Bellator News
MMA veteran Sergei Kharitonov tried to contract coronavirus "to feel what it is like"
Tom Taylor - May 6, 2020
Bellator heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov recently admitted that he tried to contract COVID-19 in order “to feel what it is like.” Kharitonov made this shocking admission in a recent Instagram post, adding that he believes soaking oneself in cold water is an adequate way of staving off the virus.
Douglas Lima hoping Bellator re-books Gegard Mousasi fight for July
Adam D Martin - May 3, 2020
Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima hopes his canceled vacant middleweight title fight against Gegard Mousasi is re-booked to take place in July. Lima was set to step up a weight class and take on one of the best in the world in Mousasi in the co-main event of Bellator 242. But Bellator decided to cancel that card, as well as the promotion’s other upcoming events, and the promotion is now looking to re-launch its shows starting in July. If that’s the case, then Lima wants on the card.
Douglas Lima believes he could KO Kamaru Usman and "it wouldn’t take much either"
Cole Shelton - May 1, 2020
Douglas Lima hopes he and Kamaru Usman will fight each other one day. Currently, Lima is Bellator’s welterweight champion while Usman is the UFC’s 170-pound champion. Although a fight between them seems unlikely due to the lack of cross-promotional interest by Dana White, Lima hopes it can happen one day, but he isn’t holding his breath.
Paige VanZant, Austin Vanderford explain why they started posing naked on Instagram
Tom Taylor - May 1, 2020
Paige VanZant and Austin Vanderford — possibly MMA’s most famous husband and wife duo — have recently been having some fun on their Instagram accounts. The kind of fun that doesn’t involve clothes. Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, VanZant and Vanderford opened up on how this playful series of photos came about.
Douglas Lima sends message to Michael Page: "Get some better wins then we will fight"
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2020
Douglas Lima doesn’t believe Michael Page should get a title shot anytime soon. Page is riding a three-fight winning streak since suffering his first loss to Lima at Bellator 221. Since the knockout loss, he beat Richard Kiely, Giovanni Melillo, and Shinsho Anzai by knockout. With “MVP” on a winning streak he has called for a rematch with Lima. Yet, the champion isn’t impressed with the Englishman’s caliber of wins and says he doesn’t deserve a title shot.
Douglas Lima believes he'll "finish" Gegard Mousasi to win middleweight belt and cement his legacy
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2020
Douglas Lima was disappointed he won’t get the chance to become a champ-champ on May 9. Lima, who is the current Bellator welterweight title was moving up in weight to battle Gegard Mousasi for the vacant middleweight strap. Yet, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which was disappointing news for Lima.
Cris Cyborg discusses "the worst thing" after losing a fight
Tom Taylor - April 28, 2020
Cris Cyborg has only lost two times as a professional mixed martial artist. Her latest loss came at the hands of Amanda Nunes in 2018, when she was knocked out in 51 seconds. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Cyborg looked back on her devastating loss to Nunes. While she is reluctant to make excuses, she said the chaos surrounding her preparation for the fight caused her to act emotionally in the cage.
Rampage Jackson needs to prove he is serious about fighting before getting another bout with Bellator
Harry Kettle - April 27, 2020
Bellator president Scott Coker believes that Rampage Jackson needs to prove he’s serious about fighting before he puts him back in the cage. Jackson returned to action back at Bellator’s co-promotional event with Rizin in December 2019, losing to Fedor Emelianenko within just a few minutes of the fight getting underway.
Leslie Smith reveals Bellator paid her "more than double" what UFC London fighters received
Natasha Hooper - April 24, 2020
Leslie Smith, who was scheduled to compete on the canceled Bellator 241 card, has revealed Bellator paid her more than double the $20,000 the fighters on the ill-fated UFC London card received for their canceled fights. All MMA events have been thrown up in the air due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bellator decided to postpone its events for the foreseeable future—including the Bellator 241 event Smith was supposed to fight Jessy Miele on. The UFC has also put its events on hold and canceled the UFC London card on March 21. However, UFC president Dana White intends on returning to action next month with a revised UFC 249 card.
Ariel Helwani absolutely roasts Bellator's Dillon Danis on social media
Christopher Taylor - April 23, 2020
Bellator fighter Dillon Danis took to social media earlier today where he proclaimed that the next time he sees Ariel Helwani, he plans on dropping him. The jiu-jitsu standout, Danis, took to Twitter with the following message for the popular ESPN journalist.
Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler pitched promotions about potential trilogy in 2018
Mike Pendleton - April 23, 2020
Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler had two classic fights during their time with Bellator MMA and while there has always been chatter of a trilogy, those hopes were ended when Alvarez went to the UFC and then later moved on to ONE Championship. As he was approaching free agency after his UFC run, Alvarez considered running it back with Chandler and recently revealed that both he and Chandler pitched the fight to other promotions.
Patricio Pitbull trashes UFC for continuing with events during coronavirus pandemic: "It seems inhuman"
Adam Martin - April 22, 2020
Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio Pitbull trashed the UFC for continuing to try and hold events during the coronavirus pandemic. UFC president Dana White has been adamant for the last month that the UFC show would go on despite the coronavirus pandemic essentially shutting down all major sports leagues across the world. White tried his best for UFC 249 to take place on April 18 on Indian reservation land in California, but the event was ultimately postponed. The plan is now to hold UFC 249 on May 9 in Florida, and Pitbull doesn’t agree with it.