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.