Arguably the biggest event in Bellator history went down Saturday with Bellator 263, which took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and saw a title change hands in the main event.
The promotion’s 16-man featherweight grand prix came to a conclusion in the headliner when A.J. McKee (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) dethroned champion Patricio Freire (32-5 MMA, 20-5 BMMA) by first-round submission to start a new era in the division and take home a $1 million prize.
For more on the numbers behind McKee’s title win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 263.
Event stats
Betting favorites went 9-0 on the card. Two fights had even odds.
Betting favorites remained 6-2 in Bellator main events this year. McKee vs. Freire had even odds.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:35:28.
A.J. McKee def. Patricio Freire
McKee’s 18-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest active streak in the company.
McKee’s 18-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest current streak in a single major organization.
McKee’s 18-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest streak in company history.
McKee’s 18-fight Bellator winning streak at featherweight is the longest active streak in the division.
McKee’s 18 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Michael Chandler for second-most in company history behind Freire (20).
McKee’s 18 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Freire (19).
McKee’s 13 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied with Freire and Chandler for most in company history.
McKee’s 13 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
McKee’s seven submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Freire has suffered all five of his career losses under the Bellator banner.
Freire suffered the first true stoppage loss of his career with a submission defeat. The other on his record came as the result of injury.
Mads Burnell def. Emmanuel Sanchez
Mads Burnell
Mads Burnell (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) improved to 7-0 since his final UFC appearance in May 2018.
Emmanuel Sanchez (20-6 MMA, 12-5 BMMA) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision
Usman Nurmagomedov def. Manny Muro
Usman Nurmagomedov
Usman Nurmagomedov (13-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has earned 11 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
Manny Muro (12-7 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) fell to 3-4 in his past seven fights dating back to February 2018.
Islam Mamedov def. Brent Primus
Islam Mamedov
Islam Mamedov (20-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) extended his unbeaten streak to 20 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since July 2009.
Brent Primus (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
Goiti Yamauchi def. Chris Gonzalez
Goiti Yamauchi
Goiti Yamauchi (26-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) improved to 7-2 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in October 2016.
Yamauchi has earned 22 of his 26 career victories by stoppage. That includes 10 of his 12 Bellator wins
Yamauchi earned his first knockout victory since Nov. 22, 2013 – a span of 2,808 days and 14 fights.
Chris Gonzalez (6-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) had his six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Khasan Magomedsharipov def. Jonathan Quiroz
Khasan Nurmagomedov
Khasan Magomedsharipov (6-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has earned five of his six career victories by stoppage.
Jonathan Quiroz (3-5 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to June 2017.
Quiroz has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Joshua Jones def. Johnny Cisneros
Joshua Jones
Joshua Jones (11-5 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) has earned nine of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
Johnny Cisneros (13-8 MMA, 3-6 BMMA) has suffered four of his five career stoppage losses by knockout.
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Kiefer Crosbie
Georgi Karakhanyan
Georgi Karakhanyan (31-11-1 MMA, 9-9 UFC) improved to 3-3 since he returned to Bellator for a third stint in March 2019.
Karakhanyan improved to 3-1 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in February 2020.
Karakhanyan has earned seven of his nine Bellator victories by stoppage.
Kiefer Crosbie (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.
