Bellator 221 gets featherweight clash between Cris ‘Sunshine’ Lencioni and Adil Benjilany

By Drake Riggs - March 8, 2019

Stacking up a card is nothing new in MMA. Promotions do it more often than not and it’s always to the fans’ satisfaction. While still in its infancy, Bellator 221 is beginning to form and take shape throughout its entirety.

Cris-Lencioni

FloCombat reported yesterday that a featherweight scrap between Adil ‘Gloryboy’ Benjilany (5-1) and Cris ‘Sunshine’ Lencioni (4-2) has been added to the May 11 event live from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. BJPenn.com has confirmed the news.

For the man known as Sunshine, he will be looking to rebound off a two-fight skid since joining the promotion in 2017 where he would successfully make his debut with a triangle choke victory over Thomas Lopez in the first round.

The Gracie-Barra Portland product has showcased his grappling skills in most of his fights throughout his professional and amateur career as he has eight wins by submission (three pro, five ammy).

When asked for comment about the match-up, Sunshine had the following to say.

“I don’t know, I’m fighting some guy named ‘Advil Bengay,’ and all I know is he’s gonna need it after I’m done with him,” Sunshine told BJPenn.com.

Despite his last loss coming to the highly touted Tywan Claxton, Sunshine remains the only fighter to not be finished by Claxton out of Claxton’s four pro victories.

As for Morroco’s Benilany, this will mark his third appearance inside the Bellator cage as he looks to extend his current winning streak to six straight.

Benjilany’s most recent victory came at Bellator 210 in November 2018 when he finished Daniel Carey with strikes in the second round. It was Benjilany’s fourth victory by KO/TKO.

Expect more exciting match-ups for the already fantastic Bellator 221 card. The current line-up can be seen below.

  • Lightweight – 155lbs: (C)Michael Chandler vs. (FW C)Patrício Freire
  • Welterweight – 170lbs: Douglas Lima vs. Michael Page
  • Featherweight – 145lbs: AJ McKee vs. Pat Curran
  • Heavyweight – 207-265lbs: Jake Hager vs. TJ Jones
  • Featherweight: Cris ‘Sunshine’ Lencioni vs Adil Benjilany

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/8/2019

Related

Paul Hughes, Usman Nurmagomedov

Paul Hughes wants Conor McGregor in his corner for possible Usman Nurmagomedov title fight

Harry Kettle - October 21, 2024
Dillon Danis
Dillon Danis

Dillon Danis confirms plans for MMA return, claims several UFC veterans declined to fight him: "Everyone is scared!"

Josh Evanoff - October 16, 2024

It appears that Bellator veteran Dillon Danis wants to return to the cage. The controversial ‘El Jefe’ hasn’t been seen in action since his boxing match with Logan Paul a year ago. In the co-main event of Misfits 10, Dillon Danis was badly outboxed by ‘The Maverick’. Despite a lot of pre-fight trash talk, the MMA fighter was very little more than a heavy bag last October.

Daniel Cormier, Francis Ngannou, Renan Ferreira, Cedric Doumbe
Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier dismisses PFL and Bellator, says UFC is the only place to earn "Superstardom"

Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2024

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier feels the UFC is the only MMA promotion in which athletes truly have an opportunity to achieve a superstar fame level. Cormier sat cage-side as UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. Pereira defended the belt for the third time in just seven months and rallied from early adversity to finish Rountree.

Patchy Mix
Patchy Mix

Bellator Paris card on November 16th canceled, Patchy Mix vs. Leandro Higo postponed

Josh Evanoff - October 3, 2024

Next month’s Bellator Paris card headlined by Patchy Mix vs. Leandro Higo has been canceled. ‘No Love’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a split-decision victory over Magomed Magomedov in May. That victory was Patchy Mix’s first defense of his Bellator bantamweight title and moved him to 20-1 as a professional. Following the victory, the champion was booked opposite Leandro Higo for next month in France.

Paul Hughes, Usman Nurmagomedov
Usman Nurmagomedov

Paul Hughes eyeing Bellator title fight against Usman Nurmagomedov with victory over A.J. McKee: "It's got to be next"

Josh Evanoff - September 19, 2024

Paul Hughes is angling for a fight with Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. ‘Big News’ is still early on in his tenure with PFL and Bellator. Paul Hughes famously chose to sign with Donn Davis and the promotion, over Dana White and the UFC earlier this year. In his promotional debut earlier this summer, the Irishman scored a second-round knockout victory over Bobby King.

Yaroslav Amosov

Former Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov hints at UFC run after promotional exit

Fernando Quiles - September 13, 2024
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov

Video | Khabib Nurmagomedov chokes Umar Nurmagomedov while coaching cousin Usman at Bellator San Diego

Harry Kettle - September 9, 2024

Khabib Nurmagomedov started choking Umar Nurmagomedov, seemingly out of anxiety, while watching Usman Nurmagomedov compete last week. Last week, Usman Nurmagomedov defeated Alexander Shabliy with a dominant unanimous decision triumph to successfully retain his Bellator lightweight championship. It was a really solid display and in his corner, he had Umar Nurmagomedov and the great Khabib Nurmagomedov there to guide him through the contest.

Usman Nurmagomedov
Usman Nurmagomedov

Usman Nurmagomedov wants to prove Khabib Nurmagomedov right: "I am the future"

Fernando Quiles - September 8, 2024

Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov believes he is the future of MMA. Nurmagomedov put his 155-pound hardware at stake against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event of Bellator Champions Series 4 this past Saturday. The Dagestan bruiser earned a unanimous decision win to maintain his hold on the gold and improve his pro MMA record to 18-0, 1 NC.

Lorenz Larkin
Lorenz Larkin

Video | Lorenz Larkin stops Levan Chokheli in the first round at Bellator San Diego

Harry Kettle - September 8, 2024

Lorenz Larkin picked up a huge win over Levan Chokheli last night in their battle at Bellator San Diego. Over the course of the last 15 years, Lorenz Larkin has served as an interesting case study in mixed martial arts. For the longest time, he was viewed as someone who has the potential to be a real superstar. In equal measure, some of his appearances inside the cage didn’t quite live up to the hype.

Usman Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov calls Usman Nurmagomedov the "future" of MMA

Harry Kettle - September 4, 2024

MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov is the future of the sport. As we know, it’s been an interesting time for Usman Nurmagomedov as of late. While he may be a world champion in Bellator, he’s also had to deal with a suspected doping violation. Despite that, he is set to return to the cage this weekend when he defends his crown against Alexandr Shabliy.