Bellator 245: Davis vs. Machida 2 Kāri Main: Phil Davis (22-5, 1 NC) patua Lyoto Machida (26-10) mā te whakatau ritua (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Cat Zingano(11-4) patua Gabby Holloway(6-6) mā te whakatau Kotahi tonu (29-27, 30-26, 30-26) Taylor Johnson(6-1) patua Na ka Ruth (8-3) mā tāpaetanga (rekereke matau) i :59 o te tetahi a tawhio noa Raymond Daniels(2-1, 1 NC) a Peter Stanonik(5-4, 1 NC)endedin a no content (accidental low blow)
Kāri hukihuki: Alex Polizzi(7-0) patua Rafael Carvalho (16-5) whakatau loto (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Leslie Smith(12-8-1) patua Amanda Bell(7-7) mā te whakatau Kotahi tonu (29-28, 29-28. 29-28) Tyrell Fortune (8-1, 1 NC) a Jack May(11-6, 1 NC) ended in a no content (accidental low blow) Keith Lee (7-3) patua Vinicius Zani (11-7) mā te whakatau Kotahi tonu (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Haere ki Bellator.com no te tahi atu mau haamaramaramaraa.
FORMER CHAMPS PHIL DAVIS AND LYOTO MACHIDA COLLIDE IN LONG-AWAITED REMATCH ATBELLATOR 245 ON PARAIRE, Mahuru. 11 JUAN ARCHULETA FACES UNDEFEATED PATCHY MIX FOR THE VACANT BELLATOR BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD TITLE ATBELLATOR 246 ON SATURDAY, Mahuru. 12
MORE, THE BELLATOR DEBUTS OF FORMER TITLE CHALLENGERS CAT ZINGANO AND LIZ CARMOUCHE
Los Angeles— For the first time, Bellator MMA’s “FightSphere” atMohegan Sun Arena i roto i te Uncasville, Conn. will host a stacked doubleheader weekend on Friday, E whitu. 11 and Saturday, E whitu. 12. On night one, Bellator 245is headlined by former world champsPhil Davis(21-5, 1 NC) aLyoto Machida (26-9) in a light heavyweight rematch, iaBellator 246on night two sees a bantamweight world championship fight featuring top contenderJuan Archuleta(24-2) taking on the undefeatedPatchy Mix (13-0) for the vacant title.
Two former world title challengers also make their long-awaited Bellator debuts, riteCat Zingano(10-4)e i runga iGabby Holloway(6-5)in a featherweight matchup atBellator 245,iaLiz Carmouche (13-7) meets the newly signedDeAnna Bennett(10-6-1) at flyweight during the main card ofBellator 246.
Bellator 245: Davis vs. Machida 2i runga i te Paraire, E whitu. 11 aBellator 246: Archuleta vs. Mixi runga i Rāhoroi, E whitu. 12 air live onParamount Whatunga aDAZN i 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. Preliminary action will stream onBellator MMA’s YouTube channel. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming days.
A former Bellator light heavyweight world champion, Phil Davis returns to the Bellator cage for the first time since stoppingKarl Albrektsson iBellator 231in October of last year.A four-time NCAA D-I All-American wrestler at Penn State University, "Mr. Wonderful” has earned professional victories over Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, and the man he will face again on Sept. 11, Lyoto Machida. With eight Bellator appearances already, the San Diego-based fighter has his sights set on reclaiming his world title in the sport’s toughest light heavyweight division.
After signing with Bellator in 2018, Lyoto Machida made his highly anticipated promotional debut with a victory over former champRafael CarvalhoiBellator 213and would later go on to defeat the now-retiredChaelinside the famed Madison Square Garden atBellator 222. The former UFC light heavyweight champ, known to fans around the globe as “The Dragon,” owns notable career wins over Tito Ortiz, “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans and Randy Couture. Having lost to Davis in the first matchup in Brazil, the native ofSalvador, Bahia, Brazil is looking for redemption and a future shot at Bellator gold.
Fresh off of an impressive victory overHenry Corrales iBellator 238 mua i tenei tau, Juan Archuleta will look to capture the promotion’s vacant bantamweight strap. Fighting out of Hesperia, Calif., the 32-year-old knockout artist will once again drop down a weight class for a shot at the world title, something he successfully accomplished on four separate occasions while competing for regional promotion King of the Cage (Welterweight marama, Kōmāmā, flyweight and bantamweight). Following a hard-fought featherweight world title bout withPatricio Pitbulllast September, “The Spaniard” returns to bantamweight, where he has been undefeated for over five years.
Currently fighting out of Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., Patchy Mix will make his fourth appearance for Bellator, where he has tallied three first-round submission victories. The 26-year-old Buffalo, N.Y.-native hopes to remain undefeated and build off of his most recent win on New Year’s Eve, which saw “No Love” earn a guillotine choke-submission over Yuki Motoya at Bellator’s co-promotional event with Rizin atRizin.20i roto i te fenua Tapone. Prior to his time with the Scott Coker-led promotion, Mix dominated his competition in all nine of his fights with King of the Cage, collecting five first round finishes. Na, the submission specialist will face the toughest test of his young career, a matchup with the former Bellator featherweight world title contender and a shot at Bellator’s vacant 135-pound strap.
Also announced forBellator 245…“Easy” Ed Ruth (8-2) returns to middleweight against the debutingTaylor “Tombstone” Johnson (5-1) on the main card; current Bellator Kickboxing welterweight world champRaymond “The Real Deal” Daniels(2-1) returns to MMA againstPeter Stanonik(5-4); former middleweight champRafael Carvalho(16-4) squares off with undefeatedAlex “Easy” Polizzi(6-0) i taumahamaha te marama; hard-hitting heavyweightsTyrell Fortune(8-1) aJack May(11-6) collide; “Killa” Keith Lee (6-3) kanohiDominic “The Honey Badger” Mazzotta (15-3) in a 140-lb. contract weight preliminary matchup.
Also announced forBellator 246…top welterweight contendersJon Fitch (32-7-2, 1 NC) aNeiman Gracie (9-1) square off in the co-main event; Derek "Ko e tāriana" Campos(20-10) aRoger “El Matador” Huerta(24-12-1, 1 NC) go toe-to-toe in a lightweight battle; Jackson Wink MMA heavyweight prospectDavion “The Don” Franklin (1-0) e i runga iRas “The Jamaican Shamrock” Hylton (6-4) on the prelims; Hawaii’sTy “Savage” Gwerder(4-1) meets London’sGeorge “Tuco” Tokkos(4-1) in a middleweight contest.
WhakahōutiaBellator 245: Davis vs.Machida 2Kāri Main:
Whatunga Paramount me DAZN
Rāmere, E whitu. 11 - 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT
Light Heavyweight Main Event: Phil Davis(21-5, 1 NC) vs.Lyoto Machida (26-9)
BELLATOR 244 AIRS LIVE ON PARAMOUNT NETWORK AND DAZN AT 10 P.M. ET FROM MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
MORE, FORMER TITLEHOLDER JULIA BUDD RETURNS TO ACTION AGAINST JESSY MIELE IN THE CO-MAIN EVENT
Los Angeles– On Friday, August 21, Bellator’s “FightSphere” atMohegan Sun Arena i roto i te Uncasville, Conn. will host a light heavyweight world title main event bout featuring two-division Bellator champRyan Bader(27-5, 1 NC) defending his 205-pound championship against Russia’sVadim Nemkov (11-2).
The evening’s co-main event sees fomer world championJulia Budd(13-3) take on Connecticut’sJessy Miele (9-3) in a featherweight clash.
Bellator 244: Bader vs. Nemkovairs live onParamount Whatunga aDAZN Rāmere, August 21 i 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. Preliminary action will stream onBellator MMA’s YouTube channel. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming days.
A winner of seven out of eight contests at both heavyweight and light heavyweight, Bellator’s double champ Ryan Bader will make his first light heavyweight title defense since defeating “King Mo” Lawal, Matt Mitrione aFedor Emelianenkoen route to winning Bellator’s 2018 Heavyweight World Grand Prix and becoming world heavyweight champ. Fighting out of Chandler, Ariz., the former two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler out of Arizona State University began his professional career by winning season eight ofKo te Ultimate Fighter. “Darth” continued his path of dominance by collecting victories over some of the 205-pound division’s top talent, including career wins overPhil Davis(x2), Linton Vassell, “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans, Rafael “Feijão” Cavalcante and Ovince Saint Preux. Te nuinga tata, Bader fought heavyweightCheick Congoto a no contest following an accidental eye poke.
The 28-year-old Russian powerhouse Vadim Nemkov, who is undefeated over his last six fights and a perfect 4-0 in Bellator since signing in 2017, will enter his first-ever title shot in MMA fresh off a submission win against former middleweight world championRafael Carvalho. With that victory, Nemkov has defeated some of the best athletes Bellator has to offer, including three former champions consecutively in Carvalho, Phil Davis aLiam McGeary. A three-time Russian national sambo champion, Nemkov trains alongside the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in Stary Oskol, Russia for the standout Team Fedor.
Former Bellator featherweight world champion Julia Budd has won 11 of her last 12 pito, including seven victories since signing with Bellator in 2015. After defeating Dutch legend Marloes Coenen for the inaugural Bellator women’s featherweight world title atBellator 174, the Gibson MMA-product and Port Moody, British Columbia native has gone on to collect victories over top contendersOlga Rubin, Arlene Blencowe aTalita Nogueira. With seven of her 13 career victories coming by way of knockout or submission, “The Jewel” will look to jump back into title contention with a statement win on August 21.
With an impressive career mark of 9-3, Jessy Miele will look to parlay her most recent win over former Bellator title contenderTalita Nogueirawhen she competes atBellator 244.Hailing from Waterbury, Conn. the 35-year-old is currently in the midst of a four-fight unbeaten streak and was slated to compete againstLeslie Smith iBellator 241before it was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Fighting professionally since 2014, and competing against the likes of Nogueira and Charmaine Tweet along the way, “The Widowmaker” will undoubtedly face the stiffest test of her nearly six year-career when she meets Budd on August. 21.
WhakahōutiaBellator 244: Bader vs. NemkovKāri Main:
Whatunga Paramount me DAZN
10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT
Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: Ryan Bader (27-5, 1 NC) vs.Vadim Nemkov(11-2)
Featherweight Co-Main Event: Julia Budd(13-3) vs.Jessy Miele(9-3)
Heavyweight Feature Bout: Roy Nelson(23-19) vs.Valentin Mouldavsky(9-1)
Updated Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA’s YouTube Channel
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: John Salter(17-4) vs.Andrew Kapel(15-6)
Kōmāmātanga Tuhinga o mua: Arama Piccolot(12-3) vs.Sidney Outlaw(14-4)
Tuhinga o mua Bantamweight: Erik Perez(19-7) vs.Joshua Hill(19-3)
Taumekehiko Whakatekau Mua:Lucas Brennan (2-0) vs.Will Smith (3-1)
Kōmāmātanga Tuhinga o mua: Vladimir Tokov(7-0) vs.Chris Gonzalez(4-0)
Kōmāmātanga Tuhinga o mua: Lance Gibson Jr.(3-0) vs.Shane Kruchten(12-5)
*Ka whakarerekehia te kaari.
Haere kiBellator.com no te tahi atu mau haamaramaramaraa.
MORE, HEAVYWEIGHTS MATT MITRIONE AND TIMOTHY JOHNSON SQUARE OFF IN EXPLOSIVE CO-MAIN EVENT
Los Angeles – Bellator is pleased to announce multiple upcoming events set to take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., whai wāhi Bellator 243 i runga i te Paraire, Aug. 7, Bellator 244 i runga i te Paraire, Aug. 21 a Bellator 245 i runga i te Paraire, E whitu. 11.
Bellator 243 sees former world championsMichael Chandler(20-5) a Benson Henderson(28-8) face off once again inside the Bellator cage nearly four years after their first unforgettable meeting, The highly anticipated lightweight main event rematch airs live Friday, Aug. 7 i runga i Paramount Network and DAZN at 10 p.m. ANDfrom Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
In the card’s co-main event, perennial heavyweight contenderMatt Mitrione (13-7, 1 NC) will take on the hard-hittingTimothy Johnson(13-6) in an exciting matchup that will likely not go to the judges’ scorecards.
Bellator 243: Chandler vs. Henderson 2 airs live on Paramount Network and DAZN on Friday, August 7 i 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. The event will also air live on Sky Sports in the UK. Preliminary action will stream onBellator MMA’s YouTube channel.
Making his 23rd promotional appearance for Bellator, “Iron” Michael Chandler will have the opportunity to silence his critics and prove that his November 19, 2016 split decision-win over Henderson was no fluke. Following victories in each of his first 12 pāngia ngaio, highlighted by his first Bellator lightweight world title win and a pair of successful title defenses, the High Ridge, Missouri-native quickly made a name for himself in a stacked 155-pound class. The 34-year-old would eventually go on to collect a promotional record three lightweight title reigns that included three successful title defenses. Having won three of his previous five career rematches, including a pair of lightweight world title victories overPatricky Pitbull a Brent primus, te 2009 NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Missouri will look to add to that total and remind everyone what the former champion is capable of.
Fighting out of Glendale, Ariz., “Smooth” will once again have a shot at revenge with his longtime rival Chandler, following multiple attempts to schedule the fight over the past year. The highly anticipated rematch was originally slated to take place on New Year’s Eve atRizin.20 i roto i te fenua Tapone, before Henderson was forced to withdraw due to an injury suffered during training. A few months later, the two former lightweight world champions were set to face off in the main event of Bellator’s return to the Windy City on June 6, before the global pandemic led to yet another postponement. Na, the MMA Lab-product will look to settle the score and collect his fifth consecutive victory en route to a final push at Bellator’s 155-pound strap. With half of his 28 mahi toa haere mai i te ara o te knockout tukunga ranei, the 36-year-old former UFC and WEC lightweight world champion will aim to put all doubts to rest and finish his nemesis in emphatic fashion on August 7.
After initially being scheduled to faceRonny Markes i Bellator 241 in March prior to the pandemic, Matt Mitrione is now slated to meet Johnson, a competitor who also prefers to keep the fight upright. Prior to his MMA career, the 41-year old Illinois-native was a standout defensive end at Purdue University who subsequently earned his way into the NFL, playing six seasons as a member of the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. He ultimately found his way into MMA where he became the high-level competitor he is today, defeating the likes of the lateKimbo Poro, Derrick Lewis,Roy Nelson a Fedor Emelianenko.
A heavy betting underdog coming into his last matchup withTyrell Fortune i Bellator 239, Timothy Johnson shocked many when he finished the undefeated competitor five years his junior viahighlight reel-knockout in the opening frame. The win was the first for the Xtreme Couture-fighter inside the Bellator cage, who signed with the promotion in 2018 following seven outings in the UFC. With an impressive finishing mark of 10 stoppages in his 13 toa ano he ngaio, Johnson will be looking to deliver another impressive outing when he returns to action next month.
Whakahōutia Bellator 243: Chandler vs. Henderson 2 Kāri Main: Whatunga Paramount me DAZN 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT
Lightweight Main Event: Michael Chandler (20-5) vs. Benson Henderson (28-8) Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Matt Mitrione (13-7, 1 NC) vs. Timothy Johnson (13-6)
*Ka whakarerekehia te kaari.
Haere ki Bellator.com no te tahi atu mau haamaramaramaraa.
UNCASVILLE, Conn.– The full slate of bouts for Bellator’s return toMohegan Sun Arena tenei Rāmere, March 13is official with a stacked six-fight main card, headlined by current two-division champPatricio Pitbull (30-4) defending his 145-lb. title in the Featherweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinals against upstart SBG-product and tournament dark horsePedro Carvalho (11-3).
Bellator 241: Pitbull vs. Carvalho will stream live exclusively onDAZN i 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, while preliminary action will stream onBellator MMA’s YouTube channel, me te DAZN, timata i 7:30 p.m. ME / 4:30 p.m. PT.
The exciting main card will also see a Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal take place in the co-main event,ka Daniel Weichel (40-11) rematchesEmmanuel Sanchez (19-4) for a future shot at the world title. I tua atu, former New York Giants linemanMatt Mitrione (13-7, 1 NC) will be taking onRonny Markes (19-7) in a heavyweight main card bout, while England’sPaora Daley (42-17-2) and heavy-handedSabah Homasi (13-8) go toe-to-toe in a 170-pound matchup that is sure to produce fireworks. Rounding out the main card will see Connecticut’s ownNick Newell (16-3) tango i runga i Zach Zane (14-9) of Hawaii at lightweight and a must-see middleweight contest showcasingAnatoly Tokov (29-2) vs. Fabio Aguiar (17-1).
KAUPAPA KAUPAPA KI TE WAI KI TE WAIATA PARAMOUNT & DAZN AT 9 P.M. AND
Los Angeles - Te tino whaainga mo te hokinga mai o Bellator ki te WinStar World Casino me Resort i Thackerville, Okla. tenei Rāmere, February 21 kua whakatutukihia me te kaari whaa whaa-whaa kua whakaatuhia i te 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT i runga i te Whatunga Paramount me DAZN. I tua atu, Tuhinga o mua 13 nga pakanga tuatahi ka rere i runga i te hongere YouTube o Bellator MMA me DAZN ka tiimata mai i 6:15 p.m. PT / 5:15 p.m. CT.
Ko te hui matua o Bellator 239 ka uru ki tetahi tukinga welterweight whakaongaonga i waenga i nga tumanako pai e rua o te wehenga, hei tuatoru-wa e toa NCAA National Wrestling Champion Na ka Ruth (8-1) ka mau ki te kaitautoko Iukereiniana kore i hinga Yaroslav Amosov (22-0). Ano i runga i te kāri, te whakaurunga marama tuatahi i waenga i a Minnesota Brandon Girtz (16-8) me te hainatanga a te kaihoko kaihoko koreutu a Bellator Myles Huuri (17-5), tae atu ki nga whakataetae e rua e whai kiko ana i te wehenga taumaha taumaha rite Tyrell Fortune (8-0) kua whakaritea ki te whakatau UFC-hoia Timothy Johnson (12-6) me te nguha runga Javy Ayala (11-7) ka haere ki te whawhai ki tetahi mema o te roopu a Fedor Emelianenko i Russia, Valentin Mouldavsky (8-1).
Tuhinga o mua Bellator 239: Rutu vs.. Amosov ka whakaatuhia e te maha o nga tumanakohanga ohorere kore e hoki ki te whare herehere, tae atu ki a Oklahoma Kyle Crutchmer (5-0), Karaitiana Edwards (2-0), Chris Gonzalez (3-0), Grant Neal (2-0) me Texas ' Lucas Brennan (2-0), i te wa e mohiotia ana nga ingoa i roto i Cris Lencioni (5-2), Gaston Bolanos (5-2) a Shawn paihere (9-4) kua whakaritea hoki kia whakataetae i runga i te kaari.
I tua atu, ka whakaatuhia e nga kaiwhakawhanake e nga toa Bellator Kickboxing e rua i te wahanga taumaha rererangi Denise Kielholtz (4-2) me te taitara taumaha huruhuru Gabriel Varga (1-0) i a raua e hoki ana ki te whare herehere o Bellator MMA.
BATTLE FOR VACANT BELLATOR MMA MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE AIRS LIVE ON PARAMOUNT NETWORK AND DAZN AT 10 P.M. ET/9 P.M. CT
Tickets go on sale this Friday, Feb. 14
Los Angeles– A middleweight superfight for the vacant 185-pound title, pitting former divisional championGegard Mousasi (46-7-2) against current Bellator welterweight titleholderDouglas Lima (32-7),has been added to Bellator’s exciting return to SAP Center at San Jose on Saturday, Kia 9 – LIVE on Paramount Network and DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT.
The event is anchored by a previously announced heavyweight world title bout, featuring two-division Bellator champRyan Bader(27-5, 1 NC) defending his 205-pound title against Russia’sVadim Nemkov (11-2).
Bellator: Bader vs. Nemkov airs live on Paramount Network and DAZN on Saturday, Kia 9 i 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT. Preliminary action will stream on DAZN, Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Tickets can be purchased at the LexisNexis Risk Solutions Ticket Office at SAP Center, through Ticketmaster and Bellator.com.
The Bellator middleweight title was recently relinquished byRafael Lovato Jr.due to ongoing medical complications.
Fighting out of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, Mousasi has cemented legendary status within the sport, having won titles with multiple promotions across a 55-fight career. Te nuinga tata, Mousasi defeatedLyoto Machida mā te whakatau ritua, clearing his path to a shot at a second Bellator middleweight title run. With victories in his storied career against Machida, Rory MacDonald, Chris Weidman, Rafael Carvalho, Vitor Belfort, Jacare Souza, Dan Henderson and Mark Hunt, a victory over Douglas Lima will add to his already-impressive resume.
Looking to join the ranks ofRyan Bader a Patricio “Pitbull”as two-division champions, Lima moves up 15-pounds to try his hand against Mousasi. Since making his promotional debut in 2011, “The Phenom” has earned 14 whakaora, including a trio of world titles and 10 finishes, making the American Top Team-product one of the most dominant fighters in the 170-pound division. Ki te 26 o tona 32 career victories coming by way of knockout or submission, including consecutive dominant finishes overAndrey Koreshkov a Michael “Venom” Page”in the first two rounds of the World Grand Prix tournament, Lima most recently capped of his 2019 with a win over Rory MacDonald to regain the welterweight world title.
MORE, BELLATOR’S FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX CONTINUES AS UNDEFEATED A.J. MCKEE MEETS DEREK CAMPOS IN FIRST QUARTERFINAL MATCHUP
Tickets on sale next Friday, Oketopa. 11
Los Angeles– For the second time in as many years, Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii will host the homecoming ofIlima-Lei Macfarlane (10-0), as she puts her undefeated record and Bellator women’s flyweight title on the line against No. 1 nguha Kate Jackson (11-3-1) in the main event on Saturday, Dec. 21, streamed exclusively on the DAZN app.
I tua atu, Bellator Hawaiiwill feature the first quarterfinal matchup of Bellator’s Featherweight World Grand Prix, when the man with the longest winning streak in promotional history, A.J. McKee(15-0), takes on the always-excitingDerek Āpure (20-9) in the evening’s co-headliner.
Bellator: Macfarlane vs. Jackson –one of the star-powered, year-end highlights of fight season on DAZN – will stream live exclusively onDAZN i 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, while preliminary action will stream onBellator.com, DAZNand globally on theBellator Mobile App. Tickets go on sale next Friday, Oketopa. 11 and can be purchased through Bellator.com, as well as Ticketmaster.com or the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena box office. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Born and raised in Honolulu, current Bellator women’s flyweight champ Macfarlane made her pro debut in 2015 with a KO victory that went viral and has not looked back since, remaining undefeated in her career. With impressive victories overValerie Letourneaua Veta Arteaga, Macfarlane was the focal point of Bellator’s debut in Hawaii last year. A proud graduate of Honolulu’s Punahou High School in 2009, Macfarlane later attended San Diego State University, where she would go on to earn her Master’s degree in liberal arts and science with a focus on indigenous issues – a subject she remains passionate about, launching“The Ilimanator Scholarship”for indigenous girls last year. Now Ilima-Lei turns her focus to Kate Jackson, who will be looking to play the role of spoiler when she enters the Bellator cage on December 21.
A winner of seven of her last eight fights, Kate Jackson has earned her way to a title shot against the division’s inaugural champion. A competitor on the 23rd season ofKo te Ultimate Fighter, Jackson hails from Lostwithiel, Cornwall, Ingarangi, and most recently defeatedLena Ovchynnikova i roto i te London. Jackson made her Bellator debut in 2017 with a first round-victory over ofColleen Schneiderand would later go on to dominate Anastasia Yankova at historicBellator 200in front of her hometown crowd. Facing the biggest test of her career, Jackson looks to reign atop the flyweight division when she leaves Hawaii.
With an undefeated professional record of 15-0, including six knockouts and eight first round finishes, there doesn’t seem to be much more for the talent-oozing 24-year-old to prove to the MMA community before his name is routinely mentioned among the division’s elite. Fighting out of Long Beach, Calif., “Mercenary” is fresh off of a jaw-dropping performance that saw him finishGeorgi Karakhanyanin only eight seconds just moments after watching his father, Antonio McKee, collect a knockout victory in what was the first ever father-son duo to compete on the same card in the US. With all 15 of his career wins coming under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion, the Team BodyShop product has made it clear that he has his sights onPatricio “Pitbull”and his 145-pound belt, as he continues to build a strong argument as the new face of Bellator. Constantly looking for new records to break, McKee may have found the perfect match in Campos, as the two brawlers have combined for a remarkable 22 finishes over 36 umanga whakaora.
Fighting out of Lubbock, Texas, Campos will be competing in the first of the four quarterfinal matchups in Bellator’s Featherweight World Grand Prix, following a decisive victory over former featherweight world championDaniel Straus i Bellator 226this past September. The 31-year-old knockout artist is ready to build on his impressive professional record of 20-9, when he takes on undefeated superstar McKee on December 21. Always ready to trade blows, the heavy-handed veteran has spent much of his time competing in Bellator’s lightweight and welterweight divisions over the past six years of his career. Na, “The Stallion” hopes to continue his impressive surge in the 145-pound class, as he prepares to go toe-to-toe with one of the most dangerous featherweights in the world. With a shot at one million dollars on the line, Campos will rely on his fearless fighting style and sound wrestling background if he wants to advance in what many have pinned as one of the most anticipated matchups in the second round.
Bellator Hawaii: Macfarlane vs. Jackson Kāri Main:
Flyweight World Title Bout: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (10-0) vs. Kate Jackson(11-3-1)
Featherweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout: A.J. McKee (15-0) vs. Derek Āpure (20-9)
