Fight Facts: Bellator 301 ‘Amosov vs. Jackson’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR FIGHTS: 3,415
TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR EVENTS: 304

Bellator MMA said farewell to 2023 and the Showtime network with a loaded fight card that delivered the goods at the end. Whether this will be the final Bellator card, period, or if the company will undertake a radical transformation remains to be seen. Surprisingly, two new champions were crowned, and the lightweight tournament moved closer to completion. Bellator 301 featured a final result strikingly similar to a past organization, a bantamweight that has passed every test and the second member of Bellator’s 20-win club.

Sponge-Like Achievement: In the final Strikeforce card on Showtime in 2013, Tarec Saffiedine claimed the welterweight throne from Nate Marquardt in an upset on the main event. Ten years later, Bellator staged its final show on Showtime, and Jason Jackson trounced heavily favored champ Yaroslav Amosov in the main attraction.

A Bobsled Team is Next: Jackson now serves as the seventh undisputed champion of Bellator’s 170-pound division by dispatching Amosov. He is the first titleholder in promotional history born in Jamaica.

The Machine Is in Motion: Known as “The Ass-Kicking Machine,” Jackson procured his first knockout since 2018 by laying waste to Amosov. It marks his first strike-stoppage win to come beyond Round 1.

A Rare PFL Win: Ahead of Bellator 301, Amosov carried the longest undefeated record for any active fighter in a major organization at 27-0. Professional Fighters League’s Movlid Khaybulaev now holds that top spot, with 21 wins, a draw and a no contest thus far as a pro.

No Longer Just in the Mix: Interim beltholder Patrick Mix throttled Sergio Pettis to lay claim to the undisputed bantamweight strap. He is only the fourth interim champ to beat the champion and claim that status, joining Emanuel Newton, Will Brooks and Joe Warren, all three of whom did so in 2014.

Patching Together a Resume: “Patchy” boosted his career finish rate to 79% by strangling Pettis. His six submissions on the Bellator roster tie him with many other fighters for the fourth-most in organizational history. Goiti Yamauchi’s nine sit atop the list.

Bantamweight Is Such a Great Division: By tapping Pettis, Mix completed his bantamweight tournament run that began against Kyoji Horiguchi in April 2022. The New York native beat Horiguchi, Magomed Magomedov (#79175) and Raufeon Stots to earn the interim strap, $1 million and the chance to vie for Pettis’ belt.

Squawk Squawk Squawk: Handling Danny Sabatello for a second time, Stots picked up the unanimous decision over his bitter rival. Since joining Bellator in 2019, “Supa” has needed the judges to secure six of his eight victories.

If a McKee Falls in the Forest: A.J. McKee picked up his 20th win as a Bellator fighter by topping Sidney Outlaw on the scorecards. “The Mercenary” is the second fighter in promotional history to amass 20 victories, joining former foe Patricio Freire.

To Tournament or Not to Tournament: Busting up Patricky Freire across five rounds, Alexandr Shabliy advanced to the finals of the lightweight grand prix, where his opponent will be determined. The Russian pushes his win streak to nine, including all five in the Bellator cage.

The Frank Stallone of the “Pitbull” Brothers: Freire fell short for the 10th time as a Bellator fighter following his defeat against Shabliy. The promotional staple now holds the third-most losses in league history, but he has completed 26 times overall—two shy of his brother’s record.

Adventures Outside of Riverdale: Capping off the prelims, Archie Colgan remained undefeated by outworking Pieter Buist en route to a decision. “King Archie” has won all six of his appearances in Bellator, and his fights have ended either in the first or third rounds thus far as a professional.

Same Four Guard, Same Domination: Timur Khizriev styled on Justin Gonzales to pick up the decision win and boost his unbeaten record to 14-0. The man from Dagestan has heard the final bell in eight of his last 10 bouts, including three in a row.

Never Too Old to Learn New Tricks: Returning from a three-year layoff, Keri Melendez missed weight and tapped out Sabriye Sengul. The 39-year-old has earned four of her six wins inside the distance, all under the Bellator banner.

Matheus Does Math: With a second-round rear-naked choke, Matheus Mattos put away Richard Palencia and boosted his finish rate to 86%. The Brazilian posts over half of his stoppages in Round 2.

The Fabled -magomedovs: Ramazan Kuramagomedov choked out Randall Wallace with a rear-naked choke to keep his spotless record intact. The 12-0 fighter came in as a massive -2000 betting favorite and only closed as the sixth-heaviest favored fighter in Bellator this year.

The Law Keeps Winning: The first six pro bouts for Cody Law saw Law go the distance just once. In his last four, Law has heard the final horn following his most recent decision over Jefferson Pontes.

British Invasion of Your Skull: Courtesy of a head kick and follow-up punches, Tim Wilde put Mike Hamel down in the third round. The Brit notched his first knockout since April 2018 and earned his first stoppage under the Bellator banner.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into Bellator 301, Amosov (27 fights), Sumiko Inaba (six fights) and Pontes (six fights) had never been defeated, Sabatello (17 fights) and Gonzales (16 fights) had never dropped consecutive bouts and Palencia had never been submitted (11 fights).