Bellator News

Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020

Former UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero has opened up on the events that led to his release from the promotion, calling the ordeal “completely unexpected.” Romero was a member of the UFC roster from 2013 until just a few weeks ago. For the majority of his time with the promotion, he stood at out as one of the top middleweights in the world.

Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020

Former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero says there’s “a huge possibility” he’ll fight Anthony Johnson in his Bellator debut. Romero and Johnson both called the UFC home for many years, however, both fighters recently landed on the Bellator roster.

Harry Kettle - December 16, 2020

Bellator stars Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader are set to meet in a short notice grappling match at Submission Underground 19. Bader will be stepping in on short notice to take on Johnson as a replacement for Fabricio Werdum. The two men have actually met before in a professional MMA bout, and on that occasion back in January 2016, Johnson scored a knockout win inside the first two minutes of the fight.

Drake Riggs - December 16, 2020

Dillon Danis found himself on the receiving end of a little surprise via Jake Paul in the middle of an interview on Tuesday. Drama within this current state of internet celebrity boxing ramped up significantly this week after the recent news of Floyd Mayweather’s return. The reason for that being because the 50-0 all-time legend’s opponent to be is the 25-year old YouTube sensation, Logan Paul.

Tom Taylor - December 15, 2020

Jake Paul just took his feud with Dillon Danis—and thereby Conor McGregor—to a whole new level by ambushing the Bellator MMA star in Los Angeles. Paul, who became a star on YouTube, recently burst into the combat sports limelight by knocking out former NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard.

Tom Taylor - December 15, 2020

MMA manager Malki Kawa claims YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul turned down a fight with one of his star clients, Yoel Romero. Paul has been the talk of the combat sports world after he picked up a brutal knockout victory over former NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard last month.

Adam Martin - December 14, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker reacted to the news that former UFC middleweight title contender Yoel Romero has signed with Bellator. On Monday, it was announced that Bellator had signed Romero to its roster, and the Cuban will compete in the promotion’s light heavyweight division. Romero joins Anthony Johnson and Corey Anderson as recent additions to the organization’s 205lbs weight class, which Coker has called the best light heavyweight division on the planet. Bellator has quite a bit of momentum behind the organization right now so it’s no wonder how excited Coker is for the future of his promotion in 2021 and onward.

Adam Martin - December 14, 2020

The opening betting odds have been revealed for a potential light heavyweight bout in Bellator between Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson. On Monday, Bellator announced that Romero is the latest member of the promotion’s roster. Unlike in the UFC, where Romero competed at 185lbs, he will move back up to 205lbs for his move to Bellator, the same weight class he competed at back in the Strikeforce days. It was in Strikeforce where he worked with current Bellator president Scott Coker, who last week announced he had signed Anthony Johnson to Bellator.

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.