Bellator News

Tom Taylor - February 14, 2019

According to a report from ESPN, Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire will move up in weight to challenge lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 221 on May 11 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The pair’s grudge match will reportedly be officially announced by the promotion in the coming days.

Tom Taylor - February 14, 2019

Years ago, under the Strikeforce banner, Paul Daley and Nick Diaz engaged in one of the greatest one-round fights in MMA history. The two welterweight stars swapped heavy artillery from the opening bell, badly rocking one another until finally, Diaz landed with enough impact to force a permanent end to the mayhem. Today, Paul Daley is gearing up for one of the biggest fights of his career: a Welterweight Grand Prix showdown with his nemesis Michael Page under the Bellator banner.

Cole Shelton - February 13, 2019

All the hype surrounding Bellator 216 is about Michael Page vs Paul Daley, and rightfully so. However, another name getting attention is Valerie Loureda, who is set to make her Bellator debut against Colby Fletcher. Loureda, who is just 20-years-old comes from a Taekwondo background and was a big signing for Bellator when it was announced. For Loureda, it was an easy decision to sign with Bellator and continue her MMA journey there.

Mike Straus - February 13, 2019

It is a great time to be a mixed martial arts fan. With so many exciting events this weekend it can be difficult to catch them all. With that being said, Bellator MMA has not one, but two events this weekend. Friday night will kick off the festivities for the promotion as Bellator 215 invades the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The very next night, the promotion will be back at the Mohegan Sun for Bellator 216.

Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019

In May of 2010, British knockout artist Paul Daley stepped into the cage with Josh Koscheck in a UFC welterweight title eliminator — and a heated grudge match. After being out-wrestled for three rounds by his American foe, Daley walked across the Octagon and sucker-punched Koscheck. This grievous foul earned the Brit his release from the UFC. Today, Daley is gearing up for a grudge match with fellow British striker Michael Page at Bellator 216, and Page believes Daley might pull a similar stunt after their fight.

Mike Pendleton - February 11, 2019

Ahead of his upcoming Bellator debut, Austin Vanderford wanted to get one simple thing out of the way early, he’s going on without a nickname. Previously known in his fighting career as ‘AK-47’ and then also known to many as ‘Mr. VanZant’ due to his recent marriage to UFC flyweight Paige VanZant, Vanderford made it clear, there are no nicknames attached to him, he’s simply just Austin Vanderford.

Tom Taylor - February 11, 2019

Daniel Cormier recently became the first fighter in UFC history to wear the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles concurrently, first capturing the vacant belt with a defeat of Anthony Johnson, then thumping Stipe Miocic to capture the heavyweight belt. Ryan Bader recently accomplished the same feat under the Bellator banner, first defeating Phil Davis to win the light heavyweight belt, and then defeating Fedor Emelianenko to capture the vacant heavyweight belt.

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2019

British rivals Michael Page and Paul Daley are finally set to clash at Bellator 216, which goes down on February 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Unfortunately, Michael Page is preparing for this massive challenge amid a devastating family tragedy: the death of his father.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2019

Wanderlei Silva, one of the most ferocious fighters in MMA history, recently admitted that he experiences many of the symptoms of brain injury. The 51-fight veteran, who has been engaging in tooth-and-nail scraps for almost three decades, made this concerning admission in an interview with Brazilian website PVT.

Thomas Taylor - February 4, 2019

Conor McGregor training partner Artem Lobov is no longer under contract with the UFC, but his time as a fighter is far from over. After chasing potential fights with huge names like Paulie Malignaggi, Buakaw Banchamek, Saenchai and Amir Khan, he’s now closing in on a deal with Viacom-owned MMA powerhouse Bellator MMA.

Tom Taylor - February 4, 2019

Artem Lobov is no longer a UFC fighter, but his days as a pugilist are far from over. Ever since his departure from the UFC was first reported by Oscar Willis of The Mac Life, Lobov has been campaigning for opportunities outside the Octagon — and he’s shooting for the stars.

Tom Taylor - February 4, 2019

Last night, the New England Patriots defeated the LA Rams 13-3 to win the 2019 Super Bowl. While the game was an undeniably slow one, fans all over the world made sure to watch— and that includes some of the biggest names in MMA. Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor, as a matter of fact, was actually in attendance for the Super Bowl, taking in the action with his young son Conor Jr.

Tom Taylor - February 3, 2019

Shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor by rear-naked choke in the main event of UFC 229 in October, he leapt over the side of the Octagon and dive bombed McGregor’s friend and training partner Dillon Danis. Ever since, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dillon Danis have had plenty to say about each other on social media.

Drake Riggs - February 1, 2019

The partnership between RIZIN and Bellator continues to be a fruitful one as RIZIN 15 will provide us with yet another cross-promotional title bout. The two promotions have already had fighters fight between each other in the past, but it wasn’t until RIZIN 14 when things got very interesting.

Tom Taylor - February 1, 2019

Bellator featherweight contender Aaron Pico is arguably the most hyped prospect in mixed martial arts since reigning UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones was on the come-up. In his last fight, however, Pico found himself face-down on the canvas after getting a little too aggressive against the fearsome Henry Corrales. Speaking to MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi after the UFC 235 press conference on Thursday, Jon Jones shared a piece of advance for Aaron Pico.

Tom Taylor - February 1, 2019

Earlier this week, actor and martial artist Steven Seagal told Submission Radio that he agreed with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to leap over the cage and attack Dillon Danis after the UFC 229 main event. “I thought that Khabib outclassed Conor in every way,” Steven Seagal began, discussing Nurmagomedov’s defeat of Dillon Danis training partner Conor McGregor. “I thought even in the stand up with the punching, he out-punched Conor. I thought his ground game was better. I thought that he was just a better fighter all around and I thought that he just really, really dominated Conor in every way and he won the fight fair and square. Do I condemn him for what he did after the fight? No. Even as a diplomat I will say no. If you badmouth someone’s family, their wife, their children, their mother, their father, their country, their religion, all bets are off, and I would have done the same thing.”

James Lynch - January 31, 2019

“Mr. VanZant” Austin Vanderford finally has a date set for his Bellator debut. The 28-year-old is the husband of UFC flyweight Paige VanZant and will be making his promotional debut on Feb. 15 at Bellator 215. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was the first to break the news that “AK47” will be facing Cody Jones on the card.

Tom Taylor - January 30, 2019

Three-time UFC title challenger and current Bellator star Chael Sonnen has some interesting views on Jon Jones’ recent drug testing drama. Throughout this recent drama, Jones has maintained that he never knowingly ingested banned substances. Sonnen believes that’s only half true. In his eyes, Jon Jones has probably not intentionally ingested recently — but he certainly has previously.