Bellator News

Zain Bando - February 2, 2023

Fedor Emelianenko will enter an MMA cage for what will presumably be his final fight — a heavyweight championship rematch with former UFC light heavyweight and TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader at Bellator 290 Saturday. ‘Darth’ took down Emelianenko with a TKO finish in their first encounter a few years back. A victory for the Arizona native will seal the deal on one of Bellator’s biggest rivalries and solidify Bader’s place as one of the best fighters in promotional history.

Cole Shelton - February 2, 2023

Max Rohskopf will finally make his Bellator debut on Saturday at Bellator 290. Rohskopf was supposed to make his debut last October but on the day of the fight, he was scratched from the card after not being cleared by the commission. Rohskopf was frustrated by that as he says he was cleared by three separate doctors to compete.

bjpenndotcom - February 2, 2023

It’s the start of the year 2023 and Bellator is already kicking off the year with one of the most exciting matches in the Middleweight division. The fighters are ready to score up a notch in their ranking or defend their championship belts! Bellator 290 is fast approaching and is set to showcase 2 World Title Bouts on February 4, 2023, in KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California USA. The current Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen will be defending his championship belt against the current number 3 in the middleweight ranking, Anatoly Tokov. Johnny Eblen snatched the middleweight championship belt against the former champion, Gegard Mousasi in a unanimous decision fight in Bellator 282. On the other hand, Anatoly Tokov won over Muhammad Abdullah in dominant technical knockout punches in the first round of the same event, Bellator 282.

Harry Kettle - February 2, 2023

Bellator president Scott Coker has revealed that he’s in talks with Luke Rockhold over possibly working together again. Following his decision loss to Paulo Costa last summer, Luke Rockhold appeared to walk away from mixed martial arts. At the very least, it was clear to see he wouldn’t be fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship anymore.

Cole Shelton - February 1, 2023

In the main event of Bellator 290, the heavyweight title is up for grabs as Ryan Bader rematches Fedor Emelianenko, in the Russian’s retirement fight. Heading into the fight, Bader is a -330 favorite while the Russian is a +275 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Bader gets his hand raised again but many are rooting for Emelianenko to get the win.

Cole Shelton - January 31, 2023

Ryan Bader thinks Cain Velasquez is the best heavyweight ever. The heavyweight GOAT is one many have no clear-cut answer on, as some think it is Velasquez while others lean towards Fedor Emelianenko or even Stipe Miocic. Yet Bader believes Emelianenko’s resume is the best out of anyone but he thinks Velasquez was the most skilled.

Cole Shelton - January 31, 2023

Johnny Eblen knew Anatoly Tokov would be next for him. Eblen became Bellator’s middleweight champion last June with a dominant decision win over Gegard Mousasi. After the win, Eblen didn’t know when he would fight but after the Nemkov-Romero scrap was called off, he figured his first title defense would be added to Bellator 290.

Cole Shelton - January 31, 2023

The 108th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of Bellator 290 and UFC Vegas 68. We’re first joined by Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (2:05). Next, we’re joined by UFC light heavyweight Devin Clark (13:29). UFC featherweight Kyle Nelson (29:21) then joins the show. Bellator featherweight Max Rohskopf (44:48) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC welterweight Adam Fugitt (58:05).

Josh Evanoff - January 11, 2023

Bellator president Scott Coker has revealed some big plans for this year. The Showtime-based promotion is prone to doing some ideas that are a bit outside the box. Recently, the promotion traveled to Japan to send five of their best fighters against five of RIZIN’s best. Bellator wound up sweeping the matchups, with names like A.J. McKee and Patricio Pitbull picking up big wins.

Josh Evanoff - January 10, 2023

Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee will be sticking around in the promotion for the long haul. ‘Mercenary’ is fresh off his decision victory over Roberto de Souza in the main event of Bellator vs. RIZIN last month. The win was also McKee’s second since moving to the lightweight division earlier this year. He previously defeated Spike Carlyle at Bellator 286 in October.

Cole Shelton - January 4, 2023

Dillon Danis says it’s fake news that he was unprepared for KSI. Danis was supposed to headline a Misfits boxing card in London, England on January 14 against YouTuber KSI. However, on Wednesday, KSI’s manager, Mams Taylor, revealed Danis was out of the fight and was told it is because he was unprepared.

Josh Evanoff - January 3, 2023

Bellator lightweight contender A.J. McKee had quite the night in Japan last Saturday. Over the weekend, Bellator and RIZIN held their first co-promotional event. While the two promotions have had a talent-sharing program for years, Saturday was their first event featuring both brands. Names such as Patricio Pitbull and Kyoji Horiguchi fought on the card against RIZIN’s competitors.

Josh Evanoff - December 30, 2022

The Bellator vs. RIZIN weigh-in show had a hilarious moment earlier today. The two organizations are slated to put on a co-promoted event tomorrow night in Japan. The card is set to feature some of the biggest stars from Bellator, such as Patricio Pitbull and A.J. McKee. In return, RIZIN will send their best, in the form of champions such as Roberto de Souza to compete against them.

Cole Shelton - December 29, 2022

Dillon Danis says KSI and his team are acting fishy just two weeks before their fight. Danis and KSI are set to headline a Misfits Boxing card on January 14 in London, England. However, Danis skipped the press conference and many wondered if the fight would happen. After ensuring fans the bout was still a go, ‘El Jefe’ is now changing his tune.

Josh Evanoff - December 27, 2022

Bellator 290’s main card has lost a champion but gained another. On February 4th, Fedor Emelianenko will fight for the final time against Ryan Bader. The bout is actually a rematch of their prior encounter at Bellator 214. In their January 2019 fight, ‘Darth’ scored a first-round knockout win over the legend.

Cole Shelton - December 22, 2022

Dillon Danis has revealed he has to pay Bellator in order to box KSI. Danis, of course, is under contract with Bellator – despite not fighting since 2019 due to knee injuries. He will make his return to fighting on January 14 in the main event of Misfits 004 against KSI, with the event being streamed on DAZN.

Zain Bando - December 21, 2022

Bellator and RIZIN held a joint press conference Tuesday to promote the crossover event taking place in Japan New Years Eve. The event will feature five fights with the best fighters from both promotions facing each other, including names like A.J. McKee Jr. and Patricio Pitbull, to name a few. Scott Coker and Nobuyuki Sakakibara were on hand to discuss everything related to the event. In so many words,  it’s more than just any singular event. It’s business-like and something that the two MMA moguls hope to continue to run back each and every year moving forward.

Cole Shelton - December 21, 2022

Dillon Danis says he will be getting paid quite well for his upcoming boxing match against KSI. Danis is set to headline Misfits 004 on January 14 in London, England against YouTuber KSI in his boxing debut. Danis is 2-0 in MMA but has not fought since June 2019 due to an injury. Yet, he will be making his return and is confident he will win. Not only is he confident he will get his hand raised, but Danis also says he will make more than any current UFC champ.