A little more than a year after a devastating knockout loss, Sidney Outlaw picked up a crucial win this past Friday.
Outlaw (17-5 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) outworked Islam Mamedov (22-3-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) for a unanimous decision to open the main card at Bellator 298 in Sioux Falls, S.D. It was his first win since a June 2021 submission of Myles Jury.
Outlaw was set to fight then-lightweight champion Patricky Freire for the title in July 2022, but Freire was forced out of the fight. Outlaw instead fought Tofiq Musayev in a co-feature – and was knocked out in 27 seconds. Set to try to get back on track in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix, Outlaw failed a drug test and was removed from the tournament completely.
The win over Mamedov was a tough task for a rebound, and Outlaw said his move from American Top Team in South Florida to the nearby Kill Cliff gym paid dividends, even though he didn’t leave ATT on bad terms at all.
“I’m not the best. I’m a beast,” Outlaw said. “I just push, push, push, push. … I’m just a dog on a leash. … With my old team down at American Top team, a couple other people – they did good (training me). I was just lost there. I was lost. I was lost. I was sick. I was dealing with a lot of stuff. I don’t want to offend anybody or anything, but the team I’m with now is definitely for me.
“I’m not going to debate about (which team is better). I love (ATT founder) Dan Lambert. He’s one of the best. Look at the empire he created. Mike Brown – that’s my man. I love Mike Brown, Marcos (DaMatta), Artem Levin, my best friend. I don’t want to offend anybody and say, ‘Oh, this team is better.’ Obviously, you see the work. But I love those guys. I love every bit of them.”
Check out Outlaw’s full post-fight interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 298.
