Light Heavyweight World Champion Vadim Nemkov Set To Defend Title Against ‘Rumble’ Johnson, While Ryan Bader Goes Toe-To-Toe With Corey Anderson Live on SHOWTIME^®vid 10 P.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

LOS ANGELES– BELLATOR MMA’s massive second half of 2021 keeps rolling on Saturday, Oktober 16, when both of the high-profile semifinal matchups for the Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix take place at the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. Light heavyweight kingpinVadim Nemkov (14-2) defends his world championship against No. 4 rankadAnthony “Rumble” Johnson (23-6), while current BELLATOR Heavyweight World ChampionRyan Bader (28-6) facesNo. 2-ranked light heavyweightCorey Anderson (15-5) i co-main event.

BELLATOR MMA: Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Semifinals will be televised live on SHOWTIME at10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The preliminary fights will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube-kanal och Pluto TV börjar kl 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Additional bouts and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

Team Fedor’s Vadim Nemkov looks to remain BELLATOR 205-pound champion on September 25, further cementing his status as the best light heavyweight fighter on the planet. I sin sista utflykt, Nemkov went five hard rounds with former championPhil Davis, earning a unanimous decision victory en route to punching his ticket to the semifinals. Should Nemkov defend his belt again and move on to the grand prix final, between Davis—a wrestler by trade—and the power-punching “Rumble,” Nemkov will have showcased his full repertoire as a mixed martial artist in the tournament. Nemkov has been perfect in BELLATOR to this point, winning all six of his contests including three knockouts and a submission.

“Rumble” Johnsonmade his BELLATOR MMA debut in the opening round of the grand prix, engaging in a back-and-forth affair with Jose Augusto before notching another signature “Rumble” knockout in the second round. Med segern, the 37-year-old made it clear his time away from the sport has not slowed him down, and with wins over the likes of Glover Teixeira, Alexander Gustafsson, Phil Davis and current BELLATOR heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, “Rumble” remains one of the most imposing forces in the entire sport.

A winner in eight of his last ten bouts, Arizona State University’s “Darth” Bader will have a home game as he looks to keep the ball rolling when he steps into the BELLATOR cage for the ninth time, on the road to re-capturing the 205-pound belt he once held. Bader—despite his participation in the Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix—remains the BELLATOR Heavyweight Champion, a title he plans on unifying with the interim-champValentin Moldavksy following the conclusion of the 205-pound tournament. Bader’s storied career has earned him the moniker of a legend slayer, with wins over all-time greats likeFedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Rashad Evans, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Corey Anderson has made an excellent impression since his arrival in BELLATOR, reeling off two dominant victories over the likes of veteranMelvin Manhoefand former ACA ChampionDovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, both ending via TKO. The Rockton, Dålig. product came to the promotion boasting an already impressive resumé, previously triumphing over Johnny Walker, Glover Teixeira and Jan Błachowicz amongst others. Anderson’s fight with Bader, his third under the BELLATOR banner, will be his first with the promotion while fans are in attendance.

BELLATOR MMA fans who are new subscribers to the SHOWTIME streaming service can sign up now for a limited time offer which includes a 30-day free trial, followed by a discounted monthly subscription fee of $4.99/month for the next six months. Viewers can sign up atSHO.com/BellatorMMA. Subscribers will be delivered two premier BELLATOR MMA events per month throughout 2021 och vidare, with all events scheduled to air live at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT anywhere the SHOWTIME service is available.

BELLATOR MMA: Lätt tungvikt World Grand Prix semifinalerHuvud Card:

Showtime

10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Light Heavyweight World Title Main Event: C-Vadim Nemkov (14-2) vs. #4-Anthony “Rumble” Johnson(25-0)

Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Semifinal Bout: #1-Ryan Bader (28-6) vs. #2-Corey Anderson (15-5)

Preliminära kortet: 

BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV

7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

*Kortet kan ändras.

BesökBellator.com För ytterligare information.

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Om BELLATOR

BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under ledning av veteranen kamp promotor Scott Coker, BELLATOR-evenemang äger rum i större städer över hela världen och kan ses på tv i över 160 länder till en tillgänglig publik på över en miljard människor. I USA, BELLATOR kan ses på SHOWTIME. BELLATOR består av ett ledningsteam som inkluderar toppbranschproffs inom tv-produktion, live-event orkestrering, jaktplan utveckling / förbindelser, plats upphandling, skapande sponsring / utveckling, internationell licensiering, marknadsföring, reklam, publicitet och provisionsrelationer. BELLATOR är baserat i Hollywood, Calif. och ägs av underhållningsjätten ViacomCBS, hem till världens främsta underhållning varumärken som ansluter med publiken genom övertygande innehåll över tv, spelfilm, online och mobila plattformar.

OmShowtime

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), ett helägt dotterbolag till ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ och FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI marknadsför och distribuerar sport och underhållningsevenemang för utställning till abonnenter på en pay-per-view basis genom SHOWTIME PPV^®. För mer information, gå tillwww.SHO.com.