The Bellator 261 main card airs live on SHOWTIME la 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) împotriva Cody Matthews (1-1) and middleweight matchup between Taylor Johnson (6-2) și Lance Wright (5-1).
The preliminary portion of Bellator 261: Johnson vs. Moldavsky incepe la 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT and will stream live on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.
Bellator 261: Johnson vs. Moldavsky is anchored by an interim heavyweight title bout between No. 1 clasat pe locul Timothy Johnson (15-6) și nr. 3 clasat pe locul Valentin Moldavsky (10-1). A featherweight fight featuring former title challenger No. 5 clasat pe locul Daniel Weichel (40-12) against Hawaii’s undefeated Keoni Diggs (9-0) and a light heavyweight re-booking between No. 10 clasat pe locul Christian Edwards (4-0) și Ben Parrish (4-1) have also been confirmed for the main card.
Additional prelims include a lightweight bout featuring No. 6 clasat pe locul Myles Jury (19-5) versus No. 7 clasat pe locul Sidney Outlaw (15-4), a women’s strawweight fight pitting Lena Ovchynnikova (12-6, 1 NC) împotriva Kyra Batara (8-4), a light heavyweight contest seeing Lee Chadwick (26-15-1) contra Simon Biyong (7-1), and a lightweight affair between Søren Bak (14-1) și 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. Luptând din San Diego, the 37-year-old Team Hurricane Awesome-product also formerly competed for Strikeforce, bifând o pereche de victorii odată cu promovarea. 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, Lafayette, Născut în Louisiana a petrecut cinci ani servind ca electrician în aviație în United Stated Marine Corps, unde a realizat trei tururi de serviciu în Orientul Mijlociu.
“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 lupte profesionale, Japan’s Watanabe steps into the BELLATOR MMA cage for the third time in as many years. Cu frying-pan-bending putere, 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. The No. 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. Acestea fiind spuse, 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.”
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BELLATOR MMA 261: Johnson vs. Moldavsky Card de principal:
ARATĂ TIMPUL
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Interim Heavyweight Title Main Event: #1-Tim Johnson (15-6) vs. #3-Valentin Moldavsky (10-1)
Flyweight Co-Main Event: #2– Liz Carmouche (15-7) vs. #3-Kana Watanabe (10-0-1)
Puterea cărții principale greutăți: #5- Daniel Weichel (40-12) vs. Keoni Diggs (9-0)
Light Heavyweight Main Card Bout: #10– Christian Edwards (4-0) vs. Ben Parrish (4-1)
Card de preliminară:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | Canalul YouTube SHOWTIME Sports | 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)
Bout ușoare: #6-Myles Jury (19-5) vs. #7-Sidney Outlaw (15-4)
Bout ușoare: Søren Bak (14-1) vs. Bobby Lee (12-5)
Cocoș Bout: Jaylon Bates (2-0) vs. Cody Matthews (1-1)
Mijlocie Bout: Taylor Johnson (6-2) vs. Lance Wright (5-1)
Lumină grea Bout: Lee Chadwick (26-15-1) vs. Simon Biyong (7-1)
*Cardul poate fi modificat.
For more information on upcoming BELLATOR MMA events, vizita BELLATOR.com.