Bellator News
Coaches suspended and their fighter fined after breaching COVID-19 protocol before Bellator 253
Harry Kettle - November 20, 2020
Henri Hooft and Greg Jones have been suspended after breaching COVID-19 protocol prior to last night’s Bellator 253 event. The two men were seen breaking quarantine by training with their fighter Bellator 253 co-main event fighter Jason Jackson in the lead-up to his fight against Benson Henderson, and as a result, both Hooft and Jones have been suspended for three months by Mohegan Tribe Athletic Department of Athletic Regulation head Mike Mazzulli.
Scott Coker says he is "happy" with current roster, not interested in signing Anderson Silva
Cole Shelton - November 19, 2020
Bellator will not be offering free agent, Anderson Silva a contract, Scott Coker revealed. On Thursday, it was revealed Silva was released from his UFC deal. The news came weeks after his knockout loss to Uriah Hall where Dana White made it clear he would not fight inside the Octagon again.
Bellator 253 Results: A.J. McKee submits Darrion Caldwell in the first round (Video)
Cole Shelton - November 19, 2020
In the main event of Bellator 253, Darrion Caldwell was taking on A.J. McKee in the semifinals of the featherweight grand prix. Darrion Caldwell (14-3) is riding a two-fight winning streak with both wins coming in the featherweight grand prix. In the opening round of the tournament, he defeated Henry Corrales by decision and then followed that up with a first-round submission win over Adam Borics. Before entering the grand prix, Caldwell lost back-to-back fights to Kyoji Horiguchi for the RIZIN bantamweight title and to lose his Bellator bantamweight title. He defended his bantamweight title once but does hold notable wins over Leandro Higo, Noad Lahat, Joe Warren, and Eduardo Dantas.
Bellator 253: 'Caldwell vs. McKee' Live Results and Highlights
Cole Shelton - November 19, 2020
Bellator remains in Uncasville, Connecticut for Bellator 253. The fight card features one-half of the featherweight grand prix semifinals as Darrion Caldwell takes on A.J. McKee. Darrion Caldwell (14-3) is riding a two-fight winning streak with both wins coming in the featherweight grand prix. In the opening round of the tournament, he defeated Henry Corrales by decision and then followed that up with a first-round submission win over Adam Borics. Before entering the grand prix, Caldwell lost back-to-back fights to Kyoji Horiguchi for the RIZIN bantamweight title and to lose his Bellator bantamweight title. He defended his bantamweight title once but does hold notable wins over Leandro Higo, Noad Lahat, Joe Warren, and Eduardo Dantas.
Scott Coker says Rampage Jackson is now a free agent, Bellator committed to younger direction
Adam Martin - November 18, 2020
Bellator president Scott Coker says that Rampage Jackson was released from the promotion and is an unrestricted free agent. Jackson last fought at Bellator & RIZIN: Japan in December 2019 and he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Fedor Emelianenko that night. Now 42 years old, we haven’t heard anything from Jackson all year in regards to fighting again for Bellator. That’s because according to Coker, the final fight on Jackson’s Bellator contract was the Emelianenko fight. With that final bout completed, Jackson’s contract with Bellator concluded and the promotion released him. He’s now free to sign anywhere else.
Patricio Pitbull confident he would beat Alexander Volkanovski: "I'd sleep him in the first round"
Cole Shelton - November 17, 2020
Patricio Pitbull believes he would beat UFC featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. Pitbull is the current champ-champ in Bellator where he won the lightweight title with a 61-second KO over Michael Chandler. Ever since then, people started to pay attention to how legit he is.
Scott Coker teases Bellator 205lbs tournament: "It's the best light heavyweight division on the planet"
Adam Martin - November 13, 2020
Bellator president Scott Coker teased a future Bellator 205lbs tournament, saying “it’s the best light heavyweight division on the planet.” Coker and his organization are in the midst of completing the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix, a tournament that was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The promotion previously put on the Heavyweight Grand Prix that saw Ryan Bader win. In the past, Coker held a heavyweight tournament, a women’s bantamweight, and a middleweight tournament in Strikeforce, so we all know Coker loves a good bracket.
Patricio Freire ready for John Kavanagh's "dream match" with Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - November 13, 2020
Two-division Bellator champion Patricio Freire has opened the door to a cross-promotional super fight with UFC superstar Conor McGregor. Freire returned to the cage on Thursday, when he defended the Bellator featherweight title with a lopsided knockout victory over McGregor’s teammate at SBG Ireland, Pedro Carvalho.
Bellator 252 Results: Patricio Pitbull KO's Pedro Carvalho (Highlights)
Cole Shelton - November 12, 2020
Bellator remains in Uncasville, Connecticut for Bellator 252 where Patricio Pitbull takes on Pedro Carvalho in the main event. Patricio Pitbull (30-4) is on a five-fight winning streak where he won and defended the featherweight title three times during this run. He also knocked out Michael Chandler in 61 seconds to win the lightweight title to become a champ-champ in Bellator. Pitbull is coming off a decision win over Juan Archuleta to defend his belt in the opening round of the featherweight grand prix.
Bellator 252 Results: Aaron Pico KO's John de Jesus (Highlights)
Cole Shelton - November 12, 2020
Aaron Pico returned to the Bellator cage on the prelims of Bellator 252 against John de Jesus. Pico entered the fight on a two-fight winning streak after submitting Solo Hatley Jr. in July and knocking out Daniel Carey in January. Pico has been considered one of the top prospects in MMA, but lost his pro debut and then suffered back-to-back KO losses to Henry Corrales and Adam Borics.
Bellator 252: 'Pitbull vs Carvalho' Live Results & Highlights
Cole Shelton - November 12, 2020
Bellator remains in Uncasville, Connecticut for Bellator 252. The fight card features Patricio Pitbull defending his featherweight belt against Pedro Carvalho in the main event. The featherweight grand prix also continues after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patricio Pitbull (30-4) is on a five-fight winning streak where he won and defended the featherweight title three times. He also knocked out Michael Chandler in 61 seconds to win the lightweight title to become a champ-champ in Bellator. Pitbull is coming off a decision win over Juan Archuleta to defend his belt in the opening round of the featherweight grand prix.
Patricio Freire rates Michael Chandler's chances in the UFC
Tom Taylor - November 12, 2020
Two-division Bellator champ Patricio Freire has shared his thoughts on how Michael Chandler will perform in the UFC’s Octagon. Freire currently holds the Bellator featherweight and lightweight titles, and is slated to defend the former against Pedro Carvalho in the main event of Bellator 252 on Thursday night.
Benson Henderson moves back up to welterweight, fights at Bellator 253 against Jason Jackson
Adam Martin - November 10, 2020
Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to return to the welterweight division when he fights Jason Jackson at Bellator 253. Bellator 253 takes place on Thursday, November 19 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Henderson vs. Jackson is set to be the co-main event for the card, which features a five-round main event between featherweights AJ McKee and Darrion Caldwell. Also on the card is Keith Lee (brother of UFC star Kevin Lee) vs. top prospect Raufeon Stots, plus the return of Kevin Ferguson Jr. (son of the late Kimbo Slice).
BKFC run will "preserve the longevity" of Paige VanZant's MMA career
Tom Taylor - November 10, 2020
According to Bellator middleweight contender Austin Vanderford, former UFC star Paige VanZant intends to return to mixed martial arts in the future. Vanderford, who is married to VanZant, recently returned to the Bellator cage where he picked up an impressive victory over Vinicius de Jesus. Post-fight, he shed some light on what the future holds for his wife.
Austin Vanderford explains why he and wife Paige VanZant leave politics out of MMA: "I'm a fighter and I care about fighting"
Adam Martin - November 6, 2020
Bellator middleweight contender Austin Vanderford explained why he and his wife Paige VanZant leave politics out of their MMA careers. Vanderford picked up his 10th pro victory on Thursday night at Bellator 251 when he won a unanimous decision over short-notice opponent Vinicius De Jesus. The 30-year-old American signed with Bellator in 2019 following a stint on Dana White’s Contender Series that saw the UFC pass on signing him. Since joining Bellator, Vanderford is 4-0 and looking every bit like a future title contender in the promotion’s middleweight division.
Bellator 251 Results: Corey Anderson TKO's Melvin Manhoef (Highlights)
Cole Shelton - November 5, 2020
Corey Anderson is set to make his Bellator debut against knockout artist, Melvin Manhoef in the main event of Bellator 251. Melvin Manhoef (32-14-1) has been a pro since 1995 and at 44-years-old is still going strong. The former Bellator middleweight title challenger is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since October of 2019 when he beat Yannick Bahati by TKO at Bellator 230. In his career, Manhoef has fought the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, and Mark Hunt.
Douglas Lima issues statement following loss to Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 250
Chris Taylor - October 31, 2020
Douglas Lima was looking to become a promotional champ-champ when he squared off with Gegard Mousasi in the main event of Bellator 250. The reigning Bellator welterweight champion, Lima (32-8 MMA), had entered Thursday night’s highly anticipated main event on a three-fight win streak, his latest being a unanimous decision victory over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 232.
Scott Coker suggests rematch between Douglas Lima and Michael Page
Adam Martin - October 30, 2020
Bellator president Scott Coker suggested that a rematch between Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima and Michael Page could be next. Lima lost a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi in the main event of Thursday’s Bellator 250 event in a failed bid to become a two-division champion. Despite the loss to Mousasi, Lima remains the promotion’s welterweight champion. As such, he will be returning to his regular weight class for his next fight. Just who that is going to be against remains the question.