Bellator News

Tom Taylor - February 10, 2020

Rafael Lovato Jr. has relinquished the Bellator middleweight title after revealing he’s suffering from a cavernoma, an issue pertaining to the blood vessels in the brain. Lovato opened up on these health concerns on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, explaining that the issue has put his career on hold.

Mike Pendleton - February 5, 2020

The recent headlines in the world of MMA have consisted of: two fighters at the top of their division getting into an argument on Radio Row at the Super Bowl, and an ESPN personality getting ripped for his lack of knowledge on the sport, however, there’s a far greater and more important story happening in the sport, not many are talking about. This week on Joe Rogan’s MMA Show, Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Lovato Jr. revealed that he’s dealing with a rare brain condition that will have him “retired indefinitely” as he awaits more meetings with doctors to determine his future.

Adam D Martin - February 2, 2020

Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima, two of the most elite fighters in Bellator, are open to fighting each other for the promotion’s vacant middleweight title. Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Lovato Jr. admitted last week on the Joe Rogan Experience show that he has a rare brain condition. He has not retired yet and Bellator later released a statement that they have not made a decision on what to do with his belt at this point. But if Lovato Jr. is forced to retire or sit out a significant period of time the promotion may opt to strip him of his title and let the division move on.

Chris Taylor - February 1, 2020

YouTube sensation Logan Paul is considering taking his talents from the ring to the cage as he recently expressed interest in fighting for Bellator MMA. Logan was involved in a recent media scrum for the leadup to his brother Jake’s fight with fellow celebrity AnEsonGib, where he stated the following.

Mike Pendleton - January 31, 2020

Cris Cyborg made a successful Bellator MMA debut when she defeated Julia Budd at Bellator 238 and won the featherweight title. In doing so, Cyborg also added her fourth promotional world title, adding the Bellator belt to a trophy case that already included Strikeforce, Invicta and UFC belts. Feeling refreshed with her new promotion unlike her time in the UFC, Cyborg put on a performance to remember in her Bellator debut. Her performance against Budd was masterful enough to get the attention of a former champion as well.

Cole Shelton - January 29, 2020

Rafael Lovato Jr. doesn’t know if he will fight again. The 36-year-old has not fought since his upset win over Gegard Mousasi to win the Bellator middleweight title in June of 2019. He’s 10-0 as a pro recently discovered he has a problem that went undetected because he often fought with commissions that didn’t require brain scans. But, when he needed one for the Mousasi fight, that is when he realized something is wrong.

Natasha Hooper - January 29, 2020

Jessica Penne and Bec Rawlings have found another stream of income, and that is their own subscription accounts on OnlyFans.com. The two athletes have records that encompass the UFC, Invicta and Bellator. Jessica Penne hasn’t fought since 2017 after coming off three back-to-back losses and Bec Rawlings is also coming off 5 consecutive losses, though she’s riding a few big wins in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ring.

Tom Taylor - January 28, 2020

Josh Thomson, a veteran of the Strikeforce, PRIDE, UFC and Bellator cages, has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. Thomson, 41, announced his retirement from the sport on his Weighing In podcast on Tuesday.

Tom Taylor - January 28, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub recently claimed that all the best fighters are on the UFC roster. Unsurprisingly, this comment generated a torrent of backlash — including a retort from MMA referee turned Bellator commentator John McCarthy. Hear what McCarthy had to say about Schaub’s claim below (via Twitter):

Tom Taylor - January 28, 2020

Bellator 238 was an action-packed card, with violent finishes from the likes of Cris Cyborg, Sergio Pettis and Aaron Pico. As is always the case with highlight-filled cards like this, the result is a long list of medical suspensions — particularly for the Bellator 238 losers.

Harry Kettle - January 28, 2020

Julia Budd received $100,000 more for her performance at Bellator 238 than the woman that beat her for the title, Cris Cyborg. The two main eventers went toe to toe for the Bellator Featherweight Championship, and after a fascinating encounter, it was Cyborg who cemented her place in the record books with an impressive fourth-round TKO.

Cole Shelton - January 27, 2020

Cris Cyborg is very happy to be fighting for Bellator. Cyborg had a public falling out with the UFC after her knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at The Forum. UFC president, Dana White said Cyborg didn’t want the Nunes rematch while the Brazilian claimed she did.