Bellator News

Fernando Quiles - February 5, 2023

Fedor Emelianenko took his final bow at Bellator 290, and he has spoken out following his rematch with Ryan Bader. Emelianenko and Bader collided inside the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California this past Saturday night (February 4). “Darth” was putting the Bellator Heavyweight Championship on the line. Ultimately, Bader successfully retained the gold via first-round TKO. The Bellator 290 main event was the final fight in Emelianenko’s farewell tour.

Chris Taylor - February 4, 2023

Tonight’s Bellator 290 main event featured a heavyweight title fight rematch between Fedor Emelianenko and Ryan Bader. The MMA legend and arguably greatest heavyweight of all time, Emelianenko (40-7 MMA), was making his final cage appearance this evening. ‘The Last Emperor‘ entered the matchup coming off back-to-back first-round knockout victories over Timothy Johnson and Quinton Jackson. Those wins were preceded by a TKO loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 214, in a bout that had lasted just 35-seconds.

Chris Taylor - February 4, 2023

Tonight’s Bellator 290 main event features a heavyweight title fight rematch between Fedor Emelianenko and Ryan Bader. The MMA legend and arguably greatest heavyweight of all time, Emelianenko (40-6 MMA), will be making his final cage appearance this evening. ‘The Last Emperor‘ is coming off back-to-back first-round knockout victories over Timothy Johnson and Quinton Jackson in his most recent efforts. Those wins were preceded by a TKO loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 214, in a bout that lasted just 35-seconds.

Chris Taylor - February 4, 2023

The cage returns to Inglewood, California, for tonight’s Bellator 290 event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Ryan Bader 2. The MMA legend and arguably greatest heavyweight of all time, Emelianenko (40-6 MMA), will be making his final cage appearance this evening. ‘The Last Emperor‘ is coming off back-to-back first-round knockout victories over Timothy Johnson and Quinton Jackson in his most recent efforts. Those wins were preceded by a TKO loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 214, in a bout that lasted just 35-seconds.

Zain Bando - February 2, 2023

Fedor Emelianenko will enter an MMA cage for what will presumably be his final fight — a heavyweight championship rematch with former UFC light heavyweight and TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader at Bellator 290 Saturday. ‘Darth’ took down Emelianenko with a TKO finish in their first encounter a few years back. A victory for the Arizona native will seal the deal on one of Bellator’s biggest rivalries and solidify Bader’s place as one of the best fighters in promotional history.

Cole Shelton - February 2, 2023

Max Rohskopf will finally make his Bellator debut on Saturday at Bellator 290. Rohskopf was supposed to make his debut last October but on the day of the fight, he was scratched from the card after not being cleared by the commission. Rohskopf was frustrated by that as he says he was cleared by three separate doctors to compete.

bjpenndotcom - February 2, 2023

It’s the start of the year 2023 and Bellator is already kicking off the year with one of the most exciting matches in the Middleweight division. The fighters are ready to score up a notch in their ranking or defend their championship belts! Bellator 290 is fast approaching and is set to showcase 2 World Title Bouts on February 4, 2023, in KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California USA. The current Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen will be defending his championship belt against the current number 3 in the middleweight ranking, Anatoly Tokov. Johnny Eblen snatched the middleweight championship belt against the former champion, Gegard Mousasi in a unanimous decision fight in Bellator 282. On the other hand, Anatoly Tokov won over Muhammad Abdullah in dominant technical knockout punches in the first round of the same event, Bellator 282.

Harry Kettle - February 2, 2023

Bellator president Scott Coker has revealed that he’s in talks with Luke Rockhold over possibly working together again. Following his decision loss to Paulo Costa last summer, Luke Rockhold appeared to walk away from mixed martial arts. At the very least, it was clear to see he wouldn’t be fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship anymore.

Cole Shelton - February 1, 2023

In the main event of Bellator 290, the heavyweight title is up for grabs as Ryan Bader rematches Fedor Emelianenko, in the Russian’s retirement fight. Heading into the fight, Bader is a -330 favorite while the Russian is a +275 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Bader gets his hand raised again but many are rooting for Emelianenko to get the win.

Cole Shelton - January 31, 2023

Ryan Bader thinks Cain Velasquez is the best heavyweight ever. The heavyweight GOAT is one many have no clear-cut answer on, as some think it is Velasquez while others lean towards Fedor Emelianenko or even Stipe Miocic. Yet Bader believes Emelianenko’s resume is the best out of anyone but he thinks Velasquez was the most skilled.

Cole Shelton - January 31, 2023

Johnny Eblen knew Anatoly Tokov would be next for him. Eblen became Bellator’s middleweight champion last June with a dominant decision win over Gegard Mousasi. After the win, Eblen didn’t know when he would fight but after the Nemkov-Romero scrap was called off, he figured his first title defense would be added to Bellator 290.

Cole Shelton - January 31, 2023

The 108th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of Bellator 290 and UFC Vegas 68. We’re first joined by Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (2:05). Next, we’re joined by UFC light heavyweight Devin Clark (13:29). UFC featherweight Kyle Nelson (29:21) then joins the show. Bellator featherweight Max Rohskopf (44:48) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC welterweight Adam Fugitt (58:05).