According to the former WWE star turned professional fighter, Bobby Lashley is more serious about his MMA career than ever before, and he has every intention of making the most of what’s likely his last chance.

Lashley (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), like most, has encountered his fair share of peaks and valleys during his time as a pro fighter. However, he believes his situation has never been as close to perfect as it is right now, and he wants to capitalize on it.

“I want to swing for the fences and go after some of the bigger names,” Lashley told MMAjunkie. “This is my last run, so I don’t want to make it gradual. Some of these next few fights, there’s some guys I really want to get in the cage with.”

The first run

For the first time in his six-year, Lashley feels like he truly belongs as an MMA fighter. Early in his career, which he launched in 2008 after fellow WWE vet Brock Lesnar made the move to MMA, he was still more “pro wrestler” than MMA fighter. And the notoriety pushed him to a level of fighting he wasn’t close to ready for.

Lashley signed with the now-defunct Strikeforce organization for just his fifth fight. He was first matched against Wes Sims, a 13-year veteran with nearly 30 more fights on his record. Lashley won that fight, but his momentum stopped there.

He was next pitted against Chad Griggs. He’s no world-beater, but he was competent enough to batter and stop the 2010 version of Lashley.

In hindsight, Lashley said he wishes he had never signed with Strikeforce. The level of opposition was more than he was ready for, but the paydays were hard to pass up.

“I didn’t have to (sign with Strikeforce), and I wish I didn’t do it,” Lashley said. “I don’t think there are too many fighters who started their career and went straight to a major promotion like I did. It’s a double-edged sword.

“Me, coming from a wrestling background, of course everyone wants to throw me up there because – the promoters were like, ‘If we’re going to pay you more, you’ve got to fight on a bigger stage so we can get something out of you.’”

Taking a timeout

Following the loss to Griggs, Lashley never again returned to the Strikeforce cage. The loss – his first – made Lashley realize he needed to go back to the drawing board.

He was in a position where he was clearly out of his depth, and while the paydays helped him support his two children, Lashley would have traded the money for a victory, he said. It’s a reason Lashley now encourages young fighters to focus on gradual development.

“Most fighters don’t just go straight pro then face guys with 30 or 40 fights under their belt in their first fight,” Lashley said. “It’s something I had to do for whatever reasons. I would never tell anyone to go pro right away. I would advise guys to do a lot of muay Thai fights, jiu-jitsu tournaments and amateur fights before so they can get more experience. I didn’t have that.”

Following the April 2010 loss to Griggs, Lashley career prospects dimmed. He took off seven months and returned and then returned to regional scene in the U.S. His post-Strikeforce journey consisted of six fights over the past four years. He won five, with the lone defeat coming to big-show vet James Thompson via controversial decision.

Back on the big stage

Lashley is the first to admit his commitment to MMA has wavered over the past several years. In order to support two children, the single father took a few one-off fights and dabbled back in the world of pro wrestling.

That’s until this Friday, when Lashley makes his Bellator MMA debut against heavyweight Josh Burns (8-7 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) on the Spike TV-televised main card of Bellator 123 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

With a strong support system to help raise his children, Lashley thought now was the time to put all his eggs in one basket and commit to another shot at MMA success.

He believes the six fights since his Strikeforce departure have adequately helped him build the needed experience to compete on MMA’s bigger stages.

“I decided to sit back and fight in smaller promotions and just have some fights under my belt without the pressure and the spotlight on it,” Lashley said. “I stepped back a little bit before because I became a single father, and I really had to take some time away for my kids. That was the time away I’ve had in the last couple years and didn’t have the opportunity to really train the way I wanted to.

“Now I have everything back together, I have more support at home, and now it’s an opportunity to step back on a major stage. Bellator is great, so I think this is the best thing for me right now.”

A last stand

Lashley insists his current dedication to the sport is unlike anything he’s attempted in the past. He trained for his Bellator debut at the world-renowned American Top Team academy in Florida, and he has future plans to relocate permanently so he can work full-time at a high-level training facility.

“I know a lot more than I did when I first started, so the natural progression is me being more prepared,” Lashley said. “I’ve had the opportunity to do some things I haven’t done before. I’m in great shape right now, and I’m in better shape than I have been in a long time.

“I feel more mentally focused to compete in this sport. I’m more confident than I have been for a while.”

While the sport sees fighters excel at all different ages, Lashley, now 38, knows he has limited time to leave his mark. That’s why he’s given everything he has to prepare for Friday’s contest.

Judging from his record, Burns isn’t the most challenging opponent Lashley has encountered in his MMA career. With seven losses to his name, all by stoppage, the odds are stacked in Lashley’s favor ahead of his first bout since November.

Lashley is aware he needs to put an exclamation mark on his performance if he’s going to be taken seriously with the new-look Bellator.

“Now is a good opportunity to make this one last stand and go for it,” Lashley said. “Let’s just be real. I can’t stay here and spin my wheels. I just really want to go out there and make a statement. I want to go out there and do well and look good.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

Did you miss the “Countdown to Curran-Pitbull II” a one-hour special on Monday night? Watch it here.

The special previews Friday’s Bellator 123 event, where featherweight champ Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) rematches rival Patricio Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA).

Bellator 123 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The evening’s preliminary card streams on Spike.com at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) prior to the Spike TV main card at 8 p.m. ET.

The countdown show also previews heavyweights Cheick Kongo (21-9-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) vs. Lavar Johnson (18-9 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), lightweights Muhammed Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) vs. Dustin Jacoby (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), and heavyweights Bobby Lashley (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. Josh Burns (8-7 MMA, 0-4 BMMA), all of whom fight on the main card.

The full Bellator 123 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – for Bellator featherweight title
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

While the UFC’s last-second headlining switch left the bantamweight division static, there was a small move in the 170-pound ranks, as Ben Askren is now the ONE FC welterweight champion.

“Funky” now stands at No. 7 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings after needing just 84 seconds to score a TKO win over Nobutatsu Suzuki.

Take a look at the rankings in those two divisions, and check out the top fighters across every weight class ahead of a busy weekend that will see ranked fighters Alistair Overeem, Cheick Kongo, Muhammed Lawal, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Gegard Mousasi, Pat Curran, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Nik Lentz, Charles Oliveira, John Moraga and Justin Scoggins all in action at Bellator 123 and UFC Fight Night 50.

Bellator MMA returns on Friday for its 11th season, and fans are invited to today’s official fighter weigh-ins.

Bellator 123 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card on Spike TV following prelims at Spike.com. The card is headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Pat Curran and former title challenger Patricio Freire in a rematch from early 2013.

Today, fans can attend the official fighter weigh-ins for the event at Mohegan Sun Casino. A pre-fight news conference also is expected to take place. The event is free and open to the public with the first fighter on the scale at 5 p.m. ET in Connecticut.

All fighters on Friday’s card will be on hand, as will new Bellator President Scott Coker, who will oversee his first event for the promotion. The weigh-in ceremonies will be emceed by Bellator cage announcer Michael Williams and analyst Jimmy Smith.

The full Bellator 123 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – for featherweight title
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Pat Curran and Patricio Freire)

With three sizable favorites – and two significantly so – on the main card, there are three unanimous nods from our staff for Friday’s Bellator MMA season opener.

	Curran vs. Freire	Kongo vs. Johnson	Lawal vs. Jacoby	Lashley vs. Burns
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA All-time picks: 115-50	Curran	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn All-time picks: 111-54	Freire	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley
Dann Stupp @MMAjunkieDann All-time picks: 110-55	Freire	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley
Brian Garcia @thegoze All-time picks: 105-60	Curran	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley
Ben Fowlkes @benfowlkesMMA All-time picks: 103-62	Curran	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt All-time picks: 104-62	Curran	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley
Steven Marrocco @MMAjunkieSteven All-time picks: 100-65	Curran	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge All-time picks: 93-72	Curran	Kongo	Lawal	Lashley

In the main event, Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) puts his featherweight title on the line in a rematch with Patricio Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA). Oddsmakers have the fight right down the middle, essentially a pick’em fight. Of the eight MMAjunkie writers and radio hosts, six believe Curran will defend his belt in the rematch – he beat “Pitbull” before in a close split decision in 2013.

But the three other fights on the card all resulted in unanimous nods from the Junkie staff. In a heavyweight co-feature, all eight pickers are taking Cheick Kongo (21-9-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) to beat Lavar Johnson (18-9 MMA, 1-2 BMMA). Kongo is a little more than a 2-to-1 favorite in the fight.

Muhammed Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) will try to get back on track against Dustin Jacoby (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a light heavyweight bout, and as more than a 5-to-1 favorite, he’s the unanimous pick. Jacoby picked up the fight on short notice.

And former pro wrestler Bobby Lashley (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make his Bellator debut against Josh Burns (8-7 MMA, 0-4 BMMA) as a significant favorite of as much as 9-to-1. All eight of our staff are picking the TNA Impact! Wrestling heavyweight champ.

Check out the full picks above.

Bellator 123 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

Bellator 123 fighter weigh-ins took place today, and all 26 athletes on the card made weight on their first trip to the scale.

The weigh-ins took place at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. The attached Mohegan Sun Arena hosts Friday’s Spike TV-televised card.

The official Bellator 123 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran (144.75) vs. Patricio Freire (145) – for featherweight title
• Dustin Jacoby (203.75) vs. Muhammed Lawal (202.5)
• Tamdan McCrory (184) vs. Brennan Ward (186)
• Josh Burns (262.75) vs. Bobby Lashley (248)
• Cheick Kongo (238) vs. Lavar Johnson (249.75)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Matt Bessette (146) vs. Scott Cleve (145.5)
• Brandon Fleming (136) vs. Blair Tugman (136)
• Pete Rogers (144) vs. Phillipe Martins (146)
• Mark Griffin (204) vs. Mike Mucitelli (204)
• Perry Filkins (186) vs. Dan Cramer (185)
• Josh Diekmann (242) vs. Mike Wessel (253.75)
• Steve Garcia (135) vs. Kin Moy (135)
• Rico DiSciullo (135.5) vs. Marvin Maldonado (135.25)

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Pat Curran)

Join us for a live video stream and official results from tonight’s Bellator 123 event, which opens the organization’s 11th season, beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

Bellator 123, which goes head to head with UFC Fight Night 50 tonight, takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Featherweight champion Pat Curran rematches Patricio Freire in the headliner.

U.S. fans can watch the prelims above at 6 p.m. ET, and Spike TV carries the main card at 8 p.m. ET. Viewers outside the U.S. can watch the entire event above.

We’ll have live results posted below throughout the evening.

* * * *

Official Bellator 123 results include:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – for Bellator featherweight title
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

It’s been a while since rival MMA promotions staged fight cards on the same night. There’s a lot less competition out there for the UFC – and no insolent upstarts like Affliction to motivate the 10,000-pound gorilla to raise its tents on short notice.

Right now, it’s really just Bellator MMA, a slightly less garish product that, thankfully, hasn’t given a moment of its show away to Megadeth. Under the new management of ex-Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker, the defacto No. 2 player looks like its going to be transformed into something resembling his now-defunct promotion, but with a lot more media muscle behind it.

But first, there are existing obligations to attend to, and for Coker and Co., that means pushing Bellator 123, which was scheduled – intentionally or not – on the same night as UFC Fight Night 50. The two events not only go head-to-head on TV, but also compete for the expendable dollars of Connecticut’s finest. The Mohegan Sun Arena that hosts Bellator in Uncasville is about a 10-mile drive from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard. (Bellator 123’s main card airs live on Spike TV at 8 p.m. ET, and UFC Fight Night 50’s main card kicks off on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET.)

Usually, these columns are dedicated to UFC events because, let’s face it, most of the so-called needle-movers reside within the octagon. Bellator, however, has scheduled a solid title rematch in its headliner and filled its Spike TV card with a notable, if slightly slanted, roster of matchups.

UFC Fight Night 50, on the other hand, features a solid card with three top-10 ranked fighters. And it bears noting that those three are also former Strikeforce fighters, which is further proof that the foundation laid by Strikeforce is paying off for the UFC.

It’s a Friday today, so watching MMA fights might not be on your list of priorities. You may want to go about your usual routine and head to the nearest watering hole to shed a few brain cells. But with a little picture-in-picture or DVR magic, you can catch two solid fight cards.

Here are 10 reasons to watch Bellator 123 and UFC Fight Night 50:

1. Alligator catcher

UFC Fight Night 50: In a middleweight division that’s been revitalized over the past year with the changing of the guard, few fighters have looked as promising as Ronaldo Souza (20-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC). The former Strikeforce champion has rattled off three straight wins since transferring from the now-defunct promotion and was first to halt the seemingly inexorable march of Francis Carmont. Now, “Jacare” faces his stiffest test to date in a rematch with fellow ex-strikeforce champ Gegard Mousasi (35-4-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who fell just short of a shot at the title when current contender Lyoto Machida outpointed him. After rebounding with a quick win over Mark Munoz, “The Dreamcatcher” could reignite a title bid by stopping Souza, whom he knocked out with an upkick six years ago in the now-defunct DREAM promotion. Souza’s skill set was far less developed back then, so it will be interesting to see how things have changed in this event’s headliner.

2. Feather dust-off

Bellator 123: As featherweight champ Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) recently told MMAjunkie, fans are probably going to see a lot of him and two other guys, Patricio Freire and Daniel Straus. They’re the best talent the Viacom-owned promotion has to offer, after all, and with the end of tournaments, it’s a safe bet they’re going to fight a lot of rematches. Curran notched his first title defense over “Pitbull” at the start of 2013 in an entertaining five-rounder. Having won back the belt taken by Straus this past fall, he gets a little deja vu in starting out his second stint opposite the Brazilian. Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) gave him all he could handle in a kickboxing-heavy fight, so count on this one showing a little more variety. In the end, though, it should be just as exciting as the first one.

3. Heavy leather

UFC Fight Night 50: Apart from being two notable UFC fighters to dance with the testosterone devil, Alistair Overeem (37-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Ben Rothwell (33-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC) are heavyweights in search of a place in the promotion. Overeem, signed to a lucrative contract, has sputtered in high-profile fights while Rothwell has picked up steam only to be knocked down. Rothwell is back after a one-year layoff courtesy of a UFC suspension for illicit testosterone use, so a win over Overeem would be huge for his career. For Overeem, who most recently pounded out Frank Mir in a less-than-thrilling affair, it would merely keep him in place. “The Reem” appears to have more long-term upside as a hulking star, but a loss to Rothwell would be pretty devastating to his career. It might, however, justify the UFC’s decision to cut costs.

4. Beast mode

UFC Fight Night 50: Heavyweight Derrick Lewis (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) looks like a freight train ready to chug across the UFC’s big-man division, but as of yet, he hasn’t faced top-tier talent. “The Ultimate Fighter 10″ vet Matt Mitrione (7-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has specialized in deflating over-hyped fighters, most notably Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, so a matchup between the two is normal for the promotion’s playbook of building contenders. Lewis is a bruiser in the first round, but he has yet to be pushed into deep waters, and Mitrione has the length and striking skills to keep him at distance. Lewis will either show he’s more than just a brawler, or fall hard.

5. Power vs. technique

Bellator 123: Speaking of heavyweights, the hard-swinging Lavar Johnson (18-9 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) used to be the flavor of the moment in the UFC before a pair of losses and a post-fight pop for testosterone brought his exit. Now in Bellator, Johnson is trying to reinvent himself and struggling against well-rounded fighters. Cheick Kongo (21-9-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is just the type of technician that could slowly wear him down over 15 minutes, but he’s also been railroaded by those who charged him off the bat. Johnson’s biggest wins have come by first-round blugeoning, so there’s your intrigue.

6. Your jiu-jitsu is no good here

UFC Fight Night 50: “The Ultimate Fighter 15″ winner Michael Chiesa (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is a lot like his upcoming opponent, Joe Lauzon (23-9 MMA, 10-6 UFC), in the way that he capitalizes on opportunities to finish opponents. The problem for him, here, is that Lauzon has done it a lot longer than he has, and against more seasoned competition. A ground scramble between the two is bound to bring some excitement, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see Lauzon keep this fight on the feet and test the “TUF” winner’s mettle.

7. Easy riding

Bellator 123: Free from the burdensome presence of Bjorn Rebney, Muhammed Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) can now try to rebuild his career after a questionable decision loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Bellator and Scott Coker would be wise to build toward a rematch between the two rivals, and that’s the easiest plan. But first, Lawal needs a few wins under his belt, and UFC castoff Dustin Jacoby (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) should provide a springboard for bigger things. That is, unless Jacoby decides to play spoiler.

8. Under the radar

UFC Fight Night 50: Featherweights Nik Lentz (25-6-2 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) and Charles Oliveira (18-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) have flirted with title contention, only to see hopes dashed by title contenders and ex-champs. A rematch between the two, which comes three years after an illegal knee from Oliveira led to a no-contest, almost seems like a fight for the title of ultimate gatekeeper, as guys like champ Jose Also, Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson and Dennis Bermudez hold the top five spots. Lentz is now a competent striker, but against an unpredictable threat like Oliveira, he’ll be mixing in his wrestling skills to trump the Brazilian.

9. The man who wouldn’t be king

Bellator 123: In retrospect, the hype around heavyweight Bobby Lashley‘s MMA crossover was far too generous. The sometime pro wrestler got into the sport too late, and like success story Brock Lesnar, didn’t really like getting punched in the face for a living. Add to that an uneven training regimen, and Lashley was bound to flame out, as he did in Strikeforce against Chad Griggs, who went on to lose two straight and go absent in the UFC. Lashley (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) returns to his quixotic career with a fight against Josh Burns (8-7 MMA, 0-4 BMMA), who’s winless in Bellator after four tries. Don’t expect fireworks, but you should see Lashley’s amateur wrestling-honed mat skills dominate.

10. Second and third chances

UFC Fight Night 50: Flyweight John Moraga (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has gotten two chances to make a splash at 125 pounds – first against champ Demetrious Johnson, and then in a rematch with John Dodson. Both went south for him, and in the promotion’s smallest division, options are running out for his long-term outlook. That makes a fight with Justin Scoggins (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), a young hopeful who won two straight before a decision setback to Dustin Ortiz, all the more important. Even though the UFC’s flyweight class is one of the youngest, Scoggins is the prospect here to put the veteran out to pasture.

For more on UFC Fight Night 50 and Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

Muhammed Lawal didn’t intentionally cut too much weight on Thursday, and he wasn’t trying to make some type of statement. But after weighing 202.5 pounds for Bellator 123, he said he’s soon going to give middleweight a try.

Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) co-headlines tonight’s Spike TV-televised event against late replacement and fellow light heavyweight Dustin Jacoby (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). While weighing in for Bellator 123, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Lawal tipped the scale at 202.5 pounds – a full 3.5 pounds under the 206-pound limit.

On today’s edition of MMAjunkie Radio, “King Mo” said he was just as surprised as everyone else during Thursday’s weigh-ins.

After he hopped on the scale, someone asked why he came in so light for the fight.

“‘What do you mean I’m coming in so light?'” Lawal remembers thinking.

He was then told he weighed 202.5 pounds.

“I was like, ‘whoops,'” he said.

Lawal said it wasn’t indicative of any problems or illnesses. He wasn’t trying to make a statement, and he wasn’t extra light throughout camp. Instead, he said, he simply had a bad unofficial scale, which he realized once he was on the official scale.

But did he exert himself too much by cutting the extra weight? Was it a struggle?

“Hell no,” he said. “I have no problem making 205.”

That’s why, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion said, he’s going to give the 185-pound middleweight division a try in 2015. In fact, he said, he’s shooting for fights in three weight classes: middleweight, light heavyweight and even heavyweight.

With former Strikeforce head Scott Coker now in charge of Bellator MMA, the once-disgruntled fighter finally has some job satisfaction. It’s a reason he recently signed a new deal with Bellator.

So, as he looks to rebound from a controversial decision loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson earlier this year and take out Jacoby tonight at Bellator 123, he sees plenty of options next year, especially when it comes to his weight.

“I’m going to play with it a little bit in 2015,” he said. “I want to do three weight classes. I just want to get my fights, have some fun and get paid.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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It’s been more than a year since Patricio Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) challenged Bellator featherweight champ Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) for the title, and after a long wait for a rematch, he is ready to take the belt on Friday at Bellator 123.

The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and the featherweight title headliner airs live on Spike TV.

“Pitbull” Freire, who lost a split decision to Curran at Bellator 85 in January 2013, expects a different fight the second time around, particularly when it comes to the champ’s tactics inside the cage. After the first bout, he complained of headbutts, but now, he told MMAjunkie, “perhaps both of us are more mature now.”

“It’s a new fight,” he added. “The first fight means nothing since this one will probably play out very differently. I think Curran matured by losing the belt and winning it again. That’s a lot of experience gained. The same with me.

“I beat four opponents to be able to face him again. I didn’t fight for a long while, but I’ve been training hard the whole time. I think I’m in the best shape I’ve been. I’ve working on every aspect of fighting. We won’t be limited to boxing this time, since our previous bout was mostly boxing.”

Freire beat three opponents in the Bellator Season 9 featherweight tournament to earn his rematch and sat on the shelf when Curran lost the belt this past fall to Daniel Straus, and the promotion elected to give him a rematch rather than award Freire the title shot he supposedly earned.

With Bjorn Rebney out as the Viacom-owned promotion’s head and former Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker now at the helm, Bellator is embarking on a new course that favors superfights over tournaments, so presumably, Freire won’t have to fight through another tournament if he loses.

On the other hand, he might have to wait anyway for the promotion to bring him willing and able opponents.

“When I won the last tournament again, I should have faced the reining champion, Straus, but instead Bellator gave a rematch to Curran,” he said. “That’s the reason for my long delay coming back.

But of course, Freire doesn’t expect to fall short this time around.

“I did my fight camp almost exclusively at Pitbull Brothers in Natal. We’re putting in the final touches at Black House in Los Angeles. It’s good to come to America and get different looks.

“I aim to take in this positive energy and do everything in my power to bring the belt to Brazil, with faith, discipline and honor.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

Stream or download today’s edition of MMAjunkie Radio with guests Joe Lauzon, Muhammed Lawal, Scott Kent, Matt Erickson and Sammy the Squid.

Lauzon and Lawal fight tonight at UFC Fight Night 50 and Bellator 123, respectively. Fighters who do MMAjunkie Radio on fight day are 41-11. Kent, the promoter for Lion Fight Muay Thai, stopped by to discuss Lion Fight 18, which takes place tonight in Las Vegas. Erickson, assistant editor for MMAjunkie, called in from Connecticut to talk about UFC Fight Night 50 taking place tonight. He will be cageside covering the event. Squid was in-studio giving out his college and NFL football picks for this weekend.

You can listen below, or directly download (right click) the episode.

In one of the most highly anticipated rematches in Bellator MMA history, Patricio Freire (22-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) finally captured the featherweight championship with a unanimous-decision victory over Pat Curran (20-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) in tonight’s Bellator 123 main event.

The 145-pound championship fight headlined the organization’s season opener from Uncasville, Conn.’s Mohegan Sun Arena. And while it may not have met the expectations that followed the first fight, it was another memorable battle, but this time with a different result.

Curran first defeated Freire via controversial decision in January 2013, but this time, “Pitbull” didn’t let the belt slip through his fingers. Instead, he emerged victorious in convincing fashion.

As the championship match played out on Spike TV, fans, media and other figures from the MMA community reacted on social media. Check below for the top tweets from the Bellator 123 main event between Freire and Curran.

* * * *

The wait is over.

Next on @SpikeTV, @PatCurranMMA vs @PatricioPitbull for the Featherweight World Title. #Bellator123—
Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) September 06, 2014

Bellator Featherweight Title Closing Odds: Patricio Freire -135 vs. Pat Curran +125 -@SpikeTV @BellatorMMA @MMAOddsBreaker #Bellator123—
Nick Kalikas (@FightOdds) September 06, 2014

Pitbull out to Thunderstuck by AC/DC—
Jason Floyd (@Jason_Floyd) September 06, 2014

Curran walks out to "Wake Up" by Pepper—
Jason Floyd (@Jason_Floyd) September 06, 2014

MMA's lowest of low (whatever that unveiling thing is) to the highest of high (Curran vs Pitbull). Bellator fit it all into one show.—
RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) September 06, 2014

Pitbull vs Curran might be the best fight outside the UFC we're going to see all year. Enjoy it! #bellator123—
James Lynch (@LynchOnSports) September 06, 2014

Been looking forward to this main event!! @BellatorMMA—
Douglas Lima (@PhenomLima) September 06, 2014

@PatricioPitbull by TKO 2 round ! #Bellator123—
Ricardo Tirloni (@TirloniMMA) September 06, 2014

10-9 Pitbull—
caposa (@GrabakaHitman) September 06, 2014

1st Rd Striking Stats: Curran (12/34 35%), Pitbull (11/31 35%)—
Jason Floyd (@Jason_Floyd) September 06, 2014

So who would u give first round to—
Daniel Straus (@DanielStraus) September 06, 2014

The pitbull brothers, as a camp, really seem to have improved lately.—
Zane Simon (@TheZaneSimon) September 06, 2014

We go to Rd2. Who did u score Rd1 to? Mixed reactions here cageside. @BellatorMMA @PatCurranMMA vs @PatricioPitbull http://t.co/VnB1lDHdMI—
Michael C. Williams (@thisisthevoice) September 06, 2014

20-18 Pitbull, but he took some big shots end of round 2.—
  (@Fight_Ghost) September 06, 2014

Great round….. maybe a slight edge to Curran in that one….—
Robert Joyner (@robnashville) September 06, 2014

Pitbulls-Curran has been really good. Going to the 3rd now.—
Greg Savage (@TheSavageTruth) September 06, 2014

3rd Rd Striking Stats: Curran (20/52 38%), Pitbull (25/65 38%)—
Jason Floyd (@Jason_Floyd) September 06, 2014

I have Pitbull up 29-28 now.—
Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) September 06, 2014

Dont miss the action!!! #bellator123 fb.me/3M8Hz1bnY—
Mercedes Terrell (@mercedesterrell) September 06, 2014

What a fight!!!!—
Julia Budd (@JuliaBudd) September 06, 2014

Going into the championship rounds of another close fight. Last time they met – a split decision. Who will pull out the win? #Bellator123—
Spike Sports (@SpikeSports) September 06, 2014

Damage showing on both faces. Round 4. @PatricioPitbull vs @PatCurranMMA @BellatorMMA #bellator123 http://t.co/KWem91D7wB—
Michael C. Williams (@thisisthevoice) September 06, 2014

4th Rd Striking Stats: Curran (22/59 37%), Pitbull (13/62 20%)—
Jason Floyd (@Jason_Floyd) September 06, 2014

What an awesome fight as expected! #Bellator123 @bellatormma—
MIKE RICHMAN (@MikeUSMCRichman) September 06, 2014

Tight. 39-37 Pitbull. Neither guy should feel comfortable going to the judges.—
Josh Gross (@yay_yee) September 06, 2014

Will we see a classic curran 5th round rally? Not likely, Pitbull just too good.—
Nate Miller (@NateMillerMMA) September 06, 2014

Curran gets the sweep but Pitbull fights back to his feet. #Bellator123—
Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 06, 2014

#Bellator123 now or never boys—
  (@JuneWhiteMMA) September 06, 2014

Pitbull just rocked Curran (again). Curran needs a finish to stay champion, imo.—
Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) September 06, 2014

Curran's inability to really open up his own offense is a distinct narrative in his losses.—
Zane Simon (@TheZaneSimon) September 06, 2014

Novo campeao!!! Pitbull merecido demais—
Marlon Moraes (@MMARLONMORAES) September 06, 2014

5-0 Pitbull. You could MAYBE give Curran a round. MAYBE—
caposa (@GrabakaHitman) September 06, 2014

Insane fifth round from Curran and Pitbull. The Brazilian should be about to take the Bellator title, unless the judges bungle it.—
Chad Dundas (@chaddundas) September 06, 2014

That did not disappoint! Pitbull vs curran delivered #bellator123—
James Lynch (@LynchOnSports) September 06, 2014

What a fight!!!! Congrats both warriors!!! Parabéns aos dois guerreiros!! Lutasso!!!! @BellatorMMA—
Douglas Lima (@PhenomLima) September 06, 2014

We go to the cards! I hv the final scores. Stand by…. @PatricioPitbull vs @PatCurranMMA @BellatorMMA http://t.co/w1YQgAW3L6—
Michael C. Williams (@thisisthevoice) September 06, 2014

Got to be a Pitbull win. #Bellator123—
Lance Storm (@LanceStorm) September 06, 2014

Wow, hell of a performance by both @PatCurranMMA and @PatricioPitbull for the @BellatorMMA Featherweight Title.—
Anthony Mazzuca (@Mazzuca87) September 06, 2014

49-46 for Pitbull. Thought he might fade late, but he kept it going. Hell of a performance.—
Dann Stupp (@DannStupp) September 06, 2014

Another outstanding fight by @PatricioPitbull & @PatCurranMMA! Two of the best fighters in the sport putting it all out there @BellatorMMA—
Robert Hinds (@hindsmmareferee) September 06, 2014

Great main event @PatricioPitbull is the new champion both guys fought their hearts out @PatCurranMMA is a tough sob. #Bellator123—
Mike Kogan (@MikeKogan) September 06, 2014

And NEW Featherweight World Champion, @PatricioPitbull http://t.co/fbvg1whg33—
Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) September 06, 2014

So it's pitbull I'm eyeing now…—
Daniel Straus (@DanielStraus) September 06, 2014

#Bellator123 results: Patricio Freire def. Pat Curran via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) – wins FW title wp.me/p3WzJ0-wSo—
  (@MMAjunkie) September 06, 2014

For more on Bellator 123, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

At Friday’s Bellator 123 event, Tamdan McCrory made his return to the cage after a five-year break from competition. And the “Barncat” needed just 21 seconds to post a “Knockout of the Year” candidate.

McCrory (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who left the sport in 2009 after a 3-3 run in the UFC, made a triumphant return and needed just 21 seconds for a thorough thrashing of recent middleweight title challenger Brennan Ward (9-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA).

The fight aired on Spike TV from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

In Bellator 123’s main event, Patricio Freire (22-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) avenged an earlier defeat and claimed the featherweight title from Pat Curran (20-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA).

Also on the card, Muhammed Lawal (13-4 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) pounded out fellow light heavyweight Dustin Jacoby (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), former WWE/TNA star and Strikeforce vet Bobby Lashley (11-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) made a successful Bellator debut over heavyweight Josh Burns (8-8 MMA, 0-5 BMMA), and heavyweight Cheick Kongo (22-9-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) tapped out Lavar Johnson (18-10 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).

Check out all the highlights above.

And for more on Bellator 123, including a full event recap, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It was a long-awaited night for Bellator MMA’s “Pitbull” brothers, but as Patricky Freire watched his little brother close out a title-winning performance, he said the commission threatened to remove him from the event.

Bellator 123 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. In the Spike TV-televised headliner, Patricio Freire (22-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) earned a five-round decision win over Pat Curran (20-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) to win the featherweight title.

However, as Patricky Freire, a licensed cornerman (“second”) for his fight, shouted instructions to his brother, he said an official from the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation threatened to remove him from the event.

“Around the third or fourth round, the athletic commission threatened to expel me because I was yelling out a lot, and that it might sway the judges,” he told MMAjunkie after the event.

Although cornermen are permitted to give instructions during a bout, he said he was obviously confused by the mandate, especially since he was speaking Portuguese and the cageside officials were all American.

“They said it could influence the judges into rendering the wrong decision,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve seen this in America.”

Commission officials weren’t immediately available for clarification.

Regardless, despite the cageside confusion, it turned out to be a joyous night for the Brazilians (via Twitter and Instagram):

And newwwww champion on The world patricio " Pitbull " freire ! @ Mohegan Sun Arena instagram.com/p/sl3ByXtGIG/—
Patricky Freire (@PatrickyPitbull) September 06, 2014

The younger Freire, who avenged an early-2013 narrow title loss to Curran, has combined with his brother for 22 career Bellator fights. But after six tournaments berths and a few close calls, a “Pitbull” is finally a champion.

“There were difficult times where I was very broken and exhausted during (fight camps), but there was never a time I was going to give up,” the new champ said.

For more on Bellator 123, including a full event recap and video highlights, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After a few trips to the Constitution State, Muhammed Lawal has a message for fight fans in Connecticut: “They can all kiss my ass.”

The never-reserved light heavyweight picked up a win in Friday’s Bellator 123 co-headliner. Lawal (13-4 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) used a second-round barrage of punches to score a decisive victory over UFC and GLORY vet Dustin Jacoby (10-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), but the crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., occasionally booed him during the Spike TV-televised fight.

The boos were especially loud late in the first round, when Lawal ducked punches, danced and taunted.

“The crowd was going off because they don’t like me, so I started clowning around,” Lawal said after the fight. “Man, I don’t care if they like me. What state is this? Connecticut? They can all kiss my ass.”

It was Lawal’s second fight in Connecticut, and the first one, which was a decision victory over Mikhail Zayats in the Season 10 light-heavyweight tournament semifinals, wasn’t much better, he said.

“My last fight (in Connecticut), when I fought Zayats, they were booing because I was like, ‘Look, I’m slipping, and he’s slipping. I’m not going to try to go out there and fight if we’re both slipping. I’m going to go out there and just get the victory and fight Quinton (Jackson),'” he said. “And they were booing me. Everything he threw, they were oohing and awwing, and trying to boo me.”

So why don’t fans like him?

“They don’t like me here. Because I don’t like them.” said Lawal, who was booed while the official result was announced on Friday. “Plain and simple.”

But the former Strikeforce champion is no stranger to fans’ disdain. He received plenty earlier this year after suffering a narrow loss to Jackson in the tourney final. After the fight, Lawal unleashed a tirade directed at now-ex CEO Bjorn Rebney, and he hasn’t curbed any criticism of Jackson.

Lawal said it’s simply an unfortunate byproduct of keeping it real.

“If you keep it real, you’re going to be polarizing,” he said. “Some people like realness, and some people like fakeness. But I keep it real, so people love it or hate it.”

As for what’s next, Lawal is open to anything if the money is right. He already told MMAjunkie he plans to give middleweight a try in 2015, and he’d still like to get another fight in before the end of the year.

But does he want that “Rampage” rematch?

“Actually, he asked me for the rematch,” he said. “Let him know, if you all talk to him – because I know he’s been AWOL – let him know I’ll grant him his rematch. But I think he’s scared or something. Who knows what he’s doing? I don’t care.

“Quinton, Tito (Ortiz), (Stephan) Bonnar? Doesn’t matter to me.”

For more on Bellator 123, including a full event recap and video highlights, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bobby Lashley said he felt the nerves, but he also felt confident, which is a reason he said his return to the cage at Friday’s Bellator 123 event was a success.

Now, with a second-round submission victory over Josh Burns (8-8 MMA, 0-5 BMMA) (watch the video highlights), Lashley (11-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) wants to keep the momentum going.

On Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Lashley returned from a 10-month MMA layoff – and a four-year break from the major promotions – for a successful Bellator debut. But now that the TNA heavyweight champion is splitting time between MMA and pro wrestling, he wants to make his trips to the cage more frequent.

“I don’t know when the (next) fight is going to be because I have obligations to TNA, and at the same time have I have obligations to the Bellator,” he said. “But we’re going to try to figure out something. Hopefully I can fight real soon.”

Lashley, a Kansas native who wrestled in college in nearby Missouri, said he’d even be open to a quick turnaround and would be willing to fight next month during a planned Bellator event in Kansas.

“I can do that,” he said. “I’m from there, man. … If I have the opportunity to fight in Kansas City, I’m always open to it.”

As for a possible opponent, Lashley said he’s open to any matchups. He said he doesn’t want to call out anyone by name since it can be seen as disrespectful.

“I’m never the type to call out people,” he said. “I don’t want to be known as that. I don’t want to be that.”

However, during the organization’s “Countdown” show for Bellator 123, Lashley mentioned fellow heavyweight and fellow Bellator 123 winner Cheick Kongo (22-9-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) at one point.

It’d be a step up in competition for Lashley; Kongo is currently ranked No. 14 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, and he’d arguably be the biggest and most accomplished name on Lashley’s resume. And since the 38-year-old Lashley knows he has only so many years left in the sport, he said he’d respectfully welcome such a matchup.

“I’m not having too many runs (left),” he said. “I’m not going to be taking time off and coming back and forth. This is going to be my last run. I’m going to hit it as hard as I can.

“Since I’m hitting it as hard as I can, you have to look at the bigger names in the heavyweight division, and Cheick is definitely one of them. … If I have an opportunity (to fight him), yeah, I’d love to.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

During Friday’s Bellator 123 event on Spike TV, new Bellator MMA President Scott Coker announced an upcoming bout between veteran light heavyweights Tito Ortiz (17-11-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and Stephan Bonnar (15-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Things only got weirder from there.

To promote the fight, which takes place Nov. 15 at Bellator 131 at San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center, the UFC Hall of Famers entered the cage for a somewhat bizarre confrontation.

Bonnar tried (unsuccessfully) to take Jimmy Smith’s microphone as a masked man stood next to him. Bonnar then said he’s been getting help from Ortiz’s former friends because they don’t like the “sack of crap” anymore. Former Ortiz training partner Justin McCully then was unmasked (twice, in fact, since there was both a hood and mask covering him). Bonnar then said he can’t wait to get hit by Ortiz’s punches and elbows “and be covered in blood so I can laugh at him.” He then talked about “poor” Jenna Jameson, Ortiz’s ex.

Ortiz then responded, calling both Bonnar and McCully “drug addicts,” saying Bonnar got too personal, briefly losing his train of thought, and then instigating a shoving match that concluded with Smith proudly claiming, “But I still have the mic!”

So, yeah.

“What you saw out there, I think, was serious heated emotion,” Coker said after the event. “I know Justin McCully. I don’t know what he means to Tito Ortiz. I don’t what happened, but obviously there’s some bad blood there between those two. And hence the mask. At first, I thought I was at a Japanese pro-wrestling event or something.”

And the fallout?

“I told Tito and Justin, ‘Calm down,'” he said. “I don’t know what the beef is, but they definitely have some beef. Tito was steaming. Even when he left, he was still pretty riled up. So it’s going to be interesting that Saturday night (at Bellator 131).”

“Interesting” is certainly one word for it.

For more on Bellator 131, check out MMA Rumors section of the site.

The head of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation said he was trying to preserve the integrity of a Bellator title fight when he warned Patricky Freire about excessive coaching.

“During the fight, we don’t mind coaching,” Michael Mizzulli, Director of the MTDAR, today told MMAjunkie. “If it’s excessive to the point where the judge cannot perform his job, or the referee cannot perform his job, the commission gets involved.”

Freire, one half of Bellator’s “Pitbull” brothers, questioned the MTDAR’s role after he cornered his brother, Patricio Freire, in a title-winning victory over now-former champ Pat Curran at this past Friday’s Bellator 123, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and aired live on Spike TV.

Freire expressed surprise at the commission’s warning and said, “They said it could influence the judges into rendering the wrong decision. This is the first time I’ve seen this in America.”

Mazzulli, however, said the elder Freire should’ve known the MTDAR’s policies on excessive coaching because the fighter fought at Mohegan Sun in 2011. He said an MTDAR commissioner warned Freire three times before he went to the fighter’s English-speaking cornerman and told him to be quieter.

“I said, ‘Please tell him to refrain from coaching so much. The judge is having a problem concentrating, and it could adversely affect the scores,'” Mazzulli said. “I said nothing about your fighter (losing) because of you coaching. And actually, in the last round, he calmed down.”

Mazzulli said he addresses corner conduct during a rules meeting held prior to each event at Mohegan Sun.

“I’m very, very clear,” he said. “What I do is I talk about back of the house, cageside, and then I go over the unified rules. I explain to everybody that if you’re extremely loud, and it starts to adversely affects the judges, the judge will calm you down twice.

“(A commission judge) said to me (during the fight), ‘He’s really starting to bother me. I can’t concentrate.'”

Corner interference from cornermen (“seconds”) is a foul per the unified rules of MMA and defined as “any action or activity aimed at disrupting the fight or causing an unfair advantage to be given to one combatant.”

With or without Patricky Freire’s voice, his brother was able to earn enough points on the judges’ scorecards to take home a unanimous decision (watch the video highlights) and the title from Curran, who outpointed him in the duo’s first meeting in January 2013.

Patricio Freire, a two-time Bellator tournament winner, broke down immediately after the grueling five-round fight, which saw him drop Curran on multiple occasions.

“It’s a dream come true,” Freire said afterward. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this. I have to think Pat Curran for another war, a second war, one of the hardest fights of my life. Luckily, I’m in one piece. A few scratches, but that’s all.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

Following the recent in-cage (and seemingly scripted) scuffle between upcoming opponents Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar, Bellator MMA President Scott Coker has made a promise to fans: “We are not going into the pro wrestling business.”

Coker, the former Strikeforce head who took over Bellator in June, today spoke to MMAjunkie three days after Friday’s bizarre incident.

During a break in action at the Spike TV-televised Bellator 123 event in Connecticut, Coker entered the cage and announced Ortiz (17-11-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will fight fellow UFC vet Bonnar (15-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) on Nov. 15 in Bellator 131’s headliner.

However, Bonnar then entered the cage with former Ortiz training partner Justin McCully (who was “unmasked”), and after trading insults, they briefly scuffled (check out the video above).

Was it scripted? And were Bellator and Spike TV in on it? Coker has heard the complaints, but he insists it’s not the case.

“No, no, no, that’s totally inaccurate information,” he told MMAjunkie. “Spike didn’t know, we didn’t know, and after the fight, I was sitting and watching Tito, and he was pissed off and mad for a good hour after that altercation. So as fake or as pro wrestling as it might seem, there’s some deep-seeded something going on over there. Really, I don’t even know what that’s about between McCully and Tito.

“To me, it’s like when Chael Sonnen does his wrestling bits. It’s very, ‘Now they’re going into the WWE business.’ It’s just how some of these guys choose to express themselves. I think Stephan had his script ready, but I don’t think Tito had his script ready because having Justin there threw him off. But at the end of the day, that’s something that happened one time. … But I’ll tell you this: The fight that’s going to happen in the cage on Nov. 15 is going to be real. All that stuff’s going to be put to the side, and they’re going to be locked in the cage, and they’re going to have to fight. But we are not going into the pro wrestling business. We’re not part of the TNA landscape, and we’re not part of Spike’s plan. It’s something that took us all by surprise.”

Coker said he even warned the fighters before they entered the cage not to do anything stupid. While he understands the need to promote a fight, he said he gave the fighters one directive.

“I told Tito, ‘Look, here’s the deal: (Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation Director Michael) Mazzulli’s here. You’re going to get fined. I’m going to get fined. Everybody’s going to get fined, so just don’t touch each other,'” he said. “I walked over to Stephan Bonnar, and as I was walking by, I see a guy with a mask. (I thought), ‘Who the heck is this guy?’ I was busy, but I went to Stephan, and I said, ‘We’re all going to get fined. You guys don’t like each other, but please don’t touch each other.'”

They obviously didn’t follow his mandate, though. After Bonnar’s apparently scripted insults, Ortiz accused both Bonnar and McCully of being “drug addicts.” He then charged Bonnar, which sparked the melee.

It all seemed a bit rehearsed to the casual observer. And Coker admitted that might have been the case with Bonnar and McCully, but he believes the reactions and emotion from Ortiz were real.

Coker plans to talk to Mazzulli later today to see if the commission will levy any fines. However, immediately after the fracas, the two fight executives had a brief discussion.

“He asked me, ‘Coker, what happened?’ And I’m like, ‘Mike, I swear, I did not know that was going to go down, and that’s the truth, on my father’s grave,'” Coker said. “I did not know that was going to go down. That’s not my style, and this is not something that we had pre-planned. I asked them, please, don’t touch each other. All I remember (during the brawl) was somebody spitting over my shoulder. I’m like, ‘Jesus, this is terrible.’

“It was bad, but it happened, and it is what it is. I understand why the fans are confused, but this is something that wasn’t pre-planned on our part. It was really between Tito and Stephan. What happens in the cage on the 15th, there’s not going to be any pro wrestling. It’s going to be a real fight.”

For more on Bellator 131, check out MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio kicks off today at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) with guests Tito Ortiz, Justin McCully and Tecia Torres.

Ortiz and McCully (who’s in studio) will discuss this past weekend’s in-cage confrontation at Bellator 123. Torres is a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 20,” which debuts Wednesday on FOX Sports 1.

MMAjunkie Radio airs today from noon to 2 p.m. ET (9 to 11 a.m. PT), live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The show is available on SiriusXM Sports Zone (channel 92). You can also listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

MMAjunkie Radio listener guide:

• HOW TO ONLINE: Go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio and choose a streaming option (such as Windows Media Player or Quicktime) to listen to the show live. A countdown clock appears when the show is offline.
• HOW TO WATCH (ON WEB): Check out a live video stream of the studio while there. You can also listen to a live audio stream of the show when you activate the video feed.
• HOW TO CALL: MMAjunkie Radio takes phone calls from listeners throughout the show. Call into the MMAjunkie Radio hotline at (702) 736-9461 or (702) 736-9463.
• HOW TO DISCUSS: The MMAjunkie MMA Forums has a new section devoted solely to MMAjunkie Radio. Stop by the MMAjunkie Radio forum to discuss the show, interact with the hosts, suggest future guests and catch up on the latest MMAjunkie Radio news.
• HOW TO VISIT THE SHOW: You can watch MMAjunkie Radio live and in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The booth is located in the resort’s Race & Sports Book next to the Mandalay Bay poker room. To plan a trip to Sin City and MMAjunkie Radio, go to www.mandalaybay.com.