Bellator News

Adam Martin - October 6, 2020

Bellator featherweight Tywan Claxton says he turned down a $250,000 job offer in tech to continue to be a full-time MMA fighter. The 27-year-old Claxton made his professional MMA debut in 2017 for Bellator. He won the first five fights of his MMA career — four of them by knockout — to claim a spot in the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix. Unfortunately, Claxton was bounced from the tournament when he lost by submission to top contender Emmanuel Sanchez. Since then, Claxton has gone 1-1 with a split decision loss to Jay Jay Wilson in his last fight.

Adam Martin - October 4, 2020

Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull sent a message to new UFC fighter Michael Chandler, saying “you’ll always be my b*tch.” Pitbull KOed Chandler in Bellator last June to become a rare double champion in the promotion. As for Chandler, after KOing Sidney Outlaw and Benson Henderson in devastating fashion, he signed a free-agent contract with the UFC. The UFC is so high on Chandler that it has tabbed him as the official backup for UFC 254’s main event between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Justin Gaethje.

Adam D Martin - October 4, 2020

Bellator bantamweight prospect James Gallagher responded to his critics following his recent victory over Cal Ellenor at Bellator Europe. The 23-year-old Gallagher made it look easy once again as he improved his pro record to 11-1 with the first-round finish over Ellenor. Gallagher has now won four straight fights since suffering his lone career defeat to Ricky Bandejas in 2018. However, Gallagher’s critics have pointed out that his wins have come against sub-par competition.

Adam Martin - October 2, 2020

Former UFC bantamweight contender Brett Johns has released a statement after leaving the Octagon and signing as a free agent with Bellator. Johns (17-2) was one of the top young bantamweight contenders in the UFC, but he has decided to move on after accepting a better contract offer from Bellator. The 28-year-old Wales native and former Titan FC champion officially announced the move on Friday via his social media accounts, where he explained why he decided to leave the UFC for Bellator.

Tom Taylor - September 30, 2020

YouTube star turned boxer Logan Paul heard enough “sh*t talking” from Bellator star Dillon Danis, and is now vowing to punish his rival in the ring. Paul and Danis have been swapping trash talk on social media and interviews for what seems like an eternity, and the YouTuber seems to be getting fed up.

Adam Martin - September 22, 2020

At long last, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull has been re-booked to fight his next opponent Pedro Carvalho. Pitbull, who is also the Bellator lightweight champion, was originally set to fight Carvalho with his belt on the line in the semifinals of the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix at Bellator 241 back in March. However, the fight and the entire event was scrapped at the last minute due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bellator re-started its events back in July, but due to visa issues for the champion, Bellator hasn’t been able to re-book Pitbull vs. Carvalho fight until now.

Andrew Whitelaw - September 17, 2020

Joe Schilling appeared to take justice into his own hands recently, as depicted on his Instagram stories, with videos showing him beating up a guy in the street and later explaining why he did so. Just a little warning that this whole story is pretty NSFW. With that out of the way, we’ll continue.

Tom Taylor - September 16, 2020

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler is reportedly being considered as a potential opponent for former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson. After knocking out Benson Henderson at Bellator 243, Chandler entered in a period of free agency. Buzz about his potential move to the UFC was immediate.

Adam Martin - September 14, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed he has reached out to the management of Brock Lesnar, saying it would be a “great opportunity.” Reports recently came out saying that Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion, is a free agent after his contract with the WWE expired and he could be considering offers to return to MMA. UFC president Dana White has already said he’s interested in a Lesnar vs. Jon Jones fight, and Coker has said he is interested in a Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko fight, so it will be interesting to see where Lesnar ends up next should he indeed make a comeback.

Adam Martin - September 14, 2020

The long-awaited vacant middleweight title fight between Douglas Lima and Gegard Mousasi has been re-booked to headline Bellator 250. Lima and Mousasi had previously been set to meet at Bellator 242 in May, but the card was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The promotion has been able to re-book the fight and it will now headline the organization’s Bellator 250 event on October 29. That is on a Thursday, a move that Bellator intends to make permanent going forward.

Tom Taylor - September 13, 2020

UFC President Dana White wasn’t impressed by a perceived refereeing blunder in a UFC Vegas 10 light heavyweight fight between Ed Herman and Mike Rodriguez. Mid-way through the fight, Herman appeared to be dropped by a groin shot, and was given some time to recover by the referee. However, an instant replay of the sequence seemed to show that it was a body shot that caused Herman to double-over, not a groin shot. Nonetheless, Herman was given several minutes to recover, and ultimately ended up winning the fight by submission in the third round.

Tom Taylor - September 13, 2020

Former UFC welterweight title challenger and World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Jon Fitch has retired from MMA. Fitch, 42, competed in his final fight at Bellator 246 on Saturday, losing to Neiman Gracie by submission. Post-fight, he announced his decision to hang up the gloves.

Chris Taylor - September 11, 2020

Bellator President Scott Coker has fired back at Dana White for suggesting that ex-UFC fighters who have joined Bellator were let go by the promotion. Back in August, Coker made headlines when he proclaimed that Bellator had the best light heavyweight division in all of mixed martial arts. In his defense, Coker’s comments came immediately following the news that longtime UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was vacating his title in order to move up to heavyweight.

Chris Taylor - September 11, 2020

Light heavyweight veterans Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis will square off for a second time in the headliner of tonight’s Bellator 245 event. The pair first met back in August of 2013 while under the UFC banner, with Davis emerging victorious by way of unanimous decision.

Cole Shelton - September 11, 2020

Patrick Mix doesn’t believe James Gallagher is a very good fighter. Ever since Mix signed to Bellator, Gallagher called him out, but as of late, Mix has noticed Gallagher hasn’t been saying his name. For “Patchy” he isn’t worried about that at all given he is set to fight for the bantamweight title on Saturday night while Gallagher hasn’t even been in a number one contender fight.

Tom Taylor - September 11, 2020

France has approved the practice of mixed martial arts and has placed the sport under the supervision of the French Boxing Federation (FFB). With these recent government approvals, Bellator is pleased to announce that it will become the first promotion to hold a major MMA event in France with a monumental show on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at Accor Arena in Paris. Bellator Paris will feature 13 MMA bouts and three boxing matchups. Among the athletes competing at Bellator Paris, 10 French fighters will appear on the card, including the renowned Cheick Kongo (30-10-2, 1 NC), who will face off against Tim Johnson (14-6) in a heavyweight clash. Additionally, an exciting welterweight bout between Michael “Venom” Page (17-1), better known to fans as “MVP,” and the debuting undefeated Ross Houston (8-0,1 NC) is also booked for the event.

Harry Kettle - September 10, 2020

Bellator featherweight Cat Zingano has explained why she is satisfied with her decision to join the promotion after leaving the UFC. Zingano, 38, is set to make her promotional debut tomorrow night when she squares off against Gabrielle Holloway in the co-main event of Bellator 245. She’s been officially signed as a member of the roster for almost a year now, and she’s certainly ready to prove to the world why she could be a top contender in her new home.

Adam Martin - September 9, 2020

MMA legend Cris Cyborg will defend the Bellator women’s featherweight title later this year against top contender Arlene Blencowe. Amy Kaplan of FanSided was the first to reveal that Cyborg’s next opponent would be Blencowe. It should be noted that there is currently no date set for this fight, only that it is expected to take place before 2020 is over. Bellator president Scott Coker previously said that Blencowe was likely going to be next in line to fight Cyborg, and this new report all but confirms that is indeed the direction that the Bellator matchmakers are going in.