Bellator News
Anthony Pettis shares hefty bet on brother Sergio ahead of Bellator 297 fight against Patricio Pitbull
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2023
Anthony Pettis will be backing his brother Sergio Pettis in a big way ahead of Bellator 297. In the co-main event of Bellator 297 on Friday night in Chicago, Pettis is looking to defend his bantamweight title for the second time as he takes on Patricio Pitbull. The Brazilian is the current Bellator featherweight champ and former lightweight champ but is dropping down in weight as he looks to become a three-weight world champion.
Bellator 297 Weigh-in Results
Zain Bando - June 15, 2023
Bellator returns to the Windy City Friday night for Bellator 297 with two world title fights to top the bill from Wintrust Arena. This is the promotion’s second trip back to Chicago, Ill., in less than a year, as Bellator 288 took place last November from the same venue. Former UFC middleweight title challenger and interim champion Yoel Romero puts his two-fight win streak on the line against current Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov in the Bellator 297 main event, who defends his title in Chicago again.
Scott Coker sends message to other MMA promotions: "We have as good or better fighters than other leagues, including the UFC"
Zain Bando - June 14, 2023
Bellator president Scott Coker has made his stance clear – his fighters are the cream of the crop. Ahead of Bellator 297 Friday night, which is headlined by two marquee title fights in Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero at light heavyweight and Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Pitbull at bantamweight, Coker was adamant his three champions could challenge a whos-who, including the best the UFC has to offer. “We have as good or better fighters than other leagues, including the UFC,” Coker said. “And I think that everybody knows that now.”
WATCH | Vadim Nemkov has virtual face-off with Yoel Romero as 'Soldier of God' misses presser due to fear of heights
Josh Evanoff - June 14, 2023
Bellator light-heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov had a unique staredown with Yoel Romero today. The Russian has been out of the cage since his rematch with Corey Anderson last October. At Bellator 288, Vadim Nemkov scored a unanimous decision win over ‘Overtime’ to retain his light-heavyweight title. That was a huge win for the champion, as it set the record for most Bellator title defenses in the division, with three.
Bellator 297: Yoel Romero says the MMA community ‘knows what happened’ in last title fight appearance
Zain Bando - June 14, 2023
Yoel Romero has not forgotten what happened the last time he competed in Chicago. The 46-year-old Cuban light heavyweight was on the wrong end of a 2018 middleweight title fight with Robert Whittaker, a fight many believed Romero did enough to earn a decision.
Bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis eyes second title after he gets past Patricio Freire at Bellator 297
Harry Kettle - June 7, 2023
Sergio Pettis has got his eyes set on a second world title if he’s able to get past Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire at Bellator 297. Next weekend in Chicago, Sergio Pettis will go head to head with Patricio Pitbull. He’ll be defending his Bellator bantamweight championship against a man who is widely considered to be the best fighter in Bellator history. If Pitbull is able to secure the win, he’ll also become the first man to be a three-weight champion in a major organization.
Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull thinks media ignores his accomplishments: "It will be on them"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 28, 2023
Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire believes media members have been ignoring what he has accomplished. Not only is Freire the reigning three-time Bellator champion at 145 pounds, but he’s also the promotion’s former lightweight champion. If he makes weight and defeats Sergio Pettis at Bellator 297, he’ll become the new Bellator Bantamweight Champion, making him a rare three-division MMA champion.
Bellator MMA plans to add a new division for the first time since 2014
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 26, 2023
Bellator MMA is rolling out a new division. MMAJunkie.com reports that Bellator is expected to introduce the men’s flyweight division soon. While a date hasn’t been revealed, the report noted that the launch will be taking place in “the coming days.”
Bellator to adopt pay-per-view model for Canadian viewers starting with Bellator 296
Zain Bando - May 11, 2023
Bellator will begin a new era of its broadcasting history Friday, as the promotion announced a new change for Canadian MMA viewers. According to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, Bellator events will move from exclusive broadcasts on YouTube to a semi-traditional pay-per-view model, beginning with Bellator 296 in Paris, France.
Ali Abdelaziz takes aim at Cris Cyborg for re-signing with Bellator: “I knew all along”
Zain Bando - May 4, 2023
Thursday afternoon, Bellator MMA officials announced the re-signing of women’s featherweight champion, Cris “Cyborg” Justino, to a multi-fight deal. Justino had previously been linked to a potential super-fight with former multiple-time PFL champion, Kayla Harrison. Now, with Cyborg returning to the Bellator cage to defend her throne, a Harrison fight seems too far-fetched.
Bellator re-signs featherweight champion Cris Cyborg to a multi-fight deal
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2023
Cris Cyborg will be sticking around in Bellator for the foreseeable future. On Thursday, Bellator announced via a press release and on social media that the promotion has inked a new multi-fight deal with their women’s featherweight champ, Cris Cyborg. Cyborg had been vocal about her contract and being a free agent but after some time in negotiations, she has re-signed with Bellator.
UFC star Paddy Pimblett takes aim at Bellator and PFL: “The only reason people go to PFL is to try to win the million dollars with easier fights”
Harry Kettle - April 26, 2023
UFC star Paddy Pimblett has given his thoughts on Bellator and PFL as fighters continue to sign deals with both promotions. While he may be a big star, Paddy Pimblett has had some troubles lately. In addition to some fans turning against him, the Liverpudlian is also currently on the shelf following ankle surgery. It comes in the wake of his controversial win over Jared Gordon, with many believing he shouldn’t have had his hand raised.
Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis added to stacked Bellator 297 event in June
Josh Evanoff - March 30, 2023
Bellator 297 continues to add more high-profile names and former champions to the card. The event is slated for June 16th at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago and already has some massive fights. The card is expected to be headlined by a light-heavyweight title fight between Vadim Nemkov and Yoel Romero. The two were previously expected to clash at Bellator 290 in January, but the Russian withdrew.
Daniel James discusses his upcoming Bellator 293 main event fight with Marcelo Golm: "I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but there’s no more losing"
Zain Bando - March 30, 2023
Daniel James returns to the Bellator cage Friday night, taking on Marcelo Golm in the main event of Bellator 293 in Temecula, Calif. James (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 Bellator) made an emphatic return to the big show in Nov. 2022, rallying to defeat top-10 heavyweight Tyrell Fortune in his home city of Chicago, Ill.
Cat Zingano confused by Cris Cyborg’s ducking claims: “She’s not even with the promotion”
Harry Kettle - March 30, 2023
Bellator star Cat Zingano has admitted that she’s confused by Cris Cyborg’s recent claims that she’s ducking her. Since arriving in Bellator, Cat Zingano has been pretty solid. She’s riding a 3-0 win streak and tomorrow night, she’ll look to extend that to four when she battles Leah McCourt.
Jorge Masvidal says the best middleweight fighter in the world competes outside of the UFC: “He’s just a beast”
Harry Kettle - March 28, 2023
UFC star Jorge Masvidal has named a fighter outside of the promotion as the best middleweight on the planet. Across the entirety of his mixed martial arts career, Jorge Masvidal has competed against some of the best fighters in the world. In addition to that, he’s also trained alongside a lot of absolute killers, too.
Bellator 292 Salaries: Usman Nurmagomedov and Benson Henderson lead the way
Susan Cox - March 17, 2023
Usman Nurmagomedov and Benson Henderson were the top earners in the disclosed Bellator 292 salaries. The disclosed fight purses for Bellator 292 have been revealed by the California State Athletic Commission and Nurmagomedov and Henderson both earned six-figure pay checks.
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou reveals that he's close to signing to next MMA promotion: "We are very close"
Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has revealed that he will sign with PFL or ONE Championship. ‘The Predator’ walked out of the UFC in January, as he declined to re-sign after fighting out his contract. As a result, the promotion stripped Ngannou of his title, and later set Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship.