De Bellator 261 main card airs live on Showtime op 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT and takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. A limited number of tickets starting at $60 are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster and Bellator.com.
Newly announced preliminary matchups feature a bantamweight tilt pitting Jaylon Bates (2-0) tegen Cody Matthews (1-1) and middleweight matchup between Taylor Johnson (6-2) en Lance Wright (5-1).
The preliminary portion of Bellator 261: Johnson vs. Moldavski begint 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT and will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube-kanaal en Pluto TV.
Bellator 261: Johnson vs. Moldavski is anchored by an interim heavyweight title bout between No. 1 gerangschikt Timothy Johnson (15-6) en nr. 3 gerangschikt Valentin Moldavsky (10-1). A featherweight fight featuring former title challenger No. 5 gerangschikt Daniel Weichel (40-12) against Hawaii’s undefeated Keoni Diggs (9-0) and a light heavyweight re-booking between No. 10 gerangschikt Christian Edwards (4-0) en Ben Parrish (4-1) have also been confirmed for the main card.
Additional prelims include a lightweight bout featuring No. 6 gerangschikt Myles Jury (19-5) versus No. 7 gerangschikt Sidney Outlaw (15-4), a women’s strawweight fight pitting Lena Ovchynnikova (12-6, 1 NC) tegen Kyra Batara (8-4), a light heavyweight contest seeing Lee Chadwick (26-15-1) tegen Simon Biyong (7-1), and a lightweight affair between Søren Bak (14-1) en Bobby Lee (12-5).
Carmouche is a highly skilled veteran of the sport who joined BELLATOR’s women’s flyweight division in 2019 following a six-year run in the UFC. Vechten uit San Diego, the 37-year-old Team Hurricane Awesome-product also formerly competed for Strikeforce, een paar overwinningen behalen met de promotie. Since signing with BELLATOR, “Girl-Rilla” has rallied off two straight wins, defeating Vanessa Porto and DeAnna Bennett. Prior to Carmouche’s days as a professional athlete, de Lafayette, De inwoner van Louisiana werkte vijf jaar als luchtvaartelektricien bij het United Stated Marine Corps, waar ze drie dienstreizen in het Midden-Oosten voltooide.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the cage. I plan to end this fight with a dominant finish that stamps my name as the top contender for the belt,” Carmouche said.
Undefeated through 11 professionele gevechten, Japan’s Watanabe steps into the BELLATOR MMA cage for the third time in as many years. Met frying-pan-bending sterkte, the 32-year-old judoka boasts an impressive 60% finishing rate and has bested fellow BELLATOR flyweights Alejandra Lara and Ilara Joanne since joining the promotion’s ranks. De nee. 3 ranked flyweight is looking to make a statement of her own and stake her claim to a shot at BELLATOR’s coveted 125-pound championship.
“I am very grateful to be given another opportunity to fight during these hard times. Liz Carmouche has tons of experience and has constantly been fighting the best which makes her without a doubt one of the best in the world,” Watanabe said. “I fully respect her in every aspect and am truly honored to face such an athlete. Met dat gezegd zijnde, I am excited to take on this challenge to prove to everybody and myself that I have what it takes to become the best in the world. I want to win this fight in a convincing way, to open up the doors for a title challenge shot.”
****
BELLATOR MMA 261: Johnson vs. Moldavski Hoofd Card:
SHOW TIME
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Interim Heavyweight Title Main Event: #1-Tim Johnson (15-6) vs. #3-Valentin Moldavsky (10-1)
Co-hoofdevenement vlieggewicht: #2– Liz Carmouche (15-7) vs. #3-Kana Watanabe (10-0-1)
Vedergewicht hoofdkaartgevecht: #5- Daniel Weichel (40-12) vs. Keoni Diggs (9-0)
Licht zwaargewicht hoofdkaartgevecht: #10– Christian Edwards (4-0) vs. Ben Parrish (4-1)
Voorlopige Card:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube-kanaal | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube-kanaal | Pluto-tv
5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT
Strawweight bout: Lena Ovchynnikova (12-6, 1 NC) vs. Kyra Batara (8-4)
Lichtgewicht bout: #6-Myles Jury (19-5) vs. #7-Sidney Outlaw (15-4)
Lichtgewicht bout: Søren Bak (14-1) vs. Bobby Lee (12-5)
Bantamgewicht Bout: Jaylon Bates (2-0) vs. Cody Matthews (1-1)
Middengewicht Bout: Taylor Johnson (6-2) vs. Lance Wright (5-1)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Lee Chadwick (26-15-1) vs. Simon Biyong (7-1)
*Kaart kan worden gewijzigd.
Voor meer informatie over aankomende BELLATOR MMA-evenementen, bezoek BELLATOR.com.