Bellator News

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2020

Bellator’s vacant middleweight title is up for grabs in the main event of Bellator 250. Gegard Mousasi is looking to reclaim his belt while Douglas Lima is looking to become a promotional champ-champ. Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2) returned to the win column with a split decision win over Lyoto Machida last September. Before that, he suffered a controversial majority decision loss to Rafael Lovato Jr. to lose his middleweight title. Since coming over to Bellator, Mousasi is 4-1 and does have a notable win over Rory MacDonald for the first and only title defense of his Bellator title.

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2020

Bellator’s vacant middleweight title is up for grabs in the main event of Bellator 250. Gegard Mousasi is looking to reclaim his belt while Douglas Lima is looking to become a promotional champ-champ. Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2) returned to the win column with a split decision win over Lyoto Machida last September. Before that, he suffered a controversial majority decision loss to Rafael Lovato Jr. to lose his middleweight title. Since coming over to Bellator, Mousasi is 4-1 and does have a notable win over Rory MacDonald for the first and only title defense of his Bellator title. The veteran also has beaten the likes of Chris Weidman, Uriah Hall, Thiago Santos, and Vitor Belfort during his time in the UFC.

Adam Martin - October 29, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker explained why Bellator made 30 roster cuts including veterans such as Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, and Joe Warren. It was reported earlier this week that Bellator cut a number of fighters from its roster. Many of the fighters who were released were veterans coming to the end of the like such as Mir, Nelson, and Warren, but there were also a number of younger fighters on the list such as Ricky Bandejas, Chris Lencioni, and AJ Agazarm that surprised fans.

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2020

The Bellator 250 card, which airs tonight on CBS Sports, has unfortunately lost two anticipated matchups at the last minute. According to a report from MMA Fighting, a Bellator 250 main card fight between Veta Arteaga and Desiree Yanez and an undercard fight between Nick Newell and Zach Zane have been scratched from the lineup.

Cole Shelton - October 28, 2020

In the main event of Bellator 250, a massive middleweight fight goes down for the vacant belt as Gegard Mousasi takes on the welterweight champion, Douglas Lima. Heading into the fight, Mousasi is a -170 favorite while the Brazilian is a +140 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believes Lima’s striking is just too good that he will be able to pick apart Mousasi and earn the win to become a champ-champ in Bellator.

Tom Taylor - October 28, 2020

Bellator MMA has parted ways with a long list of high profile fighters, including several who have worn gold in major promotions. Bellator has signed a number of free agents recently, but as always, additions to the roster come at a cost.

Adam Martin - October 27, 2020

Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima responded after Michael Page suggested the champ is ducking him, saying to “fight contenders.” Lima is set to take on Gegard Mousasi in a superfight for the vacant Bellator middleweight championship at Bellator 250 on Thursday. Win or lose, Lima will likely make a title defense of his welterweight bout next, and one of the top contenders in the division is Page. After defeating Ross Houston at Bellator Paris in his last fight, Page suggested that the reason he isn’t fighting for the belt yet is that Lima is ducking him.

Adam Martin - October 22, 2020

Former Bellator fighter Joe Taimanglo, once a top bantamweight contender, was arrested in Guam for possession of meth and an illegal handgun. Taimanglo, a 36-year-old native of Guam who is a long-time MMA veteran, was arrested on Thursday in his home country after being found with a gun and narcotics. According to a report from The Pacific Daily News, Taimanglo was seen driving a scooter with expired tags, prompting Guam police officers to pull him over.

Harry Kettle - October 22, 2020

All Elite Wrestling star Jake Hager will return to the cage for his fourth professional MMA fight at Bellator 250. Hager, who once held the World Heavyweight Championship during his 11-year stint with WWE, has been juggling his pro wrestling career alongside his mixed martial arts journey for a few years now. His first fight took place at Bellator 214 in January 2019 and since then he’s put together a 2-0 record with one no contest last October due to an accidental groin strike.

Adam Martin - October 21, 2020

Heavyweight legend Fabricio Werdum says he plans on signing with Bellator and is just waiting for Fedor Emelianenko to sign his contract. Werdum recently became a free agent after his UFC contract expired following a submission win over Alexander Gustafsson on Fight Island. Bellator president Scott Coker has been trying to sign Werdum as a free agent and match him up against Emelianenko, but to this point, there hasn’t been any official progress on the front. Now there is.

Tom Taylor - October 16, 2020

On Thursday night, Cris Cyborg defended the Bellator MMA women’s featherweight title with a submission win over Arlene Blencowe. It was the first submission victory on her resume. As ever, the MMA was very quick to react to this feat. See some of the best reactions below:

Harry Kettle - October 16, 2020

Cris Cyborg has called for a rematch with former foe Amanda Nunes in the wake of her win at Bellator 249 last night. Cyborg once again proved why she’s still one of the most dangerous women on the planet as she submitted Arlene Blencowe in the second round to retain her Bellator Featherweight Championship.

Adam Martin - October 15, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says that heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko is “50/50” on whether he wants a rematch with Fabricio Werdum. It’s been over 10 years since Werdum pulled off one of the biggest upsets in MMA history when he finished Emelianenko by submission in a Strikeforce fight in June 2010. Werdum would parlay that win over Emelianenko into a UFC contract, where he eventually became the promotion’s champion. As for Emelianenko, he was very up-and-down during the 2010s after being the fighter of the decade in the 2000s. In recent years, Emelianenko has found a home in Bellator, whose promoter Scott Coker is also close friends with Werdum.

Adam Martin - October 13, 2020

Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is still hoping for a cross-promotion rematch with UFC champion Amanda Nunes. Cyborg and Nunes met back at UFC 232 in December 2018. In a fight that lasted just 51 seconds, Nunes pulled off the upset when she knocked Cyborg out in the first round to hand the Brazilian her first loss in 13 years and win the women’s 145lbs title. The UFC attempted to book the rematch between Cyborg and Nunes but were not able to agree to terms. Cyborg was later released by the UFC after beating Felicia Spencer and has since become the 145lbs champ in Bellator, while Nunes is a two-division champion in the UFC.

Adam Martin - October 12, 2020

Bellator welterweight contender Michael Page believes that Douglas Lima is ducking him, suggesting that he lives in Lima’s head. Page and Lima met in June 2019 in the semifinals of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix, and Lima was the victor when he scored a stunning KO over the previously-unbeaten Page. Lima went on to defeat Rory MacDonald in the finals and claim the Bellator welterweight title for a third time, while Page has been fighting lower-level competition since then, winning four straight fights including a decision over Ross Houston at Bellator Paris.

Adam Martin - October 12, 2020

Bellator welterweight contender Michael Page had an “off night” at Bellator Paris due to ring rust, theorized Bellator president Scott Coker. Page defeated former Cage Warriors FC champion Ross Houston via unanimous decision at Bellator’s debut event in Paris. It was far from the best performance of Page’s career as he wasn’t able to let loose and score a flashy KO as his fans are accustomed to. It wasn’t a bad performance, but it was disappointing considering how talented Page is. In the wake of the fight, fans and media have taken to social media to criticize Bellator and Page for the matchmaking of this fight, suggesting that the Page vs. Houston fight was unnecessary.

Adam Martin - October 9, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum says talks are in advanced stages for a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko in Bellator. The 43-year-old Werdum recently became a free agent following a submission win over Alexander Gustafsson on Fight Island in July. The long-time MMA heavyweight veteran reportedly spoke to several promotions in his foray into free agency, but it appears the one that most figured made the most sense, Bellator, has made the biggest push to sign him.

Adam Martin - October 8, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says that Cheick Kongo will get a rematch against Ryan Bader with an impressive win over Tim Johnson. Kongo and Bader first met last September at Bellator 226, but the fight ended in controversial fashion when Kongo was unable to continue due to eye pokes. The bout was ruled a No Contest and Bader kept his belt, moving back down to 205lbs in an unsuccessful attempt to defend his light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov. As for Kongo, he has not fought since the Bader fight but returns to the Bellator cage this weekend when he takes on Johnson in a rematch in the main event of Bellator Paris.