Bellator News

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

Rising Bellator star James Gallagher returned to the cage at Bellator Dublin on Friday — though not against the man he initially expected. When his original opponent Cal Ellenor was forced off the card, Gallagher was forced to shift his focus to late replacement, UFC veteran Roman Salazar. The Bellator Dublin card, of which Gallagher vs. Salazar was a part, aired live on Friday afternoon on the Bellator MMA app. Unlike the Bellator 227 portion of this event it will not air on tape delay later tonight.

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

On Friday afternoon, amid the Bellator 227 and Bellator Dublin festivities in Dublin, Ireland, British knockout artist Michael Page returned to the cage in hopes of rebounding from his first pro MMA loss: a knockout at the hands of the former welterweight champ Douglas Lima. Page’s opponent in this crucial return to action was his heated rival, Richard Kiely. The Bellator Dublin card, of which Page vs. Kiely was a part, aired live on Friday afternoon on the Bellator MMA app. Unlike the Bellator 227 portion of this event it will not air on tape delay later tonight.

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson returned to the cage on Friday, where he took on fellow UFC veteran Myles Jury as part of the Bellator 227 and Bellator Dublin double-header. Much of this Bellator action will air on tape delay, but if you’re the impatient type, we’ve got you covered. Keep scrolling for the results of the Benson Henderson vs. Myles Jury fight (h/t Pundit Arena).

Thomas Taylor - September 27, 2019

Bellator Dublin is currently underway, and the card features a host of Ireland’s best fighters, including James Gallagher and Kiefer Crosby. Former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor is also in the building to support his countrymen. See McGregor’s arrival at the arena below (via Bellator Europe on Twitter):

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2019

Bellator MMA has recently signed several notable free agents, including former UFC champions Josh Barnett and Cris Cyborg. Speaking to the media ahead of Bellator 228, Bellator president Scott Coker discussed the Bellator debuts of these two stars. He started with Barnett, explaining that he’d like the heavyweight veteran to make his debut in Japan on a card co-promoted with RIZIN.

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2019

Shortly after Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo’s Bellator 226 title fight was ruled a no contest due to an inadvertent eye poke, Bader and Kongo’s training partner Quinton “Rampage” Jackson nearly got into it. UFC legend Tank Abbott, an other Kongo stablemate, attempted to join in the fracas, but couldn’t make his way to the cage.

Natasha Hooper - September 27, 2019

Bellator fighter and Conor McGregor stablemate Dillon Danis claims he has signed a contract to fight YouTube star Jake Paul. The young men have spent the last week trading insults online after Danis posted a tweet saying: “f*ck the Pauls.”

Cole Shelton - September 26, 2019

Bellator is back in Inglewood, California this Saturday night for a stacked Bellator 228 card. It features four Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix fights, and in the co-main event, a pivotal middleweight bout as Gegard Mousasi takes on Lyoto Machida in a rematch of their 2014 fight in the UFC. Heading into the tilt, Mousasi is a -300 favorite while the former UFC champ is a +230 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Surprisingly, the pros are unanimous on this one.

Adam Martin - September 25, 2019

Women’s MMA veteran Katy Collins has passed away after suffering a brain aneurysm and related complications. She was 32. The coach of Collins, JT Tilley, shared the unfortunate news on his Facebook.

Natasha Hooper - September 25, 2019

Cris Cyborg is no stranger to making new career moves. Recently, she left the UFC to join Bellator, and now it seems the former champion has her sights set on WWE. Cyborg had a tumultuous relationship with the UFC, specifically the organization’s kingpin, Dana White. The last fight of her final UFC contract was a victory against Felicia Spencer at UFC 240. While the fight was a testament to Cyborg’s skill, it was not enough to repair the damaged relationship and she was not offered a new UFC contract.

Natasha Hooper - September 25, 2019

Irish Bellator prospect James Gallagher has a promising future ahead of him. As he prepares for his next fight against Roman Salazar in Dublin on Friday, he plans to follow in the footsteps of Conor McGregor and take his budding career stateside. The 22-year-old has the winning formula for a rising MMA star, but that hasn’t stopped him suffering from anxiety. He revealed his mental health struggles in an interview with the BBC. “We’re the tough guys,” said Gallagher. “We’re the ones everyone is scared of.”

Cole Shelton - September 24, 2019

Lyoto Machida has planned out the rest of 2019 and the beginnings of 2020. In the co-main event of Bellator 228, the former UFC light heavyweight champion Machida is taking on Gegard Mousasi. This middleweight fight is a rematch of their 2014 fight, which Machida won by decision.

Thomas Taylor - September 22, 2019

Former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos thinks reigning UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones is the best fighter in the world today. In fact, dos Santos believes Jones would do very well if he made the move up to the heavyweight division. “Jon Jones is the No. 1 baddest guy on the planet… actually, he’s the No. 1 pound-for-pound in the world, so I think he could do very well in the heavyweight division,” dos Santos told MMA Fighting.

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

Ben Askren and Dillon Danis are separated by promotional bounds, as they’re currently signed with the UFC and Bellator respectively. Nonetheless, the pair of grappling specialists have taken every opportunity to swap trash talk on Twitter. From the sounds of it, they could soon settle their differences on the mats.

Cole Shelton - September 18, 2019

Although Cris Cyborg is no longer in the UFC and recently signed with Bellator, she still hopes she can rematch Amanda Nunes one day. The two fought back at UFC 232, when Nunes moved up in weight and shockingly knocked Cyborg out in just 51 seconds. Since then, the former featherweight champion and the UFC had arguments over whether or not she wanted the rematch.

Natasha Hooper - September 17, 2019

Bellator President Scott Coker isn’t impressed with the way the UFC handled the career of Cris Cyborg. Cyborg, the former Strikeforce, Invicta and UFC featherweight champion, joined Bellator MMA earlier this month. Prior to her move to Bellator, Cris Cyborg competed in the UFC, and got off to a good start with stoppage wins over Leslie Smith, Lina Lansberg and Tonya Evinger, the latter of whom she defeated to win the vacant featherweight title.

Tom Taylor - September 13, 2019

Bellator flyweight champion Ilima Lei-MacFarlane is featured in the official music video for the new song Don’t Call Me Angel by pop stars Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey. In the video for this song, which will serve as the lead single on the soundtrack for the new Charlie’s Angels movie, MacFarlane can be seen walloping Cyrus with a wrecking ball of a right hand.

Cole Shelton - September 13, 2019

Cris Cyborg officially signed with Bellator two weeks ago. The former UFC featherweight champion was released from the Las Vegas-based promotion after her UFC 240 bout — partly due to her crumbling relationship with UFC President Dana White. Cris Cyborg talked to many promotions when her free agency began, but she always knew she would land with Bellator.