Cillian Cunningham
Lead mixed martial arts writer who can be contacted at cillian@punditarena.com.
Cillian Cunningham
September 29, 2019
Gegard Mousasi has lashed out at the sitting Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Lovato Jr – accusing him of using steroids. After getting the better of his fellow former UFC star Lyoto Machida at Bellator 228 last night, Gegard has put himself in prime position to secure a rematch against the man who dethroned him last March, Rafael Lovato Jr. Speaking …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 29, 2019
AJ McKee managed to score a stunning first-round knockout of Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 228, finishing the fight in just eight seconds. This 24-year-old is going places, there’s absolutely no doubt about it. On a night that also included a successful return to action for AJ’s father, Antonio McKee, the prospect was able to score one of the fastest KO’s …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 29, 2019
Jared Cannonier made a major step towards middleweight title contention with a second-round TKO of Sweden’s Jack Hermansson in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since debuting at 185lbs last November, Cannonier has managed to rack off a trio of finishes – beating David Branch, Anderson Silva, and now, Hermansson to truly signal himself as a divisional top contender. Once fighting as a heavyweight …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 28, 2019
Gunnar Nelson came up short in his UFC Copenhagen main-card showdown against Gilbert Burns, losing out on the cards by unanimous decision. It was a matchup of elite grapplers in Denmark as black-belts collided over the course of three rounds in Copenhagen. In matchups like this, it would be easy to assume that we would be treated to a jiu-jitsu …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 28, 2019
Jack Shore announced his arrival to the big stage with a dominant victory over Nohelin Hernandez on the UFC Copenhagen prelims today. Shore represents perhaps the most promising talent of all of those at forefront of the growing Welsh mixed martial arts scene at the moment, joining UFC stars Brett Johns, Jack Marshman, and John Phillips in leading the country’s …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
James Gallagher made short work of his Bellator Dublin opponent Roman Salazar, submitting him within 35 seconds of the opening bell. After his originally scheduled opponent Cal Ellenor was forced to withdraw from their contest, taking a matchup against the tricky veteran Roman Salazar was a risky move for the Irishman, but a move he made regardless. The 3Arena is …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
Michael Venom Page made short work of Richard Kiely in the Bellator Dublin co-main event, finishing the fight in the first-round with a flying knee. It was a pretty odd contest while it lasted. After referee Dan Miragliotta paused the fight to caution Kiely after he flipped the bird to his opponent, the action was once again halted after Page …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
Peter Queally well and truly brought the 3Arena to its feet with a stunning come-from-behind victory to defeat Ryan Scope on the Bellator Dublin main-card. The Showstopper lived up to his billing in every possible sense of the word with the biggest win of his career to date. Queally walked to the cage with the thunderous support of the Dublin …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
Kiefer Crosbie turned in a solid performance in front of a sold-out Dublin crowd to beat Hugo Pereira on the scorecards at Bellator Dublin. Backed by the surprise appearance of his long-time friend and training partner Conor McGregor, Kiefer strode to the cage to rapturous applause from the Dublin crowd ahead of his fourth appearance as a Bellator athlete. That’s …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
19-year-old prospect Norbert Novenyi Jr delivered on the hype and then some with a highly impressive three-round showing against Will Fleury. Novenyi proved himself to be an elite talent in front of a packed 3Arena crowd tonight by handing one of Ireland’s most popular fighters his second loss inside the Bellator cage. Though known for his skills as a wrestler, …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
Leah McCourt was as dominant as advertised as she absolutely ran through her Bellator Dublin opponent Kerry Hughes on her way to a first-round stoppage. McCourt had the opportunity to show all of her skills as she dealt with the threat presented by the Essex-native Hughes on the Bellator 227 main-card. Opening up the fight with some heavy exchanges on …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
Richie Smullen returned to the Bellator cage in emphatic fashion, scoring a beautifully manoeuvred submission victory over Sean Tobin in Dublin. As soon as the opening bell sounded it was vintage Richie Smullen as he secured the takedown within the contest’s first thirty seconds, something that signalled the beginning of the end for Limerick’s Sean Tobin. From there on out …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 27, 2019
Richie Smullen spoke to us here at Pundit Arena ahead of his Bellator Dublin featherweight showdown against Sean Tobin this evening. Seeing Richie win in dominant fashion on February’s Bellator Dublin main-card held an extra significance to those who have followed his career – especially in the last year or so. His run as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter was one …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 26, 2019
Will Fleury spoke to Pundit Arena in the lead-up to this weekend’s Bellator Dublin, explaining where his head is at ahead of his middleweight clash with Norbert Novenyi Jr. When I last spoke to Will a few weeks back, the tone of the entire conversation was one that at times held a more bitter edge. The Tipperary man was understandably …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 25, 2019
Kiefer Crosbie spoke to Pundit Arena ahead of his return to the cage as he takes on Hugo Pereira on the Bellator Dublin main-card this weekend. From an official standpoint, Crosbie is 2-1 as a Bellator since making his promotional debut last December but let’s be real – the man is still practically an unbeaten fighter. Entering his last outing …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 24, 2019
Another landmark event in the history of Irish MMA is upon us and with that in mind, we’ve made up a list of everything you’ll need to know going in. When is it on? Bellator Dublin will take place today, Friday, September 27. Where is it on? The 3Arena, N Wall Quay, North Dock, Dublin 1, Ireland Who’s headlining? The …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 24, 2019
John Kavanagh has spoken about his desire to see a matchup between his fighter Conor McGregor and the perennial featherweight/lightweight contender, Frankie Edgar. And it’s a fight that has been in discussion in one way or another for the last four or five years. Edgar, whose most recent outing saw him lose to Max Holloway, has been hanging around the …
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Cillian Cunningham
September 23, 2019
Richard Kiely spoke to us here at Pundit Arena ahead of the biggest fight of his career, a Bellator Dublin clash with Michael ‘Venom’ Page. When the Bellator co-main-event contest between Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Richard Kiely was first announced back in July, my initial reaction was a mixture of both surprise and excitement. I’ve followed the career of the …
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