HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EIGHT-MAN TOURNAMENT SET TO DETERMINE 135-POUND WORLD CHAMPION AND $1 MILLION DOLLAR GRAND PRIZE WINNER

YEARLONG TOURNAMENT BEGINS IN FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR, EXCLUSIVELY ON SHOWTIME

             WATCH TONIGHT’S ANNOUNCEMENT BY CLICKING HERE

LOS ANGELES –It was officially announced at tonight’sBellator 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi event that next year’s prestigious BELLATOR World Grand Prix will take place in the promotion’s incredibly stacked bantamweight division. The winner of tonight’s 135-Pound World Championship fight betweenเซร์คิโอ เพตติส และKyoji Horiguchi will defend their title next year in the Bantamweight World Grand Prix featuring a gauntlet of the eight best athletes the weight class has to offer.

In addition to both Pettis and Horiguchi, the Bantamweight World Grand Prix is set to feature former divisional championJuan Archuleta, ทำไม่ได้. 2 การจัดอันดับ-Raufeon Stots, ทำไม่ได้. 3 การจัดอันดับ-Patchy Mix, ทำไม่ได้. 4 การจัดอันดับ-magomed โดฟ, ทำไม่ได้. 5 การจัดอันดับ-ลีอันโดร Higo, และไม่มี. 6 การจัดอันดับ-James Gallagher, who will all vie for the right to be named the next BELLATOR Bantamweight World Champion and take home a grand prize of one-million-dollars.

First-round matchups and additional details such as dates, locations and tournament alternates will be revealed soon.

All tournament bouts will be five-round contests and will be telecast in the United States exclusively on SHOWTIME.

Former BELLATOR Bantamweight World Champion Kyoji Horiguchi enters tonight’s contest unranked due to inactivity within the promotion. Official BELLATOR Rankings will be updated and distributed on Monday, ธันวาคม. 6.

แชมป์ – เซร์คิโอ เพตติส (21-5):

Fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.,เซร์คิโอ เพตติส captured the BELLATOR bantamweight crown in May 2021 by outpointing former championJuan Archuleta in a fast-paced contest atBELLATOR 258.During a nearly six-year, 14-fight UFC stint, the Roufusport-product competed in both the flyweight and bantamweight classes, collecting nine victories and a pair of “Fight of the Night” honors against Alex Caceres and Matt Hobar in 2014. Prior to his UFC tenure, Pettis, the younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, earned world titles in Resurrection Fighting Alliance’s flyweight division and North American Fighting Championship’s 135-pound class. Following a trio of impressive triumphs over some of the division’s elite, BELLATOR’s bantamweight champion is set to protect his belt and an unblemished 3-0 promotional mark entering the tournament.

Former BELLATOR Bantamweight Champion – Kyoji Horiguchi (29-3):

Hailing from Takasaki, ญี่ปุ่น, 31 ปีKyoji Horiguchi is the reigning RIZIN bantamweight champion who notoriously became a simultaneous, two-promotion champion in 2019 after taking down and upsetting then-BELLATOR champion Darrion Caldwell at Madison Square Garden. อับ, an injury would force Horiguchi to relinquish his BELLATOR title in 2019, and he now looks to reclaim his belt in a main event clash with current championเซร์คิโอ เพตติส ที่Bellator 272. While with RIZIN, the American Top Team-product amassed an impressive 10-1 promotional mark, highlighted by eight finishes and five first-round knockouts. นอกจากนี้, more than half of Horiguchi’s career victories have come via knockout. ตอนนี้, after reclaiming his RIZIN bantamweight strap and avenging only his third loss in 32 outings with a highlight-reel, opening-round knockout over Kai Asakura on New Year’s Eve 2020, the Japanese sensation fighting out of Coconut Creek, ฟลอริด้า, aims to get his hands back on BELLATOR’s title

ทำไม่ได้. 1 Ranked Bantamweight – Juan Archuleta (25-3):

With the Bantamweight World Grand Prix set, former BELLATOR World Champion and No. 1-การจัดอันดับJuan Archuleta sees a clear path toward regaining the 135-pound crown. Armed with 25 professional victories, รวมไปถึง 12 by way of K.O. หรือการส่ง, the “Spaniard” has no issues stopping opponents inside the BELLATOR cage. The former four-division King of the Cage world champion, who holds victories over Patchy Mix, เฮนรี่กอร์ราเล, and Ricky Bandejas, strives to keep that trend going throughout the Grand Prix.

ทำไม่ได้. 2 Ranked Bantamweight – Raufeon Stots (17-1):

Considered one of the world’s best 135-pound fighters, Raufeon“ Supa” Stots has been in the title conversation since his 2019 BELLATOR debut. Currently riding a nine-fight winning streak, ไม่มี. 2-ranked bantamweight has defeated some of BELLATOR’s finest, including Magomed Magomedov and Josh Hill, by smothering opponents with top-tier grappling ability. Sporting a near-perfect 17-1 บันทึก, the Roufusport product and two-time NCAA Division II Champion now has an opportunity to compete for a long-awaited crown.

ทำไม่ได้. 3 Ranked Bantamweight – Patchy Mix (15-1):

Set to make his sixth promotional appearance under the BELLATOR umbrella, the pride of Angola, N.Y., has collected two-first round submission victories while compiling a 4-1 record with the Scott Coker-led promotion. The 28-year-old Buffalo, N.Y.. native looks to build off his most recent win atBellator 270 over James Gallagher in his opponent’s hometown of Dublin, ไอร์แลนด์, เมื่อเดือนที่แล้ว. Prior to his time with BELLATOR, Mix dominated the competition while on the regional scene by collecting nine of his 15 professional victories, including five first-round finishes. ตอนนี้, the submission specialist will face the toughest challenge of his career, a shot at the tournament’s $1 million prize and BELLATOR’s 135-pound strap.

ทำไม่ได้. 4 Ranked Bantamweight – magomed โดฟ (18-2):

After capturing belts in different organizations, Dagestani phenommagomed โดฟ hopes to add to his collection by taking home BELLATOR gold. Amassing an impressive 18-2 career record with 12 via finish, “Tiger” has made a swift impact on the BELLATOR 135-pound division since his December 2020 promotional debut by climbing to No. 4 in the rankings. Possessing both a blistering pace and superior grappling, Magomedov has the potential to be a nightmare matchup for anyone in the BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix.

ทำไม่ได้. 5 Ranked Bantamweight – ลีอันโดร Higo (21-5):

After dropping in weight to 135-pounds, Leandro Higo has been on a tear by winning three consecutive fights and putting the entire bantamweight division on notice. Under the tutelage of the famed Pitbull Brothers camp, the Brazilian is coming off a hard-fought, split-decision victory over former Bantamweight World Champion Darrion CaldwellatBellator 259 ในเดือนพฤษภาคม 2021. เช่น 12 of Higo’s 21 pro victories have come by submission, the entire bracket knows that the No. 5-ranked bantamweight will not be an easy out.

ทำไม่ได้. 6 Ranked Bantamweight – James Gallagher (11-2):

Hailing from Strabane, ไอร์แลนด์, one of MMA’s brightest young fighters strives to notch his 12th career victory in a tournament stacked with 135-pound talent. Following a finish over Anthony Taylor atBellator 169 ในเดือนธันวาคม 2016 and a pair of first-round submissions the following year, “The Strabanimal” has tallied four victories over his past six contests, including three first-round finishes and a highlight reel 35-second win atBellator 227. Poised for the biggest test of his young career, the former SBG Ireland-product aims to shed the shadow of former training partner, เนอร์เกรเกอร์, and add to his own legacy with a shot at BELLATOR bantamweight gold.

กรุณาเยี่ยมชมBellator.com สำหรับข้อมูลเพิ่มเติม.

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