FULL FIGHT CARD ANNOUNCED FOR MADISON SQUARE GARDEN IN NYC THIS FRIDAY – AIRING EXCLUSIVELY ON DAZN
NEW YORK – The line-up for the highly anticipated Bellator 222: MacDonald vs. Gracie eventhas been completed with two title fights and 18 electric bouts in total filling out Bellator’s return to Madison Square Garden this Friday, June 14 – only on DAZN. The star-studded card is headlined by a double main event that will see a Welterweight World Grand Prix semi-final matchup between current Bellator welterweight world champion Rory MacDonald (20-5-1) defending his title against the unbeaten Renzo Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Neiman Gracie (9-0), as well as two of the sport’s biggest names in Lyoto Machida (25-8) and Chael Sonnen (31-16-1) finally meeting after years of parallel careers in the MMA world.
The main card of Bellator 222 will stream live exclusively on DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while preliminary action begins at 6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST and will also stream onDAZN or globally on the Bellator Mobile App.
The DAZN-streamed main card also features Darrion Caldwell (13-2) defending his Bellator bantamweight world title against Rizin Fighting Federation’s bantamweight championKyoji Horiguchi (27-2) in a true “champion vs. champion” matchup, following a Horiguchi submission victory when the two met in Rizin’s ring this past December in Japan, as well as a 175-pound catchweight contest between polarizing grappling ace Dillon Danis (1-0) and Max Humphrey (3-2). Additionally, fans will see an intriguing featherweight bout featuring former Bellator 135-pound champion Eduardo Dantas (21-6) making the leap to 145-pounds in an attempt to hand Juan Archuleta (21-1) the first loss of his Bellator career, while Ricky Bandejas (11-2) welcomes unbeaten Patrick Mix (10-0) at bantamweight.
Preliminary action for Bellator 222 is also must-see andfeatures many of Bellator’s rising stars. Those who tune in will see bouts highlighted by Aaron Pico (4-2) versus Adam Borics (12-0) at 145-pounds, as well as a second inter-promotional contest pitting Rena of Rizin (8-2) against Lindsay VanZandt (5-1) in a 112-pound catchweight fight. Bellator 222will also see the return of “The Heat” to MSG, when world champion boxer Heather Hardy (2-1) faces Taylor Turner (3-5) at flyweight. Familiar faces in Mike Kimbel (2-1), Robson Gracie Jr. (1-0) and Haim Gozali (10-6) will all also compete, while former The Ultimate Fighter participant Phil Hawes (4-2) will make his promotional debut. Lastly, it was recently announced that undefeated Taekwondo Master Valerie Loureda (1-0) will make her sophomore appearance when she welcomes Larkyn Dasch (0-1) to the Bellator cage on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Bellator 222 Main Card:
Welterweight World Grand Prix Semifinal Title Bout: Rory MacDonald (20-5-1) vs. Neiman Gracie (9-0)
