Bellator News

Benson Henderson

Benson Henderson moves back up to welterweight, fights at Bellator 253 against Jason Jackson

Adam Martin - November 10, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to return to the welterweight division when he fights Jason Jackson at Bellator 253. Bellator 253 takes place on Thursday, November 19 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Henderson vs. Jackson is set to be the co-main event for the card, which features a five-round main event between featherweights AJ McKee and Darrion Caldwell. Also on the card is Keith Lee (brother of UFC star Kevin Lee) vs. top prospect Raufeon Stots, plus the return of Kevin Ferguson Jr. (son of the late Kimbo Slice).

Paige VanZant
Bellator

BKFC run will "preserve the longevity" of Paige VanZant's MMA career

Tom Taylor - November 10, 2020

According to Bellator middleweight contender Austin Vanderford, former UFC star Paige VanZant intends to return to mixed martial arts in the future. Vanderford, who is married to VanZant, recently returned to the Bellator cage where he picked up an impressive victory over Vinicius de Jesus. Post-fight, he shed some light on what the future holds for his wife.

Paige VanZant, Austin Vanderford
Bellator

Austin Vanderford explains why he and wife Paige VanZant leave politics out of MMA: "I'm a fighter and I care about fighting"

Adam Martin - November 6, 2020

Bellator middleweight contender Austin Vanderford explained why he and his wife Paige VanZant leave politics out of their MMA careers. Vanderford picked up his 10th pro victory on Thursday night at Bellator 251 when he won a unanimous decision over short-notice opponent Vinicius De Jesus. The 30-year-old American signed with Bellator in 2019 following a stint on Dana White’s Contender Series that saw the UFC pass on signing him. Since joining Bellator, Vanderford is 4-0 and looking every bit like a future title contender in the promotion’s middleweight division.

Corey Anderson, Ryan Bader
Corey Anderson

Bellator 251 Results: Corey Anderson TKO's Melvin Manhoef (Highlights)

Cole Shelton - November 5, 2020

Corey Anderson is set to make his Bellator debut against knockout artist, Melvin Manhoef in the main event of Bellator 251. Melvin Manhoef (32-14-1) has been a pro since 1995 and at 44-years-old is still going strong. The former Bellator middleweight title challenger is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since October of 2019 when he beat Yannick Bahati by TKO at Bellator 230. In his career, Manhoef has fought the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, and Mark Hunt.

Douglas Lima
Douglas Lima

Douglas Lima issues statement following loss to Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 250

Chris Taylor - October 31, 2020

Douglas Lima was looking to become a promotional champ-champ when he squared off with Gegard Mousasi in the main event of Bellator 250. The reigning Bellator welterweight champion, Lima (32-8 MMA), had entered Thursday night’s highly anticipated main event on a three-fight win streak, his latest being a unanimous decision victory over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 232.

Douglas Lima, Michael Page
Douglas Lima

Scott Coker suggests rematch between Douglas Lima and Michael Page

Adam Martin - October 30, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker suggested that a rematch between Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima and Michael Page could be next. Lima lost a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi in the main event of Thursday’s Bellator 250 event in a failed bid to become a two-division champion. Despite the loss to Mousasi, Lima remains the promotion’s welterweight champion. As such, he will be returning to his regular weight class for his next fight. Just who that is going to be against remains the question.

Gegard Mousasi
Douglas Lima

Gegard Mousasi releases statement after winning vacant Bellator middleweight title

Adam D Martin - October 30, 2020

New Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi released a statement after defeating Douglas Lima to claim the vacant belt at Bellator 250. Mousasi won a unanimous decision over Lima in the main event of Thursday’s Bellator 250 card. Mousasi was able to control the cage for the entire fight as he walked Lima down, outstruck him, and landed some takedowns for good measure. It was nice to see a vintage performance from Mousasi, as he reclaimed the middleweight belt he lost two fights ago in an upset loss to Rafael Lovato Jr. Overall, Mousasi has won 10 of his last 11 fights.

Gegard-Mousasi
Gegard Mousasi

Gegard Mousasi could move up to 205lbs to become double champion, says Scott Coker

Adam D Martin - October 30, 2020

Middleweight Gegard Mousasi could move up to light heavyweight next in order to become a double champion says Bellator president Scott Coker. Mousasi bested Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima via unanimous decision in the main event of Thursday night’s Bellator 250 card. Mousasi was able to get the better of Lima on the feet and on the mat as he won the decision and earned the vacant Bellator middleweight champion, his second time winning the organization’s title at 185lbs. Mousasi is now 5-1 overall in the Bellator cage and a winner of 10 of his last 11 fights.

Jake Hager
Jake Hager

Pro wrestling community reacts to Jake Hager’s win at Bellator 250

Harry Kettle - October 30, 2020

The pro wrestling community has reacted to Jake Hager‘s big split decision victory at Bellator 250 last night. Hager took his professional mixed martial arts record to 3-0 (1) with a split decision win over Brandon Calton in Uncasville, and while it may have allowed him to maintain his unbeaten record in the sport, he had to go through more adversity than he ever has before in order to get to that point.

Jake Hager
Bellator

Photo | Jake Hager busted up following win at Bellator 250, taken to Hospital

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2020

Jake Hager got his hand raised at Bellator 250 but it did not come easy. Hager, who is undefeated as a pro, was taking on Brandon Calton in a fight many thought was set up for Hager to win. However, that was far from the case as the former Pittsburgh Steelers practice roster player, was stuffing Hager’s takedowns and piecing him on the feet.

Gegard Mousasi
Douglas Lima

Pros react to Gegard Mousasi defeating Douglas Lima at Bellator 250

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2020

Bellator’s vacant middleweight title was on the line as Gegard Mousasi was looking to reclaim the belt while Douglas Lima was looking to become a two-division champ. Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2) returned to the win column with a split decision win over Lyoto Machida last September. Before that, he suffered a controversial majority decision loss to Rafael Lovato Jr. to lose his middleweight title. In his career, he has notable wins over Rory MacDonald, Chris Weidman, Uriah Hall, Thiago Santos, and Vitor Belfort among countless others.

Gegard-Mousasi
Douglas Lima

Bellator 250 Results: Gegard Mousasi defeats Douglas Lima (Highlights)

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2020

Bellator’s vacant middleweight title is up for grabs in the main event of Bellator 250. Gegard Mousasi is looking to reclaim his belt while Douglas Lima is looking to become a promotional champ-champ. Gegard Mousasi (46-7-2) returned to the win column with a split decision win over Lyoto Machida last September. Before that, he suffered a controversial majority decision loss to Rafael Lovato Jr. to lose his middleweight title. Since coming over to Bellator, Mousasi is 4-1 and does have a notable win over Rory MacDonald for the first and only title defense of his Bellator title.

Scott Coker, Bellator
Scott Coker

Scott Coker explains why Bellator made 30 roster cuts

Adam Martin - October 29, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker explained why Bellator made 30 roster cuts including veterans such as Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, and Joe Warren. It was reported earlier this week that Bellator cut a number of fighters from its roster. Many of the fighters who were released were veterans coming to the end of the like such as Mir, Nelson, and Warren, but there were also a number of younger fighters on the list such as Ricky Bandejas, Chris Lencioni, and AJ Agazarm that surprised fans.

Nick Newell, Bellator 250
Bellator

Bellator 250 loses two key fights at the last minute

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2020

The Bellator 250 card, which airs tonight on CBS Sports, has unfortunately lost two anticipated matchups at the last minute. According to a report from MMA Fighting, a Bellator 250 main card fight between Veta Arteaga and Desiree Yanez and an undercard fight between Nick Newell and Zach Zane have been scratched from the lineup.

Gegard Mousasi, Douglas Lima, Bellator 250
Douglas Lima

Bellator 250 weigh-in results: Main event set, one fight gets scrapped

Tom Taylor - October 28, 2020

On Wednesday morning, the fighters on the anticipated Bellator 250 card stepped onto the scales to weigh in for their Thursday night battles. Both Gegard Mousasi and reigning Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima came in under the 185-pound limit for their middleweight title fight, which will headline the card. Unfortunately, a 137-pound catchweight fight between Toby Misech and Jared Scoggins was cancelled when the former missed weight by close to six pounds.

Gegard Mousasi, Douglas Lima
Douglas Lima

Bellator 250 | Pro fighters make their picks for Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima title fight

Cole Shelton - October 28, 2020

In the main event of Bellator 250, a massive middleweight fight goes down for the vacant belt as Gegard Mousasi takes on the welterweight champion, Douglas Lima. Heading into the fight, Mousasi is a -170 favorite while the Brazilian is a +140 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believes Lima’s striking is just too good that he will be able to pick apart Mousasi and earn the win to become a champ-champ in Bellator.

Douglas Lima
Douglas Lima

Douglas Lima responds after Michael Page suggests the Bellator champ is ducking him: "Fight contenders"

Adam Martin - October 27, 2020

Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima responded after Michael Page suggested the champ is ducking him, saying to “fight contenders.” Lima is set to take on Gegard Mousasi in a superfight for the vacant Bellator middleweight championship at Bellator 250 on Thursday. Win or lose, Lima will likely make a title defense of his welterweight bout next, and one of the top contenders in the division is Page. After defeating Ross Houston at Bellator Paris in his last fight, Page suggested that the reason he isn’t fighting for the belt yet is that Lima is ducking him.

joe-taimanglo
Bellator

Former Bellator fighter Joe Taimanglo arrested for possession of meth and illegal firearm

Adam Martin - October 22, 2020

Former Bellator fighter Joe Taimanglo, once a top bantamweight contender, was arrested in Guam for possession of meth and an illegal handgun. Taimanglo, a 36-year-old native of Guam who is a long-time MMA veteran, was arrested on Thursday in his home country after being found with a gun and narcotics. According to a report from The Pacific Daily News, Taimanglo was seen driving a scooter with expired tags, prompting Guam police officers to pull him over.