Bellator News

Joe McDonagh - August 19, 2021

This weekend was set to feature a probable number one contenders match for who would challenge new champion AJ McKee Jr. in the near future. Adam Borics (17-1) currently ranked #3 vs. JayJay Wilson (8-0) at #5 in the division. The fight is now off due to a major weight miss by the undefeated Wilson this morning. Wilson missed weight by over 4lbs. Now missing weight is never ideal, or professional, but at times it happens in this gruesome sport. Missing weight twice is a problem, but 3 times in your last 4 appearances is more than alarming for the Bellator product.

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.

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.

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.

Joe McDonagh - August 13, 2021

Bellator Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi met the “Salty Dog” in the headliner of tonight’s Bellator 264 event. Mousasi (47-7-2) is one of the most dominant fighters on the Bellator roster to date. The Middleweight champion is 5-1 with the promotion and coming off a massive win over former welterweight champion Douglas Lima back in 2020.

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.

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?

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.

Cole Shelton - August 10, 2021

Danny Sabatello doesn’t understand why he isn’t ranked in Bellator’s bantamweight division. Sabatello made good in his Bellator debut as he dominated Brett Johns for all three rounds to win a clear-cut decision. Johns was a high-profile signing for Bellator and after Sabatello dominated the scrap, he expected he would be ranked but that was not the case.

Adam D Martin - August 9, 2021

Heavyweight Junior dos Santos is disappointed by the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Johnson fight booking, saying that “I don’t understand why.” Emelianenko is set to return to the Bellator cage this October in Moscow, Russia, and when the news first broke that “The Last Emperor” was going to fight again, immediately big names like dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, and even Jake Hager all threw their names in the hat to get the chance to face off with the legend. However, Bellator decided to choose Johnson instead, and that disappointed dos Santos.

Cole Shelton - August 6, 2021

Georgi Karakhanyan knew he shouldn’t have cut to featherweight anymore, and his eight-second KO loss to AJ McKee cemented that. Karakhanyan thought of moving up earlier but Bellator started the grand prix which made the 36-year-old stay at 145lbs. Unfortnately, in the opening round, he faced McKee and was knocked out in eight seconds. After the loss, he decided he would move up to lightweight and knows he is much better at that weight class.

Cole Shelton - August 4, 2021

Brent Primus was shocked he didn’t get his hand raised against Islam Mamedov at Bellator 263. Although Primus spent the majority of the fight on his back, he was the one doing all the damage. He was landing heavy shots from the bottom while Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé was just holding him down and not landing anything significant.

Adam Martin - August 1, 2021

Bellator president Scott Coker challenged UFC president Dana White to a UFC and Bellator cross-promotion fight with AJ McKee. McKee finished Patricio Pitbull in the main event of Bellator 263 on Saturday night to become the promotions new’s 145lbs champion and the winner of the $1 million grand prize. Just 26 years old, McKee is now a perfect 18-0 in MMA. By taking out Pitbull, who is one of the best featherweights in the world, it showed that “The Mercenary” is one of the best at 145lbs regardless of promotion. McKee is so good, in fact, that Coker believes he matches up well against the best featherweights that the UFC has to offer, including current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and past champ Max Holloway.

Adam Martin - August 1, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson could make an MMA comeback, hinted Bellator new Bellator featherweight champ, AJ McKee. McKee defeated Patricio Pitbull via first-round submission on Saturday night in the main event of Bellator 263 to claim the promotion’s 145lbs title, and the $1 million grand prize for winning the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix sixteen-man tournament. Now a perfect 18-0 in MMA, McKee appears to be a superstar for Bellator for years to come. It hasn’t come out of anywhere either, as the son of former UFC fighter Antonio McKee was always considered a natural in mixed martial arts, training under his veteran father.

Adam D Martin - August 1, 2021

New Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee says Max Holloway is his “dream fight” after beating Patricio Pitbull at Saturday’s Bellator 263. McKee and Pitbull met in the main event of Bellator 263 in what marked the finals of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix, a 16-man tournament that began nearly two years ago and only just now finished. Although Pitbull is the champion and one of the most experienced fighters to ever compete in Bellator, he was finished early in the first round when McKee rocked him with a head kick and then choked him out with a guillotine. It was an incredible finish by McKee and proved that he is one of the best featherweights in MMA.

Chris Taylor - July 31, 2021

Tonight’s Bellator 263 event was headlined by the tournament finals of the promotions 145-pound grand prix as Patricio Freire squared off with A.J. McKee. Patricio Freire (32-5 MMA), Bellator’s reigning featherweight champion, had entered tonight’s main event on a seven-fight winning streak, his latest being a first round submission victory over Emmanuel Sanchez in the featherweight grand prix semifinals.

Chris Taylor - July 31, 2021

The fighter salaries for tonight’s Bellator 263 event have been revealed and featherweight headliners Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee are set to cash in. Freire and McKee will collide in the tournament finals of the promotions 145-pound grand prix this evening, with the winner set to take home an additional $1 million award.

Adam D Martin - July 30, 2021

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull sent a warning about respect to his upcoming opponent AJ McKee ahead of Bellator 263. Pitbull, the Bellator 145lbs and 155lbs champion, steps into the cage on Saturday night in Los Angeles against McKee in the finals of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix. Pitbull has won seven straight fights heading into this finale, while McKee is undefeated with a 17-0 record in Bellator and in MMA. The son of former UFC fighter Antonio McKee is confident that he can beat Pitbull, and at the press conference ahead of the fight, he told the Brazilian that he would beat him up in front of his wife and kids. Pitbull did not take kindly to the comments and they got into an altercation afterwards, which he explained.