Bellator News
Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero scrapped from Bellator 290, current champion added to co-main event slot
Josh Evanoff - December 27, 2022
Bellator 290’s main card has lost a champion but gained another. On February 4th, Fedor Emelianenko will fight for the final time against Ryan Bader. The bout is actually a rematch of their prior encounter at Bellator 214. In their January 2019 fight, ‘Darth’ scored a first-round knockout win over the legend.
Dillon Danis says he has to pay Bellator "a hefty fee" to be allowed to box KSI
Cole Shelton - December 22, 2022
Dillon Danis has revealed he has to pay Bellator in order to box KSI. Danis, of course, is under contract with Bellator – despite not fighting since 2019 due to knee injuries. He will make his return to fighting on January 14 in the main event of Misfits 004 against KSI, with the event being streamed on DAZN.
Josh Thomson believes “lack of vision” is preventing MMA from becoming equal to soccer
Harry Kettle - December 22, 2022
Bellator commentator Josh Thomson has explained why he believes a lack of vision is preventing mixed martial arts from catching soccer. Over the course of the last few weeks, the sporting landscape has been dominated by the FIFA World Cup. Thirty-two nations from around the globe came together for the ultimate spectacle. In the eyes of many, it was the spectacle of football – but for the sake of all North Americans out there, let’s go with soccer.
Bellator, RIZIN will aim “to win every fight” on New Years Eve
Zain Bando - December 21, 2022
Bellator and RIZIN held a joint press conference Tuesday to promote the crossover event taking place in Japan New Years Eve. The event will feature five fights with the best fighters from both promotions facing each other, including names like A.J. McKee Jr. and Patricio Pitbull, to name a few. Scott Coker and Nobuyuki Sakakibara were on hand to discuss everything related to the event. In so many words, it’s more than just any singular event. It’s business-like and something that the two MMA moguls hope to continue to run back each and every year moving forward.
Coach Ray Longo blasts judge Douglas Crosby over controversial Danny Sabatello and Paddy Pimblett scorecards: "You let him piss all over people"
Josh Evanoff - December 15, 2022
MMA coach Ray Longo is the latest to shine a light on controversial judge Douglas Crosby. The name is likely familiar to MMA fans, but for the wrong reason. Crosby has judged fights for over two decades and has become a controversial figure for it. He’s been on the wrong side of some of the worst decisions in the history of the sport and has continued to receive high-profile assignments.
KSI blasts "disrespectful" Dillon Danis for no-showing press conference, 'El Jefe' fires back
Cole Shelton - December 15, 2022
KSI has taken a shot at Dillon Danis for not showing up to their press conference to promote their upcoming boxing match. KSI and Danis are set to headline Misfits 004 on January 14 in London, England. It’s an intriguing bout and a month out from the fight, a press conference was scheduled on Wednesday in England. Yet, it was revealed that Danis was unable to make his plane, preferring to concentrate on training after suffering a bout of influenza.
Bellator president Scott Coker warns Dillon Danis of boxing match with KSI: "You're going to have your hands full"
Josh Evanoff - December 13, 2022
Bellator president Scott Coker has given his thoughts on Dillon Danis’s boxing match against KSI. ‘El Jefe’ has been out of the cage since a submission victory over Max Humphrey in June 2019. That win was just the second in Danis’s career in MMA, as he debuted the prior year with a toe-hold submission win victory over Kyle Walker.
Danny Sabatello plans to "expose" and "dominate" Raufeon Stots at Bellator 289 to win interim belt: “I'm more than pumped to go f**k this guy up”
Cole Shelton - December 7, 2022
Danny Sabatello is happy he can finally share the cage with Raufeon Stots. Sabatello and Stots are set to headline Bellator 289 in a semi-final matchup of the grand prix. The fight is also for the interim bantamweight title – as Stots looks to defend it for the first time. It’s also a fight Sabatello has wanted for quite some time and is excited it’s finally happening.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 104 with Chris Daukaus, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Curtis, Danny Sabatello, Billy Quarantillo, and Jay Perrin
Cole Shelton - December 6, 2022
The 104th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of UFC 282 and Bellator 289. We’re first joined by 11th-ranked UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus (3:16). Next, ninth-ranked UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik (18:55) comes on. 14th-ranked UFC middleweight Chris Curtis (28:50) stops by. Sixth-ranked Bellator bantamweight Danny Sabatello (50:15) comes on. UFC featherweight Billy Quarantillo (1:11:16) stops by. Closing out the program is UFC bantamweight Jay Perrin (1:24:49).
Bellator women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg added to the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. David Avanesyan
Josh Evanoff - November 22, 2022
Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will make her return to the boxing ring next month. The Brazilian has been out of the cage since her rematch with Arlene Blencowe in April. In the main event of Bellator 279, ‘Angerfist’ put forth a great fight, and showed a lot of heart. However, Cyborg retained her title after five hard-fought rounds.
Bellator's Scott Coker laments Dillon Danis heading to boxing to face KSI: "He had a lot of potential"
Josh Evanoff - November 21, 2022
Bellator President Scott Coker isn’t super thrilled with Dillon Danis’s new career choice. ‘El Jefe’ has been a controversial figure since making his way into the MMA world. Originally coming onto the scene as Conor McGregor‘s jiu-jitsu coach, Danis quickly began making a name of his own. In 2017, the submission ace signed with Bellator.
Patricio Pitbull slams Illinois commission, scolds Bellator after brother Patricky is forced to wait over 5 hours for medical attention (Photo)
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 20, 2022
Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is none too pleased with the Illinois athletic commission and Bellator. Freire’s brother, Patricky, put the Bellator Lightweight Championship on the line against Usman Nurmagomedov inside Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The title fight served as the co-main event of Bellator 288. Nurmagomedov had a dominant showing and swept the scorecards for a unanimous decision victory. He’s now the new Bellator Lightweight Champion.