Jake Paul

“It’s a surreal moment. Hard work pays off. First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Anderson. He was my idol growing up. He inspired me to be great. He was the first celebrity I ever met. Without him, we wouldn’t have had a fight this year. He’s a tough mofo. A legend. I have nothing but respect for him. This just goes to show that anyone watching at home, chase your dreams. It’s never too late. I started boxing two-and-a-half years ago as a pro and just beat one of the greatest ever because I’m obsessed with this. I go so hard every single day. Nothing can get in my way. No distractions. And if you’re watching at home, it doesn’t matter if you have talent, it doesn’t matter if you have anything, you just have to work your ass off and you can accomplish your dreams. This should just go to prove that because I met Anderson when I was 13 years old. If you’re 13 years old watching this, go get it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.

“We were just fighting in the clinch and he got caught on the way out. He took so many hard shots throughout the whole fight. The dude is a real dog. You see what happens to everyone else that gets hit with that. He’s the toughest guy in the world but I just wanted it more. I’m a real dog and I left it all in the ring.

“They’re going to find something to say. ‘Fight a real boxer.’ I tried. If I were walking on water, people would say that I can’t swim. There’s always going to be haters. There’s always going to be critics. It’s an everyday part of life if you’re doing something and being successful. I don’t worry about it.

“This is just the start. I want Nate Diaz. Canelo, you too. You guys said, ‘You can’t beat a striker, you can’t beat a legend like Anderson Silva.’ I just did it. So why can’t I beat Canelo?”

Anderson Silva

“I worked hard to put on a special show for everybody here. Thank you to everyone for coming. That’s the game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But nothing will change in my life. I’ll continue training hard because I’m born for this. Now, I go back home, continue training and see the next challenge.

“I think the judges got it right. Listen, it’s tough to come inside here and fight a young kid. I tried to do my best. I trained hard every day. Jake is better than me today. I don’t have anything bad to say about my opponent. I think everybody needs to respect this kid because he’s doing the best job. I trained hard. I’m a warrior.

“Absolutely, I’m going to continue fighting. Nobody can stop me except God.”

With a potential undisputed lightweight title showdown on the line, former three-weight world champion Vasiliy "Loma" Lomachenko   had to dig deep. While it wasn't the dominant performance many expected, Lomachenko rallied in the late rounds to edge   Jamaine "The Technician" Ortiz   (16-1-1, 8 KOs) by unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112 and 117-111) Saturday evening at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Ortiz came out firing his jab in the opening round, as Lomachenko sustained some bruising under his right eye. Lomachenko stunned Ortiz momentarily in the third round, but the underdog hung tough and was even on two scorecards and ahead by two points on the other at the fight's halfway mark. Two of the judges had Lomachenko sweeping the final six rounds in a tale of two fights. Lomachenko outlanded Ortiz, 125-122.

Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) will now look towards a potential super fight with undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, who was seated ringside to scout his potential foe.

“I’m happy. I’m happy to come back in the ring and make this a great show," Lomachenko said. "Thank you to my fans for the support. You know what motivated me. Four belts!

“Look, I’m ready. I’m ready for any option.”

Midway through Lomachenko's post-fight interview, he was joined in the ring by Haney, who also welcomed the challenge.

Haney said, “I think it wasn’t the best performance, but I know if me and Loma were to fight, we’d see a better version on the night. Congratulations, and hopefully we can get it on.”

Added Top Rank chairman Bob Arum: “The fight to make in the lightweight division is Haney versus Lomachenko, and we will do everything we can to make the undisputed championship showdown that all fight fans want to see. They are the world’s premier lightweights, and it would be a fantastic battle.”
 
"El Tren Rolls On

Robeisy "El Tren" Ramirez (11-1, 7 KOs) wants a featherweight title shot, and he may get it soon. The two-time Olympic gold medalist steamrolled late replacement Jose Matias Romero (26-3, 9 KOs) via ninth-round TKO to retain his USBA and WBO Global belts. Ramirez had his man his trouble in the first and seventh rounds, but the Argentina native refused to relent. In the ninth, Ramirez uncorked a left hand that staggered Romero and ended the one-way carnage.

Ramirez outlanded Romero in power punches, 129-32, including a 19-3 advantage in the ninth round. He is now targeting a featherweight world title shot in early 2023.

“We know that Matias is a fighter who is slick, who knows how to survive inside the ring, and that was his plan. I hurt him early, but then we tried to get him out early. And then, Ismael Salas, who is my strategist… he is a chess master. He’s moving the pieces in there, and finally we were able to do it properly and get him out of there," Ramirez said. “I think the result speaks for itself. I got the stoppage, sent a message, and in the end, if {Emanuel} Navarrete is no longer the champion at 126 pounds, if he’s fighting Oscar Valdez for the championship at 130 pounds, then I got next at 126, and I want that belt.”

In undercard action:

Heavyweight:Richard Torrez Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs) TKO 3 Ahmed Hefny (13-3, 5 KOs). In the evening's final preliminary bout, Torrez joined his Olympic teammates in the win column. After a second-round stoppage and a pair of first-round knockouts to start his pro career, Torrez saw the third round for the first time. Hefny was knocked down with a left hand in the second, and the onslaught continued in the third until referee Arthur Mercante stepped in.

Featherweight: Duke Ragan (8-0, 1 KO) UD Luis Lebron (18-5-1, 11 KOs), Scores: 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. U.S. Olympic silver medalist Ragan did what he does best, which is to use his well-schooled defense to offset his hard-charging foe. Lebron, the Puerto Rican power puncher, was never deterred, if not effective. The Garden crowd booed the verdict, but Cincinnati's Ragan did more than enough to seal the victory on the judges' cards.

Middleweight: Troy Isley (8-0, 4 KOs) UD 8 Quincy Lavallais (14-4-1, 9 KOs), Scores: 80-72 2x and 79-73. Isley passed his first eight-round test with flying colors, nearly shutting out Lavallais, a six-year pro known for his iron chin.

Junior Welterweight: Tiger Johnson (6-0, 4 KOs) UD 6 Esteban Garcia (15-2, 7 KOs), Scores: 60-54 3x. Johnson's three-bout knockout streak ended, but the Tokyo 2020 U.S. Olympian gained much-needed experience in going the six-round distance for the first time in his career.

Middleweight: Nico Ali Walsh (7-0, 5 KOs) UD 6 Billy Wagner (5-3, 1 KO), Scores: 58-56 2x and 59-55. Ali Walsh received a lot of resistance from Montana native Wagner, who weathered an early storm and even appeared to stun the grandson of "The Greatest" at the end of the second round. Wagner could not sustain his early success, as Ali Walsh pressed forward in the final two rounds to secure the narrow victory.

Lightweight: Abdullah Mason (5-0, 4 KOs) TKO 4 Angel Barrera (4-1), :21. Southpaw sensation Mason, from Cleveland, Ohio, fought well beyond his years with a methodical and devastating beatdown of Barrera. Mason notched a pair of knockdowns in the third round, the first coming courtesy of a straight left hand. Early in the fourth, a sweeping left compelled referee Johnny Callas to wave off the fight.

Junior Lightweight: Haven Brady Jr. (8-0, 4 KOs) UD 8 Eric Mondragon (7-1-1, 4 KOs), Scores: 79-73 2x and 78-74. In a battle of unbeatens, Brady authored the most significant win of his career, picking apart the California-born Mondragon with an assortment of jabs and uppercuts.

Ashton Sylve

“That’s the thing when you have a long training camp, you want to show that in the ring right here. So when I came out here, I wanted to get him right out.

“Arizona is lit. I did this for my people back home in Long Beach. This is lit.

“I’ve got to go back and talk with the team. But hopefully, I can come back over here. This crowd was incredible. Hopefully, we can do it again. I can fight again this year. First round KO. I can go a few more rounds, come back here and put another show on.

“I love the movie Minions. But at the same time, it’s inspirational. You never would think the Minions do what they do. And I don’t think people would think an 18-year-old would come out here and put a performance on like this with a veteran, experienced fighter.

“I’m speechless. I grew up under the spotlight, but this is something else. I’m ready for whatever comes next and I’m loving life right now.

“I don’t care who comes next. I just want the belt. There is nothing I want more than that right now.

“To all the fans out there, thanks for the love.”

Alexandro Santiago

“I feel so happy. I want to thank the fans for making me feel right at home and cheering for me.

“This motivates me even more to keep getting better and be considered among the great Mexican fighters representing our country right now.

“Bring on any of the champions! If I had to choose, I would pick Inoue or Nonito Donaire. In fact, I would love to fight Nonito.

“In our first fight against each other, it was my big debut in the United States so it was a different fight than what you saw tonight. I envisioned that it was going to end this way. I didn’t want it to go to the judges. I’m going to be even better trained for my next fight.

“I want to become the champion of the world so I want to fight the best. The best that are out there in my division, I want to fight them.

“Yes, this was the biggest win of my career so far. It feels great. This was the biggest card I’ve fought on and it was just great fighting on this event here tonight.”

Mansour Barnaoui(20-4) defeated Adam Piccolotti(13-5) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:51 of round two

“I did exactly what I wanted to do, and I won.”

“I was coming to BELLATOR to make the tournament and win the belt.”
 
“I really would like to make the tournament and fight against Usman [Nurmagomedov] or [Patricky] Pitbull.”
 
“Things are incredible for me. First, many family and friends came here to watch me. Even the player, [AC Milan’s Ismaël] Bennacer​​. I was very happy to meet him. It gave me a lot of energy.
 
“He tried to put me immediately on the ground but I was able to stop him. I do what I already think about. But it's working, because my training was exactly on this because we knew he wanted to put me on the ground.”
 
“I just want to say thank you for coming and supporting me and continue to follow me because the show is not finished here.”
 
“I really don’t care who will win or who has the belt. I’m ready to fight the winner, to beat him, and to take home the belt.”
 
“I’m very happy. I would really like to be in Paris at the next show, and I would like to fight in Paris for the belt.”
 

#2- Fabian Edwards(11-2) defeated Charlie Ward(10-5) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

“He was just saying how much he respects me, and I was saying the same thing to him. I’ve trained with a few of his coaches. So yeah, just sharing our respect for one another.”
 
“[Leon Edwards] He's so proud. Obviously he put a lot of hard work in so it’s been a good successful year for the team. We’ve had some tough performances but we’ve come out on top in the end so it’s been a good-good solid year for Renegade team so yeah he’s over the moon.”
 
“It’s only right. We’ve got a lot of guys from Birmingham; a lot of talent, a lot of skill. So, let’s hope they bring it back.”
 
“I’d give it like a five [out of ten]. What would you give it? It was alright. Like I said, the thing that Charlie had was that he was tough and was gritty. There’s not a lot of guys in the division that would have ate that head kick and kept their wits about them. So fair play to Charlie. He gave me a good test tonight and I appreciate that test.”
 
“It wasn’t enough in my opinion, but we’ll see what they say. I’m here. My brother says ‘Let’s keep on racking up the wins and they can’t deny you.”. Not every single performance can be an elbow to a ground and pound finish or a flying knee or an upkick. Sometimes you have to go in there and do what you have to do to secure the win and I learned that tonight.”
 
“I reckon controlling the distance a bit more. If I didn’t rush in and was busier with my kicks, it would’ve been a perfect performance. I’ve been in this game for a while, but not as long as some of these other guys. I’m learning.”
 
“Anybody who’s ever beat me in anything, of course I’d like to get it back. That’s even a fight I did ask for. But we’ll see what BELLATOR wants to make. I’d love to entertain that fight again.” [On potential rematch with Costello van Steenis]

Tim Wilde(14-5-1) defeated Saul Rogers(15-5) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

“Thank you. I agree; I felt like he slowed down considerably after the first round. I was able to time his shots. Not only his takedowns, but his striking. He definitely was weaker in the second and third rounds, but he’s certainly the strongest opponent I’ve fought. I definitely thought I won the second and third rounds.”
 
“Leon is a very good friend. He’s a teammate, he's a role model, he’s a mentor, he’s a coach. He's ‘Mr. I Can Do It All,’ that’s his nickname at the gym. He's such a nice guy. I’m very fortunate. He doesn't do it for everyone but I’m very fortunate that he will invest a tiny bit of his time into me and I think because my results have spoken for that over these last few fights and I’m very grateful to him. It’s an honor to have him in my corner and he makes me dig deeper and fight hard.”
 
“It would mean the world. There’s so many talented fighters in the whole of the U.K. With Leon being a world champion, eyes are on Birmingham and Birmingham MMA. And I just had another Fight of the Night. I think they should change my nickname to Tim ‘Fight of the Night’ Wilde. I would love for BELLATOR to come back to Birmingham.
 
“Yes certainly I would love to get on BELLATOR Dublin. I always go into my fights looking to finish my opponent if they give me an opportunity and you know I think people would be surprised that I didn’t put Saul away with some of the shots I landed. His nose was badly, badly broken. He was cut open to bits. I have to give him massive credit and respect. He’s tough. I was looking for the finish. I wanted to make a statement tonight. I wanted to get on the microphone and tell John McCarthy that I wanted Scott Coker to consider me for the lightweight tournament next year. I believe that beating Saul should prove I am the number one lightweight in the UK.”
 
“I’ll hit you with everything that I can, legally. I’ll throw backhands, I’ll throw spinning things, I’ll karate chop you. I’m flashy, I’m exciting. Saul’s a high-level grappler, but I ain’t scared to wrestle with these guys. I’m working with Leon Edwards every week; I’m doing the work Leon’s doing, and it’s paying off.
 
“Mate he has a squeeze on him, but I was safe. There wasn’t any gargling. There was no panic. Listen, he likes to jump on the neck. We’ve drilled everywhere; Peruvians, d’arce, rear nakeds. Man, I'm sick of defending chokes. Listen he obviously felt he could get them, he went for them, but I wasn’t in danger.”
 
“Not so much the power — I know he caught me a couple of times. But like, he was strong and got a big squeeze on him. He had a big presence. I’d be curious what he weighed in there. He had a very big feel, but I grapple with a lot of grapplers that are tighter and have more compression than he had.”
 
“Leon, he's an amazing MMA fighter, he's a champion, he’s a great teammate. He's going to be a great coach one day. He's so calm in the backstage and fight week. The experience he has and has learned over the 15-16 years of fighting and training he shares that with you. He feels you with confidence and puts you at ease. When you go into war with Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards in your corner you feel pretty good.”

#8- Justin Gonzales(14-1) defeated Andrew Fisher(19-9-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

“This has been fun. This place is a beautiful place, these are beautiful people. I’d definitely like to come back and show the world what’s up.
 
“I felt some of those shots and you can tell at the end of the fight that he kind of wanted out of there but he’s a tough son of a bitch. He’s gritty. I knew he was going to be tough and hard to put away so much respect to him. I tagged him with some hard ones and he kept fighting.”
 
“We put in the work. We worked on a lot of different things. I felt this was the best my hands, my striking looked in a long time, maybe ever. My cardio felt great. And look at the results. If I had another 10-15 seconds, I think I do get that stoppage.”
 
“That’s a tough question because there’s so much movement in this division. There’s a lot of people. I want to make my way to the belt. I think I still got to earn it so shit man give me [Pedro] Carvalho, give me [Daniel] Weichel, give me [Mads] Burnell. I don’t care, I’ll take all of them. They can all get it.”
 
“It was a long flight. Longer than I’d like, but it’s just part of the game. I got to come to Italy. If you want to travel, you have to be able to recover. Thanks BELLATOR for getting me out here. I feel like I recovered very well because of the great camp I had; I think this is one of the best weight classes I’ve ever had.”
 
“Just keep growing. I think if I can keep with my performance like this. There’s a couple things I saw and I didn’t do but if you go to a job and you don’t need to unload the whole truck, you just need to unload one tool and that’s all you got to use, then so be it. If that’s all you got to do to get the job done. I took him down, I could have taken him down more but I honestly didn’t have to so I’m happy with that. I’m going to take a little break, spend some time with my family and my friends and just kind of rest. Let my body heal and I’m back to the gym man, back to the drawing board. If you’re not growing in this sport, you’re getting passed so we’re continuously growing, continuously adding things to our arsenal. We’ll see what’s next."
 
“He was just kind of smiling at me. I don’t think it was any disrespect. I felt those shots tagging him. I was just letting him know, ‘That was a good one!’ He tried to shake it off, but we both knew. That was a good one.”
 
“Right now I don’t have anything on the books, but I just saw the BELLATOR vs. RIZIN card is getting put into effect. I’d like to go show the world what’s up, let them know what J-Train is all about so I don’t know if Coker wants to put me on that or not.”
 
“I don’t see how they could. I think Kai Kamaka was a tough opponent; I put him down. Andrew Fisher was on a six-fight win streak; I derailed him. I don’t think they can deny me a ranked opponent, especially after a performance like that.”

BELLATOR 287: PICCOLOTTI VS. BARNAOUI PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS:

Daniele Scatizzi(12-6) defeated Davy Gallon(21-8-2) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Costello van Steenis(14-2) defeated Kamil Oniszczuk(9-1) via submission (D'arce choke) at 3:02 of round two

Alfie Davis(15-4-1) defeated Thibault Gouti(16-6) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Chiara Penco(8-3) defeated Manuela Marconetto(3-2) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Yves Landu (19-9) defeated Walter Cogliandro (11-4-1) via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Simon Biyong(9-2) defeated Dragos Zubco(3-2) via T.K.O. (strikes) at 3:36 of round two

Nicolò Solli(4-1, 1 NC) defeated Bourama Camara (5-2) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Luke Trainer(6-1) defeated Lucas Alsina(11-4) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:53 of round one

Steven Hill(6-0) defeated Andrea Fusi(8-7) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 30-26)

Sarvarjon Hamidov (14-0) defeated Jose Maria Tome (40-10, 3 NC) via T.K.O. (kick to body) at 1:01 of round one

****

Updated schedule of BELLATOR events - click links for updated fight cards
Fri. Nov. 18 //   BELLATOR 288:   Nemkov vs. Anderson 2 / Pitbull vs. Nurmagomedov   // Wintrust Arena // Chicago, Il.
Fri. Dec. 9 //   BELLATOR 289: Stots vs. Sabatello   //   Mohegan Sun Arena // Uncasville, Conn.
Sat. Dec. 31 //   BELLATOR MMA vs. RIZIN   // Saitama Super Arena // Saitama, Japan
Fri. Feb. 24 //   BELLATOR: DUBLIN   // 3Arena // Dublin, Ireland

****

About BELLATOR
BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries by an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Paramount, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

About SHOWTIME:
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and   Showtime.com , as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to   www.SHO.com.

Uriah Hall

“I just told Le’Veon that I have so much respect for him. It’s such a hard thing to do, to switch careers. He’s a professional football player and for him to step outside of his comfort zone to do this – it’s the toughest sport in the world. I don’t care who you are. This is the toughest sport in the world. I give him so much props. I’m proud of you, man. This should make you understand that it’s a hard road and I promise you, if you keep going you’ll make it.

“He definitely surprised me. He’s pretty good. I do think he has a spot in this career. Obviously, this sport is mental. But for him to stick with his jab to the body, I didn’t know if he was trying to set me up, but he was very consistent with it. He was strong, man. I got cracked a couple times and I was like, ‘Holy s---.’ But I had to keep it together. I’m proud of him, man.

“I was surprised I won because this is MMA and boxing. The judges are different sometimes. It’s hard when you leave it up to these people who don’t really know you. I didn’t want to leave my career in the hands of people who don’t know me. So my job was to come out here and try to finish him. Unfortunately, I can’t leave it in the hands of other people. I can’t do it. This is my career. This is my life. This is my paycheck.

“F--- yeah I want to keep boxing. I want Jake Paul. I want his frosty ass. I’m the dude that’s going to come out here and expose him. If Anderson doesn’t do it, I’m going to be the one to f--- you up.”

Le’Veon Bell

“I thought I did OK. That’s a great fighter right there. I think he got the best of me.

“All the credit goes to him. I watched film and I think there are some things I would do differently now like following up with my hands a little more. But he did a great job.

“He didn’t hurt me. I’ve been playing football so I’m used to getting hit pretty hard.”

Chris Avila

“Props to Dr. Mike for taking the fight. I don’t have any bad feelings towards him. I’m glad I got the win but I would have liked to get the finish. It was a four-round fight, so I had to get the work in. He’s a tough guy, so props to him.

“I don’t fight at 185 pounds. I’ll come back to 168. So whoever wants it come and get you some. Who’s next? [Chad Ochocinco] can get it. Any of these guys can get it. I’m not going to say any names but any UFC fighters that are locked into your contracts out there, get out and I’ll give you some. Anybody can get it. Any boxer. Anybody.”

Dr. Mike Varshavski

“Probably just a lack of experience and I was trying to multi-task a little out there. But overall it’s a great experience. I got a beautiful check for the Harlem Boys and Girls Club for $175,000 so looking to move forward and do it again and get some wins.

“He never really hurt me. I got hit in the back of the head a few times, so that was different. Otherwise, just need a little more experience in the ring. Hitting the canvas wasn’t going to happen. I’m a tough Russian guy from Brooklyn.

“What’s next? We’ll see what opportunities come my way. I’m excited to get back out there and do it again.”