Bellator News

Mike Pendleton - January 23, 2020

At Bellator 238, on Saturday, January 25, Cris Cyborg will challenge Julia Budd for the Bellator featherweight title. When she steps into the Bellator cage for the first time, Cyborg will be adding another world-class MMA promotion to her resume, which already includes the UFC, Invicta FC, and Strikeforce. She will also be re-uniting with her old boss, Scott Coker. Much was made about the relationship between Cyborg and UFC President Dana White as the two were at odds for several years, and didn’t seem to see eye-to-eye when she was with the company. While the UFC was certainly the biggest stage for Cyborg’s global brand, she had already cemented herself as one of the greatest fighters of all-time, and working with a familiar face in Coker should also come with a breath of fresh air.

Mike Pendleton - January 22, 2020

As streaming services continue to take over the combat sports industry, there are more and more events being broadcast on platforms like ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN and YouTube. BJPENN.Com’s Streaming this Week series keeps fans up to date on the best combat sports action across the industry’s major streaming platforms.

Adam Martin - January 20, 2020

UFC lightweight star Kevin Lee’s younger brother Keith Lee has signed a new, multi-fight contract with Bellator and will make his promotional debut at Bellator 239. Lee’s signing was first revealed by MMAjunkie.com. The younger Lee will take on veteran bantamweight Shawn Bunch in his Bellator debut at Bellator 239, which takes place on February 21 in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

Cole Shelton - January 20, 2020

Cris Cyborg believes her upcoming fight against Julia Budd will be one of the best ever. In the main event of Bellator 238, Cyborg is making her promotional debut and challenging for the featherweight title. It will no doubt be a tough fight for Cyborg. Yet, she is eager for the challenge and the opportunity to headline the card.

Adam D Martin - January 12, 2020

Welterweight contender Paul Daley says that he has been fired from his role as a television analyst for the Bellator MMA promotion. Daley was one of Bellator’s television analysts for its European Series in 2019. However, he will not be continuing in that role in 2020 as “Semtex” himself announced on his Instagram he was fired from the gig. Here’s what Daley told his fans.

Tom Taylor - January 10, 2020

Dillon Danis is now 2-0 in the Bellator cage, and will attempt to boost that record to 3-0 when he takes on Kegan Gennrich at Bellator 238 on January 25. Interestingly, both of his previous fights and his upcoming battle with Gennrich have all been contested at catchweights. Danis claims that’s because, as a part owner of Bellator MMA, he can call the shots.

Harry Kettle - January 10, 2020

Bellator star Dillon Danis has claimed that Khabib Nurmagomedov attempted to run away in the aftermath of their UFC 229 brawl. The incident, which occurred back in October 2018, began after Nurmagomedov had just submitted Conor McGregor in the fourth round of their main event fight in Las Vegas. Immediately after that, “The Eagle” quite literally went flying out of the cage in an attempt to attack McGregor’s team — specifically Danis. 

Cole Shelton - January 9, 2020

Dillon Danis believes he is and will always be on top of the fight game. Danis, who is 2-0 in his career, is set for his third fight under the Bellator banner. While many fighters come and go in the sport, ‘El Jefe’ believes he will remain near the top for a long time.

Adam Martin - January 7, 2020

Bellator commentator Big John McCarthy explained why he recently said Michael Page fought better competition than Anderson Silva during his early career. McCarthy’s comments during the Bellator New Year’s Eve card drew the ire of MMA fans and media, who were quick to criticize McCarthy for his comments that Page fought better competition than Silva during the early parts of both fighters’ careers.

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2020

The UFC is widely regarded as the home to the greatest volume of high-level talent in MMA, but other promotions like Bellator, ONE Championship and RIZIN Fighting Federation are increasingly home to world class fighters of their own. Bellator analyst Josh Thomson certainly sees it that way. Responding to a fan on Twitter recently, Thomson identified a handful of Bellator champions and contenders that he believes could easily challenge the UFC champs of their respective weight classes.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2020

The sports streaming service DAZN is now home to Bellator MMA, Combate Americas, and boxing action featuring superstars like Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua. Fans can access all of that combat sports content for $19.99 a month, or $99.99 for an annual membership. Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn would like to see that rate increase — by a lot. Hearn, who promotes Anthony Joshua, has witnessed DAZN’s recent growth, and believes the service is becoming a must-have for fight fans, particularly those that follow boxing.

Tom Taylor - January 1, 2020

Rory MacDonald is no longer a Bellator fighter, having signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in 2020. While this promotion change has opened the door to some new and exciting matchups for MacDonald, it has seemingly closed the door on a trilogy fight between MacDonald and reigning Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who are currently tied 1-1 across two previous bouts. Yet MacDonald doesn’t see it that way.