All posts by FNU47
Pair of Explosive Heavyweight Fights Added to Main Card of BELLATOR 262 on Friday, July 16
TYRELL FORTUNE-MATT MITRIONE AND LINTON VASSELL-MARCELO GOLM CONFIRMED FOR SHOWTIME BROADCAST
THREE ADDITIONAL PRELIMINARY CONTESTS ALSO OFFICIAL
LOS ANGELES – The slate of action scheduled for BELLATOR 262 on Friday, July 16 continues to grow with the addition of five must-see contests.
Two heavyweight fights have been added to the main card of BELLATOR 262, when No. 5 ranked heavyweight Tyrell Fortune (10-1, 1 NC) meets the always-exciting No. 7 ranked Matt Mitrione (13-8, 1 NC) and former title challenger #4-Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC) welcomes Brazil’s Marcelo Golm (8-3) to the BELLATOR cage.
The main event of BELLATOR 262 features undefeated 125-pound world champion Juliana Velasquez (11-0) making the first defense of her title against BELLATOR Kickboxing’s Flyweight World Champion and No. 4 ranked Denise Kielholtz (6-2). The card emanates from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. and airs live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
A limited number of tickets starting at $60 are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster and Bellator.com.
The preliminary portion of BELLATOR MMA 262 has three confirmed tilts, with the news that former featherweight title challenger #2-Arlene Blencowe (13-8) welcomes Dayana Silva (9-6) to the fray, heavyweight sluggers Ronny Markes (19-8) and Said Sowma (6-2) go to battle, and a featherweight bout pitting Johnny Soto (4-1) against Adil Benjilany (5-3, 1 NC) is now official. All the preliminary actionbegins at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT and will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.
At one time best known for his collegiate wrestling prowess, Tyrell Fortune has vastly improved his striking as his budding professional MMA career has progressed, earning knockouts with his fists in six of his ten victories. Currently ranked in the top five of BELLATOR’s heavyweight division, Mitrione poses the stiffest test yet for the 30-year-old Arizona resident when he competes on the main card of BELLATOR 262.
Entering the BELLATOR cage for the ninth time since signing with the promotion in 2016, former New York Giants football star Matt Mitrione will look to defeat the man 12 years his junior when he returns to action on July 16. Known for his heavy-handed, in-your-face style, Mitrione will be making the walk for the first time in 2021, following a defeat at the hands of current interim heavyweight title challenger Tim Johnson last year.
A former two-time light heavyweight title challenger, Linton Vassell recently returned to heavyweight where he has found immediate success, finishing both Ronny Markes and Sergei Kharitonov to solidify himself as the number four ranked big man in the division. A proud British fighter, “The Swarm” will be making his 15th promotional appearance at Bellator 262, averaging nearly two fights a year since signing with the Scott Coker-led company in 2013.
A veteran of the UFC, 28-year-old Marcelo Golm inked a multi-fight contract with BELLATOR in April of this year. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native is currently riding a two-fight winning streak on the regional circuit, defeating D.J. Linderman by first-round TKO, and then submitting Brandon Hebert by second-round arm-triangle choke. With his upcoming booking against No. 4-ranked Vassell, it’s safe to say an emphatic victory will likely earn him top-ten ranking following his debut
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BELLATOR MMA 262: Velasquez vs. Kielholtz Main Card:
SHOWTIME
Friday, July 16 – 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Flyweight World Title Main Event: C-Juliana Velasquez (11-0) vs. #4-Denise Kielholtz (6-2)
Heavyweight Bout: #5–Tyrell Fortune (10-1, 1 NC) vs. #7-Matt Mitrione (13-8, 1 NC)
Heavyweight Bout: #4-Linton Vassell (20-8, 1 NC) vs. Marcelo Golm (8-3)
Preliminary Card:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV
5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT
Featherweight Bout: #2-Arlene Blencowe (13-8) vs. Dayana Silva (9-6)
Heavyweight Bout: Ronny Markes (19-8) vs. Said Sowma (6-2)
Featherweight Bout Johnny Soto (4-1) vs. Adil Benjilany (5-3, 1 NC)
For more information on upcoming BELLATOR MMA events, visit BELLATOR.com.
Ridgway to face Oliveira June 19 in Neosho, MO
559 Fights MMA this Saturday in Visalia
The Sixth Annual Box Fan Expo RETURNS! Saturday September 18, 2021 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
Featherweight World Champion Patricio Pitbull Meets AJ McKee in the BELLATOR Featherweight World Grand Prix Finals on Saturday, July 31 — Live on SHOWTIME
BELLATOR 263 TAKES PLACE AT THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY, JULY 31 – LIVE ON SHOWTIME®
TICKETS FOR THIS MASSIVE EVENT GO ON SALE TOMORROW AT BELLATOR.COM
LOS ANGELES — And then there were two…
What began with 16 featherweight athletes vying for a one-million-dollar grand prize and the BELLATOR Featherweight World Championship has been narrowed to the greatest BELLATOR athlete in the history of the promotion Patricio Pitbull (32-4) and the company’s best-ever homegrown fighter in No. 1 ranked AJ McKee (17-0).
The culmination of the BELLATOR Featherweight World Grand Prix takes place Saturday, July 31 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and marks the company’s first domestic event hosted away from “The Fightsphere” since February 2020.
BELLATOR 263: Pitbull vs. McKee airs live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, June 18 at BELLATOR.com and Ticketmaster.com with a pre-sale taking place on Thursday.
“This is without a doubt going to be the biggest BELLATOR fight of all time,” said BELLATOR President Scott Coker. “AJ McKee has been calling for a shot at Pitbull’s title since his very first professional victory inside our cage six years ago. Now he’s finally getting the opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a world champion against the winningest fighter in BELLATOR history. For Pitbull a win over McKee in this tournament final would be a statement piece to add to his long list of accolades and legacy as the best 145-pounder on the planet.”
One half of the vaunted Pitbull Brothers duo, Patricio has long been considered the crown jewel of BELLATOR MMA, where he sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings. Holding a remarkable record of 32-4 with wins over elite competition including the likes of Pat Curran, Juan Archuleta, Daniel Weichel (x2) and most recently a second triumph over Emmanuel Sanchez, the 33-year-old stands alone as the featherweight king. Additionally, he was able to capture the Lightweight World Championship in a 2019 contest opposite Michael Chandler, becoming only the second BELLATOR athlete to hold two titles simultaneously. With 23 finishes in 36 professional fights, Pitbull has shown time and time again that he possesses the well-rounded skillset required to reign over multiple weight classes.
With a perfect record of 17-0, AJ McKee has exceeded the lofty expectations placed on him since his professional debut at the ripe age of 20-years-old. With an even six knockouts and six submissions, the now-26-year-old McKee has shown a knack for securing finishes—and fast—with nine coming in the first round. “Mercenary” has earned dominant victories over every man who has opposed him including former champions Pat Curran, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Darrion Caldwell, who McKee submitted most-recently with a rare, modified neck crank that was later dubbed the “McKee-otine.” Finally, the Long Beach native will face the man he has called for since signing with BELLATOR, as he takes on Patricio Pitbull in the much-anticipated Featherweight World Grand Prix Final.
The preliminary portion of the event streams live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, as well as Pluto TV and features former featherweight title challenger and No. 2 ranked Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5) versus Denmark’s No. 8 ranked Mads Burnell (15-3), a bantamweight tilt between No. 3 ranked Magomed “Tiger” Magomedov (18-1) and No. 4 Raufeon “Supa” Stots (16-1) and a lightweight affair pitting undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov (12-0) against Manny Muro (12-6).
BELLATOR 263: Pitbull vs. McKee Main Card:
Saturday, July 31 – Live on SHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Featherweight World Title Main Event: C-Patricio Pitbull (32-4) vs. #1-AJ McKee (17-0)
Preliminary Card:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Featherweight Bout: #2-Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5) vs. #8-Mads Burnell (15-3)
Bantamweight Bout: #3-Magomed Magomedov (18-1) vs. #4-Raufeon Stots (16-1)
Lightweight Bout: Usman Nurmagomedov (12-0) vs. Manny Muro (12-6)
*Card subject to change.
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.