BELLATOR MMA 259AIRS LIVE ON FRIDAY, MAY 21 FROM MOHEGAN SUN ARENA

LOS ANGELES– BELLATOR MMA and SHOWTIME Sports today announcedBELLATOR MMA 259 pada hari Jumat, Mei 21, will be headlined by a featherweight championship rematch pitting current 145-pound titleholder and the top-ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighterCris "Cyborg" (23-2, 1 NC) against Northern California’sLeslie Smith (12-8-1). The event airs live exclusively on SHOWTIMEdi 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT and emanates from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

In addition to the main event, two matchups are confirmed, as No. 7 ringanAdam “The Bomb” Piccolotti (12-4) takes on No. 10 Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan (30-11-1, 1 NC), while the undefeated No. 7Christian “Pain” Edwards (4-0) memenuhiBen “Big Tuna” Parrish(4-1) in a light heavyweight contest. Pertandingan tambahan akan diumumkan di kemudian hari.

“I believe in five years she’s going to be a better fighter. More training, more working and fighting. More experience. The first fight was very fast, so I think this one is going to be a longer fight. She’s a warrior. She likes to fight and it’s going to be nice to fight somebody like this," said Cyborg, who appeared on tonight’sBELLATOR 255broadcast to confirm the event.

"Tentu saja, I want this fight. Everyone’s goal is to get a title in the premiere organization, which this is. This is the best organization for my weight class, and the best possible place I can be. I can guarantee it will be an entertaining fight,” added Smith.

Just the second BELLATOR woman’s featherweight champion in the company’s history, Cris “Cyborg” is coming off the first defense of her BELLATOR title, a victory againstArlene Blencowe, that also marked the first submission win of her illustrious career. An MMA legend at 35-years-old, “Cyborg” will be looking to further her legacy as the greatest woman’s mixed martial artist of all-time when she faces Leslie Smith for the second time on May 21. After winning BELLATOR gold in the 12th title fight of her career, the native of Curitiba, Brazil made history by becoming a world champion in her fourth major promotion, sebelumnya memegang sabuk di UFC dan Strikeforce. With a pro record of 23-2, 1 NC, termasuk di dalamnya 19 wins by finish, the Brazilian-born fighter who now calls Southern California home, holds victories over tough competition, termasuk di dalamnyaJulia Budd, Holly Holm, Marloes Coenen and Gina Carano.

Known for an exciting in-your-face striking style, Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith will enter the BELLATOR cage on May 21 for the fifth time in her nearly 11-year MMA career. She gets a second shot at defeating “Cyborg,” following their first meeting at UFC 198 in Brazil on May 14, 2016. Sejak pertarungan yang, Smith has won four out of five fights with victories over Irene Aldana andSinead Kavanagh among them. A teammate of fellow BELLATOR athleteKeri Taylor Melendez, Smith trains out of El Nino Training Center in San Francisco.

Kartu awal untukBELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs.. Pandai besi2 akan udara TINGGAL di seluruh AS. markets on the BELLATOR and SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channels, as well as Pluto TV.

Sebagai bagian dari peluncuran BELLATOR MMA pada SHOWTIME, jaringan ini menawarkan kepada pemirsa yang baru menggunakan layanan streaming SHOWTIME uji coba gratis selama 30 hari, diikuti dengan potongan biaya langganan bulanan $ 4,99 / bulan untuk enam bulan berikutnya. Pemirsa dapat mendaftar diSHO.com/BellatorMMA. Pelanggan akan mendapatkan dua acara BELLATOR MMA utama setiap bulannya 2021 dan seterusnya, dengan semua acara yang dijadwalkan tayang langsung di 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT anywhere the SHOWTIME service is available.

DiperbaruiBELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs.. Smith 2Fight Card:

Bulu Dunia Judul Bout: C-Cris "Cyborg"(23-2, 1 NC) vs. #4-Leslie Smith (12-8-1)

Ringan Bout: #7-Adam Piccolot(12-4) vs. #10-Georgi Karakhanyan (30-11-1, 1 NC)

Cahaya Heavyweight Bout: #7-Christian Edwards (4-0) vs.Ben Parrish(4-1)

*Kartu dapat berubah.

Silahkan kunjungiBELLATOR.com untuk informasi tambahan.