Ronda Rousey Reacts To UFC 229 Incident, UFC Champion Congratulates Bellator Champ, Bellator Results
- Former UFC female champion and current WWE titleholder Ronda Rousey was asked her thoughts on what went down at UFC 229 recently by TMZ Sports. Last weekend, Khabib Nurmagomedov stormed over the Octagon wall and attacked members of Conor McGregor's team after defeating him in the fourth round to defend his lightweigh title.
"I understand promoting fights," Rousey said. "I really do. I get it. But I don't think people have to get arrested in order to do that. I think I've been able to prove that you can make a fight exciting and make people really wanna see it without crossing any legal lines. I'm glad it was a great match. I'm sorry it's kind of soured by the aftermath."
Nurmagomedov has since stated he would leave the promotion if any of his teammates who are current UFC fighters are fired for their roles in the matter. McGregor, meanwhile, declined to press any charges and has been asking for a rematch. Both are currently temporarily suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
"Their performances aren't going to get enough credit because of what happened and I really hope it doesn't become an ongoing trend," Rousey said. "I want people to feel safe bringing kids to fights."
- Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko have advanced to the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. Bader, the reigning light heavyweight champion, scored a win over Matt Mitrione via decision on Friday night, with Fedor finishing Chael Sonnen Saturday. The finals are expected to take place in early January.
Bellator's back-to-back night of action also featured Benson Henderson besting Saad Awad, Cheick Kongo knocking out Timothy Johnson, Anatoly Tokov defeating Alexander Shlemenko, Sergei Kharitonov earning a KO over Roy Nelson and Lorenz Larkin advancing as the alternate in the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix.
Kevin Ferguson Jr., the son of the late Kimbo Slice, suffered his second career loss when he was finished by Corey Browning in the second round.
- UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier had a brief feud with Ryan Bader when Bader was still with the UFC. Now, Bader is the Bellator light heavyweight titleholder and has advanced to the finals of the heavyweight grand prix to crown a champion in that division.
Despite their differences, Cormier offered up his thoughts on Bader, who he believes will claim victory in the grand prix over Fedor Emelinanenko, who advanced Saturday night.
Bader is killing it in bellator! It would have been a fun one ! https://t.co/kmi4VqUj3a
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) October 13, 2018