Bellator News

Harry Kettle - October 21, 2024

Bellator star Paul Hughes wants Conor McGregor in his corner for a possible title shot against Usman Nurmagomedov. Last weekend, Paul Hughes made an emphatic statement. In his battle with AJ McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants, he was able to put in the performance of a lifetime. He dropped the favorite and hurt him on multiple occasions, eventually riding his way to a split decision win. Now, many believe the natural next step is for him to challenge Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov for the belt.

Josh Evanoff - October 16, 2024

It appears that Bellator veteran Dillon Danis wants to return to the cage. The controversial ‘El Jefe’ hasn’t been seen in action since his boxing match with Logan Paul a year ago. In the co-main event of Misfits 10, Dillon Danis was badly outboxed by ‘The Maverick’. Despite a lot of pre-fight trash talk, the MMA fighter was very little more than a heavy bag last October.

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.

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.

Harry Kettle - September 9, 2024

Khabib Nurmagomedov started choking Umar Nurmagomedov, seemingly out of anxiety, while watching Usman Nurmagomedov compete last week. Last week, Usman Nurmagomedov defeated Alexander Shabliy with a dominant unanimous decision triumph to successfully retain his Bellator lightweight championship. It was a really solid display and in his corner, he had Umar Nurmagomedov and the great Khabib Nurmagomedov there to guide him through the contest.

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.

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.

Fernando Quiles - August 30, 2024

Bellator Lightweight Champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, has spoken out on his CSAC suspension for a failed drug test. Nurmagomedov was flagged for an undisclosed prohibited substance back in October 2023. His successful Bellator 300 title defense over Brent Primus was changed to a no contest as a result. While the CSAC slapped Nurmagomedov with a six-month suspension and a $50,000 fine, both sides agreed that the 155-pound titleholder was able to prove that the substance in question was administered by a physician for therapeutic use.

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.

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.

Josh Evanoff - June 4, 2024

Longtime MMA commentator Jimmy Smith is returning to Bellator. The Donn Davis era of Bellator has been a mixed bag for most fight fans around the globe. The PFL bought out the company late last year, and many longtime faces such as Scott Coker left the brand. However, their roster of fighters such as Douglas Lima, Patricio Pitbull and more have largely stuck around.

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 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.

Curtis Calhoun - May 7, 2024

PFL analyst and former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy admits that PFL has a long way to go before being universally recognized as a sustainable MMA product. UFC president and CEO Dana White has used some of his recent media availability to mock PFL’s popularity and standing in MMA. After a successful night at UFC 300, White aimed at PFL/Bellator for a low attendance the night before the UFC’s historic pay-per-view event.