Bellator News

Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2024

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier feels the UFC is the only MMA promotion in which athletes truly have an opportunity to achieve a superstar fame level. Cormier sat cage-side as UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. Pereira defended the belt for the third time in just seven months and rallied from early adversity to finish Rountree.

Josh Evanoff - October 3, 2024

Next month’s Bellator Paris card headlined by Patchy Mix vs. Leandro Higo has been canceled. ‘No Love’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a split-decision victory over Magomed Magomedov in May. That victory was Patchy Mix’s first defense of his Bellator bantamweight title and moved him to 20-1 as a professional. Following the victory, the champion was booked opposite Leandro Higo for next month in France.

Josh Evanoff - September 19, 2024

Paul Hughes is angling for a fight with Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. ‘Big News’ is still early on in his tenure with PFL and Bellator. Paul Hughes famously chose to sign with Donn Davis and the promotion, over Dana White and the UFC earlier this year. In his promotional debut earlier this summer, the Irishman scored a second-round knockout victory over Bobby King.

Fernando Quiles - September 13, 2024

Yaroslav Amosov, a former Bellator welterweight champion, has announced his departure from Bellator MMA and is teasing a UFC run. Amosov had been with Bellator since the summer of 2018. He went on a tear under the promotion, going 8-1. Along the way, the Ukrainian bruiser became Bellator’s 170-pound champion with one successful title defense and a unification win. He suffered the first loss of his pro MMA career after being stopped by Jason Jackson in late 2023.

Fernando Quiles - September 8, 2024

Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov believes he is the future of MMA. Nurmagomedov put his 155-pound hardware at stake against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event of Bellator Champions Series 4 this past Saturday. The Dagestan bruiser earned a unanimous decision win to maintain his hold on the gold and improve his pro MMA record to 18-0, 1 NC.

Harry Kettle - September 8, 2024

Lorenz Larkin picked up a huge win over Levan Chokheli last night in their battle at Bellator San Diego. Over the course of the last 15 years, Lorenz Larkin has served as an interesting case study in mixed martial arts. For the longest time, he was viewed as someone who has the potential to be a real superstar. In equal measure, some of his appearances inside the cage didn’t quite live up to the hype.

Harry Kettle - September 4, 2024

MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov is the future of the sport. As we know, it’s been an interesting time for Usman Nurmagomedov as of late. While he may be a world champion in Bellator, he’s also had to deal with a suspected doping violation. Despite that, he is set to return to the cage this weekend when he defends his crown against Alexandr Shabliy.

Josh Evanoff - September 3, 2024

Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2 has been removed from Bellator London. The two met in the main event of Bellator 299 last September. There, Fabian Edwards gave the undefeated middleweight champion arguably the toughest test of his career. However, the striker wound up being badly knocked out in round three. Post-fight, Johnny Eblen got into a confrontation with then-UFC champion, Leon Edwards in a wild scene.

Curtis Calhoun - July 23, 2024

Bellator bantamweight titleholder Patchy Mix will face a new contender for his upcoming title defense in Paris. As announced in a Tuesday press release, Bellator Champions Series: Paris on November 16th will feature a Mix vs. Leandro Higo headliner. Mix last defended the belt in a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender against Magomed Magomedov in May.

Curtis Calhoun - July 10, 2024

Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima will make his return to the cage at 185lbs after his rocky relationship with the PFL was repaired. Lima will face middleweight contender Aaron Jeffery at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego on September 7th. He returns to the cage following a 16-month hiatus, stemming from his unanimous decision win over Costello Van Steenis at Bellator 296.

Curtis Calhoun - July 9, 2024

Former Bellator interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots will return to the cage after a 10-month absence from fighting. Stots will face Glover Teixeira protégé Marcos Breno in the Bellator Champions Series: San Diego co-main event on September 7th. The promotion announced the matchup in a press release on Tuesday.

Josh Evanoff - June 18, 2024

Bellator MMA’s schedule for September is heating up, as it now includes the return of Usman Nurmagomedov. Fans are now six months into PFL’s ownership of Bellator. Last fall, the Donn Davis-led promotion purchased the company from Viacom but had no plans to get rid of the company. Instead, each brand has run events separately in 2024, but have featured a lot of overlap. Names such as Cedric Doumbe have jumped back-and-forth, and that will likely only continue.

Curtis Calhoun - May 17, 2024

Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima is becoming increasingly frustrated with the PFL’s alleged lack of transparency when it comes to fulfilling his contract. Lima, along with the Bellator roster, merged under the PFL banner after the league purchased Bellator in 2023. Since the merger, Lima hasn’t competed and hasn’t fought since a win over Costello Van Steenis at Bellator 296.

Josh Evanoff - May 17, 2024

It seems that Cedric Doumbe and Anthony Pettis will meet in the Bellator cage sooner rather than later. ‘The Best’ returned to the cage earlier today in the co-main event of Bellator Champions Series 2. Once again back in his home country of France, the former two-time Glory Kickboxing champion faced former LFA titleholder Jaleel Willis. Things were tense in the build-up to the catchweight bout, with both men talking a lot of trash.

Josh Evanoff - May 16, 2024

Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix believes he’s the best 135-pound fighter on the planet. ‘War Ready’ has been out of the cage since a second-round submission victory over Sergio Pettis last November. That victory at Bellator 301 saw Patchy Mix become the undisputed bantamweight champion. He previously won the interim title while ‘The Phenom’ was on the shelf due to injury, and won the bantamweight Grand Prix.

Josh Evanoff - May 13, 2024

It seems that Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader is getting involved in show business. ‘Darth’ has been out of action since a clash with PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira in February. The two heavyweights headlined the PFL vs. Bellator event in Saudi Arabia, and it didn’t go well for Ryan Bader. Just seconds into the contest, ‘Problema’ scored a knockdown and quickly stopped the champion.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2024

Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix has explained why he believes he’s a better fighter than Sean O’Malley. For the longest time now, Patchy Mix has been making a name for himself as one of the best bantamweights on the planet. Last year, he submitted Sergio Pettis to become Bellator’s undisputed king at 135 pounds.

Susan Cox - April 30, 2024

Gegard Mousasi is claiming that Bellator fighters make more than the PFL guys. The PFL (Professional Fighters League) acquired Bellator in November of last year in an attempt to make a stronger competitor to the UFC.