Bellator News

Adam Martin - December 11, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed that he will not block Dillon Danis from making the move to the boxing ring for a Jake Paul fight. In the wake of Paul’s recent KO win over Nate Robinson on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. PPV card, there have been plenty of athletes calling out Paul for his next fight. One of those athletes is Danis, the Bellator middleweight. Both Danis and Paul haven’t liked each other for a long time and it’s gotten to a new level of hatred between the two since Paul finished Robinson. It seems like there is a lot of interest on both sides to potentially book Paul vs. Danis in a boxing match in 2021.

Harry Kettle - December 11, 2020

Bellator star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has explained her relief after losing the Women’s Flyweight Championship to Juliana Velasquez last night. Macfarlane was viewed by some as an underdog heading into the bout last night that saw the two put their respective unbeaten records on the line. In the end, it was Velasquez who was able to grind out the unanimous decision win that ensured she was the one who walked away as champion.

Adam Martin - December 10, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says he is interested in booking Dillon Danis against Jake Paul in boxing and MMA fights. In the wake of Paul’s brutal KO win over Nate Robinson the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. boxing undercard, Danis has surfaced as a potential opponent for Paul. Both guys do not like each other and have been taking shots at each other on social media for a few years now. After Paul knocked out Robinson, he is now a money fight for a lot of different opponents, and Danis surely will want to cash in on a big payday as well.

Harry Kettle - December 10, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker has laid out his plans in the wake of the announcement that they have signed Anthony Johnson. The world of mixed martial arts was stunned earlier this week by the news that Johnson had parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in favor of signing a contract with Bellator.

Adam Martin - December 9, 2020

Women’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is official for her Bellator 254 title fight, but Goiti Yamauchi missed weight by six pounds. Macfarlane is looking to once again defend the Bellator women’s flyweight title and she puts it on the line Thursday night at Bellator 254 against Juliana Velasquez. These are actually two undefeated fighters so this is a very intriguing matchup. At the official weigh-ins ahead of the fights at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, both fighters made weight and this fight is official, with both fighters coming in just a hair under 125lbs.

Tom Taylor - December 9, 2020

Anthony Johnson has parted ways with the UFC, and will instead be mounting his comeback in the Bellator MMA cage. News of this move comes from Ariel Helwani of ESPN.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 a very tough year for MMA, but 2021 looks like it could much better—particularly for the women’s side of the sport. As the 2021 calendar starts to fill up, a number of female fighters look poised for huge things, from the UFC’s Octagon, to the ONE Championship Circle, to the PFL and Bellator MMA cages.

bjpenndotcom - December 1, 2020

There’s no question that 2020 has been rough for mixed martial arts. COVID-19 hit professional sports particularly hard, and the road to recovery only began in recent months. But despite the difficult challenges, MMA is looking forward to a fantastic 2021. That’s because the sport is absolutely stacked with talented fighters who are ready to cement themselves as the best in the business. Here are 10 reigning MMA world champions from organizations around the world who are primed for an epic 2021.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker suggested that promotional welterweight champion Douglas Lima could take on Neiman Gracie in his next fight. Lima recently moved up to middleweight in a failed effort to become a two-division champion in Bellator when he lost a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi. Lima is expected to move back to 170lbs for his next fight, and fighters such as Michael Page and Lorenz Larkin have been teased as potential opponents. But it looks like Bellator has another fight in mind for Lima following his recent loss to Mousasi.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says that his featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull would KO the UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. Coker has said that he believes Pitbull is the best featherweight in MMA right now, and there’s certainly an argument to be made that he is. The Brazilian is riding a six-fight win streak that includes wins over the likes of Michael Chandler, Juan Archuleta, Daniel Weichel, and in his last fight, Pedro Carvalho. Since Pitbull is in Bellator and not in the UFC, most fans and media would likely say that Volkanovski is still the top dog at 145lbs right now. But Pitbull is absolutely right there in the conversation.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker called Cris Cyborg the female Mike Tyson and said he wants to book a cross-promotion bout with Amanda Nunes. Coker has promoted Cyborg for years in Strikeforce and now in Bellator and he has always called her the greatest women’s fighter of all time. For many years it was hard to argue that, but when Cyborg was KOed by Nunes at UFC 232, most believe that Nunes took the title of female GOAT. Coker, however, has remained steadfast that Cyborg is still the best in the world. But the only way we would find that out is if she fought Nunes again and beat her, and that won’t happen with Nunes still in the UFC.

Adam Martin - November 25, 2020

Bellator featherweight contender AJ McKee vowed that UFC president Dana White will owe him lunch for a bet made all the way back in 2008. At the time, McKee was just 13 years old and his father Antonio was the one who was a professional fighter. According to McKee, he was once behind the scenes at a youth wrestling event in 2008 that White also attended with former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. McKee says that he met White that day and told him that one day he would be a world champion. If he won the world title, White would owe him lunch. Fast forward to 2020 and it looks like McKee wants to collect on lunch.