeks removed from the experience, she caught up with Cageside Press, addressing her experience fighting at home, and Bellator MMA’s future.

“It was cool because it was really relaxed, just it felt like, I was talking with one of my coaches, it’s just like ‘oh I’m just going into sparring today.’ It’s a little bit of pressure off,” Bishop said of fighting at home. “And being able to be at home, sleep in my own bed, have my dogs there, have extra training partners, all my training partners there. Because you travel, I get to take my coaches, I don’t get to travel with everyone.”

Bishop works with Angela Hill as one of her main training partners, and fighting in San Diego allowed her to do her weight cut at Hill’s home. “I got to do my weight cut there which was super chill and a fun time. She always called it a weight cut party. A lot of people around me to distract me from the misery of cutting weight. It was fun, it was cool.”

The win over Joanne marked Jena Bishop’s second victory for Bellator, having called the company home for just shy of a year now. But in reality whether it remains home is up in the air, with Bellator currently on the auction block. Rival PFL is rumored to be purchasing the company, but while talks have been confirmed, no sale has been announced to date.

Asked about what her future might entail, Bishop replied by saying “I don’t know. That’s the thing, it’s kind of hard. As far as I know, I would love to fight in the UFC, who wouldn’t. But I would also love PFL. Their flyweight division is pretty new and I would love to be a part of that, get an opportunity to fight in their tournament or something like that.”

“I really don’t care where I’m at as long as I’m fighting, and I’m getting a chance to prove myself and fight against the best people. Because that’s what I want to do, I want to be the best and I want to prove to other people that that’s what I am and that’s what I can do.”

While Bishop is remaining open when it comes to her options, she does recognize the difficult situation Bellator’s fighters and staff find themselves in.

“I’m open I guess. It sucks because Bellator, I’ve only been with them for two fights now, I just signed with them a year ago and then everything’s been up in the air basically since I signed. I enjoy the company, they’re a great promotion so hopefully it all gets sorted out soon. Because it is kind of tough just being in limbo. I know that for fighters that’s the case, but all the employees there too. Because I’ve talked to several people, and nobody knows what’s going to happen. But I’m happy going where ever I can fight.”

Watch our full interview with Bellator 300’s Jena Bishop above.

The post Bellator’s Jena Bishop on Fighting in San Diego, Promotion Possibly Selling appeared first on Cageside Press.

When it comes to the milestone event, Sonnen told Cageside Press recently that it had not sunk in until the day of the press conference.

“It was completely normal. It was the day of the press conference. I was talking with Danny Brener, and that is when I realized, Hey, wait a minute, nobody has done this before. Chatri is cranking them out, but he is a decade away from hitting 300. Dana is coming up on it. Bob Arum, Eddie Hearn, and Don King—none of them have done 300.”

“The American Gangster” had been apart of the WEC, UFC, and Bellator, just to name a few, and had never realized how crazy doing a 300th show was.

“300 is a remarkable number.”

While reflecting on that milestone event in California, Sonnen also did some reflecting on the possible sale of Bellator.

“There is this big elephant floating around, and tensions are high with the rumor of the Bellator sale, and I do understand that, but I will tell you that every wonderful experience and memory that I have with Bellator is because Scott Coker took a risk, worked his ass off, and made something. And if he did that and it is so good that someone would like to buy it, he deserves a compliment and a pat on the back. I hope that people tell him congratulations and good job, and I hope that he is proud of himself because he should be.”

Coker would not give out any direct answers to the media in regards to Bellator’s sale during fight week. Instead, he suggested that when he has answers, he will let everyone know.

“He may play, and he may pretend as though he is not always paying attention, but he knows everything that is going on. I assure you, it’s an act when he does that, and he is a tremendous leader,” Chael told Cageside Press.

Despite the rumored sale of Bellator, Chael had some things to say about one of Bellator’s rising stars: Bryce Meredith.

“I just got done with a conversation before we turned this camera on with a young man named Bryce Meredith; he’s undefeated. He was one of the top collegiate athletes to come over, and he’s got the right attitude. I was with him yesterday, and that is the day before the weigh-in, which is the worst part any athlete has to go through. His attitude was good; he had a plan and a strategy for how he was going to get his body down and his spirits down so that he could recover. It was a very mature standpoint. He’s had some great opportunities, but he also uses them.”

Bellator 300 was a massive week and event for Bellator, and it seemed to be a very successful one. Nobody knows exactly what will happen with the promotion, with the rumors still unanswered, but their 300th show remains, as Chael Sonnen said, a remarkable number.

The post Chael Sonnen on Bellator’s Recent Milestone: “300 Is A Remarkable Number” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Petroski had been a smashing success since entering the UFC, while Pereira had had his ups and downs, and was moving to middleweight after struggling to make a massive weight cut to 170. How massive? A full 46lbs, he revealed during Fight Week.

How prepared Petroski would be coming in on such short notice was always going to be a question. He certainly wasn’t prepared for the storm that met him off the opening bell.

The first round started with Pereira landing a nice body kick to the body followed by a huge left hand to drop Petroski. From there, “Demolidor” moved in and finished him with ground and pound! Michel Pereira was noticeably big and fast with the move up to middleweight where he seems to have found himself a home. And if there were questions about his cardio before, well, the fight didn’t really answer them — it was over too quick — but one assumes it will be better without a 46lb weight cut.

This was a big bounce back for the Brazilian after missing weight for his last scheduled fight against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

Official Result: Michel Pereira def. Andre Petroski by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:06

The post UFC Vegas 81: Michel Pereira Moves to Middleweight, Shocks Andre Petroski With Quick Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rosas was booked against Terrance Mitchell on the main card at the T-Mobile Arena, with the promotion still showing considerable confidence in the youngster’s star power.

While some might complain about Mitchell being a bit of a layup for Rosas, he was still a 15+ fight veteran more than a decade older than Rosas.

The early first round was electric, as both Mitchell and Rosas Jr. were landing in the pocket and both swinging for the highlight reel knockout. Rosas ended up catching Mitchell with a clean left hand that left him stiff. The 18-year-old top prospect was able to jump on top of Mitchell and end the fight with nasty ground and pound for his first UFC TKO :54 seconds into the first round. Rosas Jr. bounced back as strong as you possibly could coming off his first career loss.

After the win, Rosas Jr. called for a post-fight bonus, joking that “These custom suits ain’t cheap, and Uncle Sam ain’t forgiving.”

Official Result: Raul Rosas Jr. def. Terrance Mitchell by TKO (punches), Round 1, 0:54

The post Noche UFC: Raul Rosas Jr. Storms Back into Win Column, Decimates Terrance Mitchell appeared first on Cageside Press.

Yet it’s Strickland fighting Adesanya for middleweight gold in the main event of UFC 293 this Saturday, with Cannonier serving as back-up, the result of the promotion’s need for fresh faces to market alongside “The Last Stylebender.”

The success he’s had since that title fight is something Cannonier (17-6) broke down for Cageside Press recently.

“It’s just reassurance of the work that I’ve been doing. Ever since the Adesanya fight there’s been a few things that I wanted to change in my own approach and those fights that I have in the octagon,” explained Cannonier. “More output was one of them. And we can’t just go in there and be swinging for the fences, especially at this level. Some guy’s going to counter, some guy’s going to catch you, something bad can happen going in there with that sort of mindset.”

“Being intelligent with my approach, being more technical, being more technical and skilled at the same time. Upping my output, increasing my output, doing more. Staying busy throughout that whole 25-minute fight. Not taking any time off, because I may be tired or fatigued. Making sure that doesn’t happen, because of the work we do here at the lab. My conditioning is top-notch, it’s only getting better.”

In terms of his overall development, “the growth for me has been exponential in the past year,” Cannonier added. And despite a lot of talk online about Cannonier being “snubbed” of a title shot in favor of Strickland, “The Killer Gorilla” is not upset. Certainly not disappointed.

“No, I won’t say I’m disappointed. I think we all deserve a shot. I’m not going to be like ‘I want his shot.’ That’s his shot. I got mine after I beat [Derek] Brunson. So no, no hate towards him. It’s not like he took my shot, it’s not like they gave it to me and then gave it to him, it was his shot from the start.”

“That’s his lane, he’s staying in his lane. He’s doing what he gotta do to get the fights that he wants. Good for him. I’m glad everybody gets at least a shot. Whether the world sees him as deserving or not, as fighters, I think we all deserve a nice little paycheck.”

With just shy of three months having passed since his Fight of the Night decision win over Marvin Vettori, what’s next is now the question when it comes to Jared Cannonier. The #3-ranked middleweight doesn’t necessarily have the answer.

“I have no idea. Hopefully a contenders match, is what I want. Hopefully the championship match; if I can’t get that, I want a contenders match.” But Cannonier isn’t closing the door on fighting someone down the ladder a little, given he’ll get paid the same money either way— and he gets paid pretty well. “I don’t mind fighting somebody lower in the rankings for the same amount I would get for fighting a contender.”

That’s a big of a shift from his thoughts a few months ago, but “I love to fight,” Cannonier added. “I’m happy my name is in the title picture, but I’m not going to be fixated on getting the next title shot. I don’t want to be too fixated on it. I want to be more fixated on developing myself as a fighter, so that when the shot does come, because it’s going to come, I’m going to be more than ready to take the title next time.”

Training in Arizona, Cannonier believes that The MMA Lab has put together the best training program he’s ever been a part of. “When I first got a taste of this program, I knew for sure that this program could make me a champion. That was what, 2014, 2015? And I ain’t looked back since. I still believe that it’s true. I’m still growing, even being at this stage of my career.”

The MMA Lab continues to help Cannonier develop and evolve as a fighter even in his upper 30s, which is why Jared feels the way he does about his home gym. Cannonier seems to be the likely next title challenger, considering the fact that the UFC decided to make him the backup for UFC 293. It is yet to be seen if the “Killa Gorilla” will be needed for the UFC 293 main event, but he will be ready, coming in at 184.8 on the scale.

Watch our full interview with UFC 293 back-up fighter and #3-ranked middleweight Jared Cannonier above.

The post UFC 293: Jared Cannonier Not Fixated on Title Shot, Knows It Will Come appeared first on Cageside Press.

In a tough stylistic match-up with Spivac, at least on paper, Gane was looking to bounce back from a demoralizing loss to Jon Jones earlier this year. Turns out, it wasn’t so tough after all.

In the first round, Ciryl Gane looked like the fighter we knew before his fights with Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. Gane was using his movement to land the jab and his kicks, which seemed to be frustrating Spivac. Spivac shot for a couple of takedowns in the first round, which were stuffed by Gane, which had to be a huge confidence boost for Ciryl Gane. Spivac’s best moment in the first round was landing a right hand that seemed to get a little reaction from Gane. Ciryl landed some nice knees against the cage that drew reactions from Serghei Spivac. Gane seemed to have won the first round convincingly.

To start the second round, Gane continued his pace, landing some beautiful body shots followed by jabs and kicks. It seemed Spivac had absolutely nothing left for Gane in the second. Gane was landing knees against the cage combined with body shots, then opened up Spivac’s head. With the Moldovan heavyweight forced to cover up after enduring a battering, the ref finally called it off!

Ciryl Gane found his range early in this fight and stuffed some takedowns, which was a good sign considering he has struggled with wrestlers in the past. Gane made his country proud by finding the second-round TKO with a flurry of strikes against the cage.

This was a huge bounce back from one of the best heavyweights on planet Earth, against a very good Serghei Spivac. Gane put on a great striking clinic and showed defensive improvements, specifically with his takedown defense. The French star has many options moving forward, including a fantastic fighter in England’s own Tom Aspinall, who called for the winner back in July.

Official Result: Ciryl Gane def. Serghei Spivac by TKO (strikes), Round 2, 3:44

The post UFC Paris: Ciryl Gane Lights Up Serghei Spivac For Second-Round Stoppage appeared first on Cageside Press.

McGhee (7-1) was a short-notice call-up in his promotional debut back in April, and impressed both in and out of the cage. His submission finish of Journey Newson scored him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, while his personality shone throne in his post-fight media duties.

Along the way, “The Maniac” has made stops for regional promotions like RUF and LFA, while training out of The MMA Lab in Arizona. Those smaller shows helped prepare McGhee, especially given his debut came inside the confines of the UFC Apex. Though he’ll be equally ready to fight for a crowd when the time comes.

“It wasn’t a big crowd, it ended up being at the Apex,” McGhee told Cageside Press about his debut, in a recent interview. “So since there wasn’t a big crowd, it was more like a gym atmosphere. But I have had a lot of moments with RUFF and LFA with like big crowds and a lot of support.”

“When it comes time to step in front of a crowd, I feel confident that I’ll be able to show out just like I showed out here in Arizona,” he added.

Next up comes J.P. Buys, who McGhee believes he can finish. Though he understands that nothing is certain in a sport as tumultuous as mixed martial arts.

“I’m always excited to fight, and it’s a fight. It’s a crazy game. There’s no guarantees here. I could train as hard as a I can and still not come out on top,” noted McGhee. “But my plan is to come out on top, and with a finish. I have a lot of expectations of myself, and I have a lot of faith in myself and my abilities. And I do believe I can find that finish, be it on the feet or the ground. That’s what I envision, I envision me finishing the fight.”

That said, McGhee noted that he’s not beholden to the end goal. “Again I don’t like to hold on to too many things. I’m not thinking about what’s going to be the end goal. I’m just planning on going in there the best I can, and then putting all my tool sets up, and we’ll see what happens at the end of the fight. But crazy game, right? There’s no guarantees in this game. Highest highs, lowest lows and I’m here for it all.”

McGhee certainly made an impression in his debut, and at 33, timing in his career will be key. So does he see himself as a ranked bantamweight in the next two years? In a word, yes. In slightly more words, “I would concur. I do agree,” said McGhee. “First off, I have my team. They’re going to push me each and every day. If you look at the guys we have here, all of them are either on the cusp of being top 15, or are in the top 15. Or have been in the top 15. That’s amazing right there.” McGhee also has his faith fuelling him, to show that “you can be a champ in anything in life, period.”

As for how he’d like to be remembered when all is said and done — though he’s far from the end of his career still — McGhee focused on his actions out of the cage.

“I want them to remember that I was a great human being. That I gave back. That I was a good father, that I was a good husband, that I was a good community man. Those are the things that matter the most to me, and I think that’s what should matter most to other people.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 78’s Marcus McGhee above.

The post Marcus McGhee Envisions Finish at UFC Vegas 78, but “No Guarantees” in “Crazy Game” That Is MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

Wells was undefeated in the UFC through his first four fights, had won six straight overall, and was coming off a win over Matthew Semelsberger. Harris, also a four-fight UFC vet, was 3-1 inside the octagon and was last seen picking up a unanimous decision victory against Jared Gooden.

The first round started with things getting started early in the grappling department for Wells, who seemed to take down Harris with ease. Harris did not seem to have much for Wells in the first round on the mats. Wells was able to sink into a tight darce choke and roll around with it for a bit, but Harris was able to get up just to go back down because it did not take Wells long to get him back down to the mat and finish the round on top.

The second round started exactly the same as the first round, with an early successful takedown by Jeremiah Wells. Wells looked for another dare, but Carlston Harris read it and was able to get out this time. Wells did not land a whole lot of damage for the time he spent on top, but Harris spent most of the second round trying to get up because Wells was relentless with the top pressure in round two. Going into the third round, Harris had a lot of work to do after being down two rounds.

The third round started on the feet, but Wells quickly had Harris against the cage, looking to go back to his grappling, but he gave up his neck, and Harris sunk in an anaconda choke and choked Jeremiah Wells to sleep for a comeback victory!

This fight is exactly why MMA is the most interesting sport in the world. Jeremiah Wells was dominating this fight all the way to the third round, and as soon as he thought he had Harris defeated, Harris made him pay with a submission victory and a come from behind victory.

Official Result: Carlston Harris def. Jeremiah Wells via R3 Submission (Anaconda Choke) 1:50

The post Carlston Harris Completes Improbable Comeback, Sleeps Wells Via Submission appeared first on Cageside Press.