Bellator News
Kyoji Horiguchi doesn't see Sergio Pettis as 'real champion' ahead of Bellator 272 title clash
Drake Riggs - November 24, 2021
Kyoji Horiguchi is a man on a mission. The current RIZIN FF 135-pound bantamweight king recaptured the title he never officially lost on New Year’s Eve 2020 and hasn’t fought since. Now, Horiguchi has signed with Bellator in a rare deal that sees him remain the RIZIN champ and seeks the other title he relinquished when sidelined in all of 2020 recovering from an ACL tear.
Cris Cyborg says Kayla Harrison reminds her of Ronda Rousey, would fight her at 155lbs
Adam D Martin - November 23, 2021
Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg says Kayla Harrison reminds her of Ronda Rousey, saying she would fight her at 155lbs. Harrison is currently a free agent find is looking for her next home in the world of MMA. Harrison was last with PFL, who could still re-sign her to a new contract, but she is also being courted by the UFC, Bellator, and even the WWE. Regardless of where she ends up, Harrison is expected to get a big-money deal as she appears to be one of the best women’s MMA fighters in the world. Those are in high demand right now, and Harrison knows that.
Gabi Garcia believes 'There’s no way' Kayla Harrison fights Cris Cyborg
Drake Riggs - November 22, 2021
Gabi Garcia isn’t buying the Kayla Harrison hype. The 31-year old two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist in Harrison is currently testing the free agency waters after an 11-0 career in the PFL (12-0 overall). When it comes to likely options, the UFC, Bellator, or returning to the promotion where she’s won two million-dollar titles seem most likely
Cris Cyborg interested in facing Cat Zingano next, says it would be a "great fight"
Adam D Martin - November 21, 2021
Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg says she is interested in facing Cat Zingano next, saying it would be a “great fight.” Cyborg is coming off of a quick first-round KO win over Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 271. For Cyborg, she is currently riding a five-fight win streak including a four-fight winning streak since she joined Bellator with four wins coming by way of knockout. Cyborg has looked absolutely phenomenal so far in Bellator and she is excited to get back out there and perform. Following her quick win over Kavanagh, Cyborg is now looking ahead at who she could potentially be facing next, and Zingano seems to be the ideal opponent for her.
Jon Jones set to return at Fury Grappling against Bellator heavyweight Jake Hager
Chris Taylor - November 20, 2021
Jon Jones will be returning to action under the Fury Grappling banner for a bout with undefeated Bellator heavyweight Jake Hager. The former UFC light heavyweight kingpin, Jones (26-1 MMA), announced the news just moments ago on social media.
Cris Cyborg throws shade at UFC after recent quarterly report
Drake Riggs - November 15, 2021
Cris Cyborg is happy to no longer be with her old home of the UFC. Reports from MMA Fighting were released on Monday regarding a historically profitable year for the UFC and Endeavor. Having had a less than pleasant experience from a behind the scenes perspective, according to her, Cyborg chimed in with a response to the news.
Cris Cyborg praises Sinead Kavanagh following KO win at Bellator 271: "One of the toughest women I’ve ever met"
Adam D Martin - November 14, 2021
MMA legend Cris Cyborg praised Sinead Kavanagh following her KO win at Bellator 271, calling her “One of the toughest women I’ve ever met.” Cyborg took on Kavanagh in the main event of this past Friday’s Bellator 271 event, and she won the fight in spectacular fashion when she knocked out Kavanagh in the first round. Take a look at the video of the knockout below. As you can see, Cyborg caught Kavanagh on the feet with a heavy blow, dropped her to the mat, then finished her with strikes.
Bellator is having a 'massive' retirement fight for Fedor Emelianenko
Chris Taylor - November 13, 2021
Bellator is planning to have a ‘massive’ retirement fight for MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in his home country of Russia. Emelianenko (40-6 MMA) recently returned to action at last month’s Bellator 269 event, where he scored a sensational knockout victory over Tim Johnson (see that here). The win marked Fedor’s second first round finish in a row, as he had previously stopped Quinton ‘Rampage‘ Jackson.
Bellator 270 results: Patchy Mix taps James Gallagher (Video)
Cole Shelton - November 5, 2021
Bellator is back in Dublin, Ireland for Bellator 270 and in the co-main event, a bantamweight grudge match between James Gallagher and Patchy Mix goes down. James Gallagher (11-1) is riding a four-fight winning streak but this will be his first fight with James Krause as his head coach. He last fought back in October of 2020 as he submitted Cal Ellenor. He’s currently ranked sixth in Bellator‘s bantamweight rankings.
Corey Anderson suggests Jan Blachowicz is "jealous" about how much money he makes in Bellator
Adam D Martin - October 27, 2021
Corey Anderson suggested that UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is “jealous” about how much money he makes fighting in Bellator. Anderson left the UFC as a free agent last year following a knockout loss to Blachowicz at UFC Rio Rancho, and he soon found himself in Bellator under the terms of a new, lucrative contract. Since joining Bellator, Anderson is 3-0 with three knockouts, and in his next fight, he will battle Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov for the belt and the $1 million prize for the Grand Prix tournament winner. But even before actually winning the tournament, Anderson says that he has already made more money fighting just three times in Bellator than he did in his entire career with the UFC. He believes that it makes Blachowicz jealous knowing how much he earns.
Corey Anderson explains how using MMA math will prove he's the best light heavyweight in the world
Adam D Martin - October 26, 2021
Bellator light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson explained how using MMA math will prove he’s the best light heavyweight in the world. Anderson recently knocked out Ryan Bader in the semifinals of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Following the fight, he proclaimed himself as the best light heavyweight in the world despite the fact that Blachowicz KOed him just last year in the UFC. While it’s true that Anderson did beat Blachowicz the first time they met at UFC 191 in 2015, Blachowicz has since gone on to become the UFC light heavyweight champion. Since he is the champion, you have to give him the credit he deserves.
Bellator 268 salaries: Corey Anderson nets $200k but Vadim Nemkov leads payroll
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2021
Bellator 268 went down on October 16 in Arizona and the salaries for the fight card have now been released. In the main event of Bellator 268, Vadim Nemkov defended his light heavyweight title against Julius Anglickas with a submission win. The co-main event saw Corey Anderson TKO Ryan Bader in under a minute as Nemkov and Anderson will now fight one another in the grand prix finals. The date of the finals has not been announced by Bellator but will likely happen sometime early in 2022.
Scott Coker blown away by Fedor Emelianenko's KO win over Tim Johnson at Bellator 269
Adam D Martin - October 24, 2021
Bellator president Scott Coker admits that he was blown away by Fedor Emelianenko’s first-round KO win over Tim Johnson at Bellator 269. Emelianenko took on Johnson in the main event of Saturday’s Bellator 269 event in Russia, and he won the fight in the first round by brutal knockout. Considering Emelianenko is now 45 years old, it was incredible to see how fast his hands still are at this point in his career. In fact, Emelianenko’s boss Coker was so blown away by his performance that he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face following the big knockout.
Watch Fedor Emelianenko land his incredible knockout on Tim Johnson in slow motion
Adam D Martin - October 24, 2021
Watch heavyweight MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko land his incredible knockout on Tim Johnson in slow motion at Saturday’s Bellator 269 event. The 45-year-old Emelianenko entered the fight with Johnson as the underdog but he got the job done in the first round with a brutal knockout. Don’t look now, but Emelianenko is now riding a two-fight win streak after knocking out Quinton Jackson in his last fight two years ago. Overall, Emelianenko has won four of his last five fights, with all four of those wins coming by way of knockout. However, he has said that he is considering retiring from the sport, so it’s hard to say for sure whether or not this Johnson fight was his last. Knowing Emelianenko, he will likely fight again. However, we should still enjoy his beautiful knockout win over Johnson, especially since it could be the last he ever lands.
Pros react after Fedor Emelianenko KO's Tim Johnson at Bellator 269
Chris Taylor - October 23, 2021
MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko returned to the cage in the headliner of tonight’s Bellator 269 event for a heavyweight bout with Tim Johnson. Emelianenko (40-6 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since December of 2019, where he had earned a first round knockout victory over Quinton ‘Rampage‘ Jackson. ‘The Last Emperor’ had entered tonight’s matchup having gone 3-2 over his past five fights overall.
Bellator 269 Results: Fedor Emelianenko KO's Tim Johnson (Video)
Chris Taylor - October 23, 2021
MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko returns to the cage in the headliner of tonight’s Bellator 269 event for a heavyweight bout with Tim Johnson. Emelianenko (39-6 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since December of 2019, where he earned a first round knockout victory over Quinton ‘Rampage‘ Jackson. ‘The Last Emperor’ enters tonight’s matchup having gone 3-2 over his past five fights overall.
Brent Primus 'happy' with win over Benson Henderson, confident he'll win the 'belt back' in his next fight
Cole Shelton - October 21, 2021
Brent Primus knows his next fight will be for the Bellator’s lightweight title. Primus picked up a massive win last Saturday at Bellator 267 as he beat Benson Henderson by decision. In the fight, Primus was close to finishing it a couple of times, and despite not finishing the fight, he’s pleased with his performance.
Kyoji Horiguchi gets immediate title shot in return to Bellator, challenges Sergio Pettis
Drake Riggs - October 20, 2021
RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi is set to attempt to reclaim the title he never lost. Bellator announced on Wednesday that their newest Bellator 135-pound champion in Sergio Pettis has his next challenger. Pettis will defend against the RIZIN titlist in Horiguchi on Dec. 3 at Bellator 272 in Uncasville, Connecticut.