Fight Facts: Bellator 269

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: 2,992
TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR EVENTS: 271

Bellator MMA went to battle with the Ultimate Fighting Championship for weekend supremacy, trotting out one of the greatest fighters in the sport’s history against a middling UFC card. The result could not have been more dramatic for the legend, as he and his team performed swimmingly. Bellator 269 featured a shocking injury finish for a longtime great, one of the biggest betting favorites in Bellator history doing what was expected and a 45-year-old clock getting turned back for one more magic moment.

Dobro Pozhalovat: For the first time after 270 events plus six co-promoted with Monster Energy, Bellator planted its flag in Russia. The California-headquartered organization has now staged shows in 11 different countries since its inception in 2009.

They Ran This Town: All four representatives of the famed FedorTeam won their fights in Moscow. Fedor Emelianenko, Anatoly Tokov, Kirill Sidelnikov and Nikita Mikhailov each reigned supreme in their bouts.

Fedor-Man: Homecoming: Emelianenko set his home crowd ablaze when he knocked Timothy Johnson out in 100 seconds. “The Last Emperor” recorded the 40th victory of his career in the process, while elevating his finish rate to 77.5%.

A Russian’s Russian: Throughout his career that began in 2000, Emelianenko has competed in his home country of Russia eight times. He has never lost on Russian soil, with six of those wins coming inside the distance.

Last Thing to Go…: The four Bellator wins for Emelianenko have all come by knockout, giving the Russian legend the third-most knockout wins in divisional history. Only Vitaly Minakov (five) and Tyrell Fortune (six) have earned more.

Pop It Back In: The heavyweight tilt between Vitaly Minakov and Said Sowma marked the first time in Bellator history that a bout had ended due to a finger injury. Of note, Tony Mustard did injure his hand against Mindaugas Gerve in 2019, but it was not from a dislocated finger.

Living Up to the Name: In a 160-pound pre-planned catchweight contest, Usman Nurmagomedov ran roughshod over Patrik Pietila before throttling the Finnish fighter towards the end of the opening round. Nurmagomedov is now a perfect 14-0 as a pro, with 12 of those victories coming inside the distance.

En Sabah NurMagomedov: Nurmagomedov clocked in at an overwhelming -3000 favorite before beating Pietila. He is the most substantial betting favorite in Bellator since Magomed Magomedov came in at -3050 before taking on C.J. Hamilton in April.

Tokov Time: Yet to lose since making his Bellator debut in 2017, Anatoly Tokov has now prevailed six times on the roster after his decision win over Sharaf Davlatmurodov. Tokov already finds himself tied with four other fighters for the fifth-most triumphs in Bellator middleweight history.

Not So Easy, Is It: Darina Mazdyuk, famous for facing a 500-pound man in a cage, debuted in Bellator only to get knocked out in the second round by Katarzyna Sadura. Each of the four women Mazdyuk had defeated in the past were making their pro debuts at the time, while opponents with any pro MMA experience beat her.

Shurdawg: In less than half a round, Alexey Shurkevich flattened Grachik Bozinyan with punches. The Russian out of Storm Fight Team has earned 10 of his 13 career victories before the final bell.

The Fine is Less Than the Win Bonus: Although he missed weight ahead of his featherweight fight with Alexander Osetrov, Aiden Lee overcame the obstacle and submitted his opponent in the opening frame. Fighters in Bellator that have missed weight this year hold a record of 7-3.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into Bellator 269, Minakov (23 fights) and Mazdyuk (five fights) had never been finished, Bozinyan had never been knocked out (15 fights) and Stephanie Ielo Page had never dropped consecutive bouts (seven fights).