Bellator News
Cris Cyborg believes 'Ronda Rousey was more dangerous than Kayla Harrison'
Drake Riggs - August 26, 2021
Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Ronda Rousey were never too fond of one another. A super-fight between the two all-time greats was something fans fantasized about for years as the two went from Strikeforce to the UFC. However, it never came to fruition.
Cris Cyborg on potential lightweight bout with Kayla Harrison: “She can maybe take me down but I can take her down too”
Harry Kettle - August 26, 2021
Bellator champion Cris Cyborg has given her thoughts on a potential superfight with PFL star Kayla Harrison. While both women are doing their own thing in their respective promotions, this feud certainly has a “sharks circling each other” feeling to it right now. Cyborg and Harrison have proven themselves to be amongst the most dominant female stars in the sport alongside Amanda Nunes and while fighting “The Lioness” in the UFC could happen in the future, right now Harrison’s future is up in the air as she comes towards the end of her PFL deal.
Alistair Overeem says Fedor Emelianenko declined to fight him in Bellator and Strikeforce
Adam D Martin - August 25, 2021
Heavyweight great Alistair Overeem says that fellow legend Fedor Emelianenko declined to fight him in Bellator not to mention in Strikeforce. Overeem became a free agent following a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov earlier this year in the UFC. “The Demolition Man” was open to signing with different promotions and had talks with Bellator about potentially fighting Emelianenko, but the fight didn’t end up getting booked, and Emelianenko instead chose Tim Johnson to fight. For his part, Overeem decided that he will take a break from MMA for now and re-joined GLORY.
Raufeon Stots has "nothing left" but title shot, explains possibility to make teammate title fight work
Joe McDonagh - August 20, 2021
Raufeon Stots says there is “nothing left” but a title shot and discusses options for a potential fight against teammate Sergio Pettis.
Cat Zingano suing Halle Berry after being snubbed of promised role in her new movie "Bruised"
Joe McDonagh - August 17, 2021
Bellator contender Cat Zingano was all but set to be part of a MMA film starring Halle Berry “Bruised”, but interesting events led to her suing of the actress. Zingano, according to TMZ, was promised a prominent role in the film by Berry while under contract with the UFC. It was when “Alpha” was offered a UFC fight that she had a difficult decision to make, fight for the promotion or sit on the sidelines prioritizing the movie role. This decision would crazily enough prove costly for the now Bellator fighter.
Cheick Kongo hopes win over Sergei Kharitonov earns him a rematch against Ryan Bader: "I'll fight him in the street, I don't care"
Cole Shelton - August 16, 2021
Cheick Kongo still believes he should’ve gotten an immediate rematch against Ryan Bader. At Bellator 226 in September of 2019, Kongo fought Bader for the heavyweight title and the fight ended in a No Contest due to an eye poke. Since then, Kongo has only competed once losing a split decision to Tim Johnson last October.
Scott Coker explains why AJ McKee is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA
Adam Martin - August 15, 2021
Bellator president Scott Coker explained why the promotion’s 145lbs champion AJ McKee is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA right now. McKee recently finished Patricio Pitbull in the main event of Bellator 263 to become the promotion’s new 145lbs champion, as well as the winner of the $1 million dollar grand prize for winning the Bellator World Featherweight Grand Prix. Just 26 years old, McKee is now a perfect 18-0 in MMA. it’s the longest undefeated streak for a fighter in a major MMA promotion, and as far as McKee’s boss Coker goes, it proves that he’s among the best.
Dada 5000 looks back on Bellator fight with Kimbo Slice: “I died twice in that ring”
Adam D Martin - August 15, 2021
Street-fighting legend Dada 5000 looked back on his Bellator fight with the late Kimbo Slice, admitting that “I died twice in that ring.” Dada 5000 fought Kimbo Silce at Bellator 149 in February 2016 in Houston, Texas. Slice scored the TKO win in the third round, but as soon as the fight was over, Dada 5000 was put on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during the fight. Dada 5000 has spoken about the incident in the past, but now, over five years later, he has delved into what happened to him in more detail during a recent interview with Jimmy Smith of Sirius XM’s Fight Nation.
Yoel Romero set to make Bellator MMA debut against former champion fighter Phil Davis
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
Former UFC title challenge Yoel Romero is set to make Bellator MMA debut against former Bellator light heavyweight champ fighter Phil Davis. Ariel Helwani of Substack was the first to report the Romero vs. Davis fight. According to Helwani, the bout is expected to serve as the headliner of the Bellator MMA card set for September 18, which is tentatively slated to be called Bellator 266. The card is expected to take place in San Jose, California, and Romero vs. Davis will be the evening’s main event.
Fedor Emelianenko specifically chose Tim Johnson for Bellator Moscow bout, says Scott Coker
Drake Riggs - August 12, 2021
Tim Johnson is the last person the MMA community expected as the next opponent of Fedor Emelianenko in Bellator’s debut in Russia. On Oct. 23 in Moscow, Emelianenko and Johnson will lock horns. The announcement revealed a few weeks back gave fans and the fighters alike time to fantasize about possible matchups with Josh Barnett, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, and even Anderson Silva. So what happened?
Yoel Romero medically cleared to make Bellator debut
Cole Shelton - August 12, 2021
Yoel Romero can resume his fighting career. Romero was supposed to fight Anthony Johnson in the light heavyweight grand prix but he was removed after failing his physical. The hope for Bellator was he would get cleared in a few months and that ended up being the case.
Gegard Mousasi open to fighting Yoel Romero in Bellator
Adam D Martin - August 12, 2021
Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi says he is open to fighting former UFC standout Yoel Romero in the Bellator cage. Mousasi returns to the Bellator cage on Friday night when he takes on John Salter for the Bellator middleweight title. While “The Dream Catcher” knows he can’t look too far ahead, when the media asked him who he wants to fight next, he had to give them a name. That name would be Romero, the former UFC middleweight title challenger who recently signed with Bellator. “The Soldier of God” was supposed to take part in the promotion’s 205lbs tournament, but he was forced out of the tournament due to a medical issue. Once he’s healthy, Mousasi says that he is open to fighting the man that no one else wants to fight.