Bellator News

Adam Martin - October 4, 2019

Bellator president Scott Coker was recently asked about the future of the legend Fedor Emelianenko. According to Coker, he believes Fedor is the greatest MMA fighter of all time and said the Russian still plans on fighting a few more times, including a matchup on home soil for his final retirement bout within the next few years. Here’s what Coker told RT Sport about Fedor.

Mike Pendleton - October 3, 2019

Bellator MMA is headed back to Hawaii, and they’re bringing two of their bright young stars with them. KHON2 in Hawaii was first to report that Bellator will be returning to Hawaii on December 21st at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Oahu, Hawaii. The card will feature Bellator’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane who will attempt to defend her flyweight title against Kate Jackson who has a 11-3-1 record in her professional career, and is also a former competitor of The Ultimate Fighter Season 23. Jackson is riding a two fight winning streak and is 3-1 since joining Bellator.

Cole Shelton - October 3, 2019

Darrion Caldwell was not happy that Patricio Freire did not pick him to fight in the Selection Show following Bellator 228. Instead, the featherweight champion decided to fight Pedro Carvalho, leaving Caldwell matched up with Adam Borics on the other side of the bracket. Following the event, Darrion Caldwell went to Patricio Freire’s locker room and confronted the champ about not picking him. The entire encounter was caught by Bellator.

Adam Martin - October 1, 2019

Veteran MMA referee Dan Miragliotta got himself in trouble over the weekend during his officiating of the Michael Page vs. Richard Kiely fight at Bellator Dublin. Page won the fight via first-round flying knee knockout, but not before some controversy. Kiely had flipped the bird to Page in the cage, and Page responded by showboating, leading Miragliotta to taking a point away from him for unsportsmanlike conduct, which is a very rare occurrence.

Natasha Hooper - September 30, 2019

According to Gegard Mousasi, there is one telltale sign that gives away Bellator middleweight champ Rafael Lovato Jr.’s alleged PED-use use. The Iranian-Dutchman believes the middleweight’s nipples are dead giveaway. Mousasi once again lobbed some accusations in Lovato’s direction after Saturday’s Bellator 228 card, where he defeated Lyoto Machida by decision.

Tom Taylor - September 30, 2019

On Saturday night, Bellator MMA returned to our screens with stacked Bellator 228 card. The salaries for this action-packed card, which was highlighted by four Featherweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal bouts and a middleweight rematch between Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi, have now been revealed.

Adam Martin - September 30, 2019

Josh Barnett is interested in a potential Bellator heavyweight legends tournament, and if it happens he hopes the tournament takes place during one night. Barnett was signed by Bellator earlier this year after the UFC released him following a dispute with USADA. He hasn’t fought in three years, and is rumored to be making his return on the year-end Bellator/RIZIN card, though that’s not official just yet.

Natasha Hooper - September 30, 2019

Cris Cyborg will fight Julia Budd for the Bellator featherweight title on January 25th at an event in Inglewood, California. Bellator announced this news during the Bellator 228 broadcast on Saturday night.

Adam D Martin - September 29, 2019

The main event of Bellator 228 saw long-time veterans Gegard Mousasi and Lyoto Machida rematch five years after meeting for the first time in the UFC. Machida won that fight via unanimous decision, and now five years later Mousasi has a victory in the series as he edged out a split decision over Machida in the rematch. Following Bellator 228, the two legends of MMA posed for a picture together. Check it out below, courtesy of Mousasi’s Instagram.

Adam D Martin - September 29, 2019

The Bellator featherweight world grand prix quarterfinals have officially been set following the promotion’s selection show at Bellator 228, where champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire had the final say. Check out the bracket below, courtesy of Bellator president Scott Coker’s Twitter.

Chris Taylor - September 28, 2019

A key middleweight bout between Gegard Mousasi and Lyoto Machida co-headlined tonight’s Bellator 228 event in Los Angeles. Tonight’s fight served as a rematch, as Mousasi and Machida had previously met in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 36 in February of 2014. There, they were the ‘fight of the night’ but it was Machida who did enough to edge out a unanimous decision.

Chris Taylor - September 28, 2019

Bellator ‘champ champ’ Patricio Freire put his featherweight title on the line against Juan Archuleta this evening in Los Angeles. The highly anticipated bout served as tonight’s Bellator 228 co-headliner.

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

Rising Bellator star James Gallagher returned to the cage at Bellator Dublin on Friday — though not against the man he initially expected. When his original opponent Cal Ellenor was forced off the card, Gallagher was forced to shift his focus to late replacement, UFC veteran Roman Salazar. The Bellator Dublin card, of which Gallagher vs. Salazar was a part, aired live on Friday afternoon on the Bellator MMA app. Unlike the Bellator 227 portion of this event it will not air on tape delay later tonight.

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

On Friday afternoon, amid the Bellator 227 and Bellator Dublin festivities in Dublin, Ireland, British knockout artist Michael Page returned to the cage in hopes of rebounding from his first pro MMA loss: a knockout at the hands of the former welterweight champ Douglas Lima. Page’s opponent in this crucial return to action was his heated rival, Richard Kiely. The Bellator Dublin card, of which Page vs. Kiely was a part, aired live on Friday afternoon on the Bellator MMA app. Unlike the Bellator 227 portion of this event it will not air on tape delay later tonight.

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson returned to the cage on Friday, where he took on fellow UFC veteran Myles Jury as part of the Bellator 227 and Bellator Dublin double-header. Much of this Bellator action will air on tape delay, but if you’re the impatient type, we’ve got you covered. Keep scrolling for the results of the Benson Henderson vs. Myles Jury fight (h/t Pundit Arena).

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

Bellator Dublin is currently underway, and the card features a host of Ireland’s best fighters, including James Gallagher and Kiefer Crosby. Former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor is also in the building to support his countrymen. See McGregor’s arrival at the arena below (via Bellator Europe on Twitter):

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2019

Bellator MMA has recently signed several notable free agents, including former UFC champions Josh Barnett and Cris Cyborg. Speaking to the media ahead of Bellator 228, Bellator president Scott Coker discussed the Bellator debuts of these two stars. He started with Barnett, explaining that he’d like the heavyweight veteran to make his debut in Japan on a card co-promoted with RIZIN.

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2019

Shortly after Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo’s Bellator 226 title fight was ruled a no contest due to an inadvertent eye poke, Bader and Kongo’s training partner Quinton “Rampage” Jackson nearly got into it. UFC legend Tank Abbott, an other Kongo stablemate, attempted to join in the fracas, but couldn’t make his way to the cage.