Los Angeles— BELLATOR MMA has announced that its fifth participant for the New Year’s Eve spectacle against RIZIN Fighting Federation opponents will be No. 10-sijoittui kevyeksi, Gadzhi Rabadanov(18-4-2), taking on 27-year-old Japanese standoutKoji Takeda(15-3) in a compelling matchup between two competitors riding high on the strength of consecutive victories.
A first-of-its-kind blockbuster co-promotion, BELLATOR MMA vs. RIZINtakes place inside the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Saturday, Joulukuu 31, and can be seen in the United States on SHOWTIME at 8 p.m. ET/PT on New Year’s Eve.
Rabadanov versus Takeda will join a star-studded five-fightBELLATOR MMA vs. RIZINpääkortille, which is stacked from top to bottom with current and former champions competing in the four-sided ring under RIZIN’s unique rules. Headlining the event will be a dream matchup between RIZIN lightweight championRoberto “Satoshi” de Souza(14-1) against No. 3 BELLATOR pound-for-pound talentAJ “Mercenary” McKee(19-1), with BELLATOR and RIZIN featherweight championsPatricio Pitbull(34-5) jaKleber Koike(31-5-1) co-headlining the must-see event.
Former BELLATOR championsJuan "espanjalainen" Archuleta(26-4) jaKyoji Horiguchi(30-5) will round out the unparalleled main card, facing off with RIZIN’sSoo Chul Kim(18-6-1) jaHiromasa Ougikubo(25-6-2), vastaavasti.
Gadzhi Rabadanov, 29, signed with BELLATOR in 2021 after capturing the Eagle FC lightweight title, and has made an immediate impact on the promotion’s remarkably deep lightweight division. He announced his arrival in thunderous fashion atBELLATOR 263with an emphatic viral knockout of Daniel Carey, which he followed up with back-to-back dominant unanimous decision victories over Jay Jay Wilson and Bobby King in 2022. The product of the renowned Club Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s School in Dagestan and the prestigious American Kickboxing Academy, Rabadanov’s pedigree is world-class. On New Year’s Eve, Rabadanov will look to continue building upon his momentum with an impressive performance against Koji Takeda.
“It is a childhood dream come true to fight in Japan at the legendary Saitama Super Arena,” said Rabadanov. “I’m very excited and I know I have a tough opponent, who always leaves everything in the ring. Expect a masterpiece from me, it will be a memorable fight.”
A former DEEP lightweight champion, Japan’sKoji Takedahas been an active fighter since his 2017 ammatillinen debyytti. Takeda boasts a compelling case for inclusion on this historic fight card, winning seven of his last ten and three of his last four outings under the RIZIN and DEEP banners. Takeda is also familiar with BELLATOR foes; he has previously fought Spike Carlyle and submitted Zach Zane by armbar, both of whom fought recently for the Scott Coker-led promotion. Takeda will look to add a third straight win to his resume against the highly-touted Rabadanov in his hometown of Saitama, Japani, joulukuuta 31.
BELLATOR MMA VS. RIZIN MAIN CARD:
SHOWTIME
Lauantai, Joulukuu 31 — 8 PM ET/PT
Lightweight Non-Title Main Event: AJ McKee(19-1) vs.Roberto de Souza(14-1)
Featherweight Non-Title Main Event: Patricio Pitbull(34-5) vs.Kleber Koike(31-5-1)
Bantamweight Feature Bout: Juan Archuleta(26-4) vs.Soo Chul Kim(18-6-1)
UNDEFEATED WORLD CHAMPIONA.J. MCKEETO DEFEND BELLATOR MMA 145-POUND WORLD TITLE IN REMATCH AGAINST FORMER NUMBER ONE POUND-FOR-POUND & TWO-DIVISION CHAMPIONPATRICIO PITBULL
205-POUND CHAMPIONVADIM NEMKOVTO BATTLE TOP-RANKEDCOREY ANDERSON FOR $1 MILLION PRIZE IN BELLATOR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX FINAL
BELLATOR 277SET FOR FRIDAY, Huhtikuu 15, AT 10 P.m. ET / 7 p.m. PTLIVE ON SHOWTIME INSIDE THE SAP CENTER IN SAN JOSE, CALIF.
TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY
LOS ANGELES (Helmikuu. 16, 2022) -Two outstanding world-championship showdowns. Four of BELLATOR MMA’s best pound-for-pound fighters. One highly anticipated rematch. The promotion’s all-time greatest athlete striving to avenge a highlight-reel loss to the company’s homegrown superstar. A tournament final awarding a seven-figure jackpot to the victor.
BELLATOR’s fourth phenomenal fight card of 2022 promises to be one for the ages.
Fresh off a 117-second destruction of his upcoming opponent and claiming the $1 million bounty at the BELLATOR MMA Featherweight World Grand Prix Finale, unbeaten BELLATOR Featherweight World TitleholderA.J. McKee (18-0) hopes to take the next step toward becoming the sport’s greatest fighter as he battles former top pound-for-pound and two-division championPatricio Pitbull (32-5) for the second time in less than nine months on Friday, Huhtikuu 15, at10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT elää Showtime.
In the co-feature ofBellator 277: McKee vs. Pitbull 2 klo SAP Center San Jose, Kalifornia., current 205-pound BELLATOR MMA World ChampionVadim Nemkov (15-2) will defend his title for the third time and aims to take home the $1 million prize three days before U.S. Tax Day when he squares off against the surging No. 1-sijoittui haastajaCorey Anderson(16-5)in the BELLATOR MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix final.
LiputBELLATOR MMA 277: McKee vs. Pitbull 2go on sale this Friday, Helmikuu. 18 at bothTicketmaster.com jaBellator.comwith a special presale starting the day prior.
Lisäksi, four preliminary bouts have been announced including a mouthwatering matchup between two highly ranked heavyweights as No. 5-sijoittuiTim Johnson (15-8) faces surging No. 6-sijoittuiTyrell Fortune(11-2, 1 NC) in a rematch fromBellator 239.Their first fight ended with Johnson securing a win that earned great consideration for the 2020 KO of the Year. The preliminary bouts will stream live three hours earlier at7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT BELLATOR MMA YouTube -kanavalla, SHOWTIME Urheilullinen YouTube-kanava ja Pluto TV.
In their historic initial matchup at the Forum in Inglewood, Kalifornia., McKee stunned Pitbull by landing a punishing left leg kick to the head at 1:40 of the opening stanza atBELLATOR MMA 263heinäkuuta 31, 2021. The champion then continued the onslaught by unleashing a series of brutal unanswered head shots that floored the Brazilian legend.
Moments later as McKee prematurely raised his arms in celebration, Pitbull rose from the depths of defeat only to be greeted by a fighter hell bent on stealing his crown and claiming the $1 million prize. With the 25-time BELLATOR MMA veteran backed up against the fence, MMA’s brightest young brawler locked in a guillotine choke. With Pitbull seeming to lose consciousness, referee Mike Beltran halted matters at 1:57 aukon rungon.
“Hosting the world’s best mixed martial artists in the great city of San Jose is something that has been important to me during my career as a fight promoter and I’m happy to continue that with our card on April 15,” BELLATOR President Scott Coker said. “The rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio Pitbull for the featherweight title, as well as our Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Final featuring Vadim Nemkov against Corey Anderson are two fights that could headline any event on their own, but we are bringing both to SAP Center at San Jose on the same night to show the fans here that we truly value their support throughout the years.”
A native of Long Beach, Kalifornia., BELLATOR’s top-rated pound-for-pound fighter has exceeded the lofty expectations placed on him since his professional debut three days following his 20th syntymäpäivä. Armed with six knockouts and seven submissions, the Team Bodyshop product, joka kääntyy 27 eight days before his rematch against Pitbull, has shown a knack for securing lightning-fast finishes with 10 coming in the first round. “Mercenary” has earned dominant victories over every fighter who has opposed him, including former World Champions Pitbull, Pat Curran, and Darrion Caldwell, who McKee submitted with a rare-modified neck crank that was later dubbed the “McKee-otine.” The winner of the 2020 Submission of the Year Award for his 71-second annihilation of Caldwell has fought a total of 33 rounds across 18 ura kilpailut (1.8 rounds per bout), while logging less than 41 total minutes in the BELLATOR cage since turning pro in August 2012.
One half of the vaunted Pitbull Brothers duo, Patricio has long been considered the crown jewel of BELLATOR MMA, where he currently sits at No. 3 in the BELLATOR MMA men’s pound-for-pound rankings. Holding a remarkable 32-5 record with wins over elite competition, including the likes of former World Champions Pat Curran, Juan Archuleta, and Daniel Straus (kahdesti). Sisään 2019, the 34-year-old Brazilian captured the BELLATOR Lightweight World Championship from Michael Chandler, becoming only the second BELLATOR athlete to hold two titles simultaneously. Kanssa 23 finishes in 37 ammattikäyttöön taistelee, Pitbull has shown repeatedly that he possesses the well-rounded skillset required to reign over multiple weight classes.
Currently BELLATOR MMA’s second-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Nemkov captured the BELLATOR MMA light heavyweight crown by defeating Ryan Bader via second-round TKO atBELLATOR MMA 244in August 2020. Riding a nine-fight winning streak dating back to June 2016, the ferocious 29-year-old sports seven first-round knockouts, with two in the initial minute of action. After successfully defending his light heavyweight belt by earning a tough unanimous decision over Phil Davis, the pride of Belgorod, Russia and Fedor Emelianenko protégé scored a fourth-round submission of late replacement Julius Anglickas in the semifinals of the BELLATOR Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix during his last outing on Oct. 16, 2021.
Anderson, of Robbinsville, N.J., has ascended to the top of the BELLATOR 205-pound rankings by vanquishing seven of his past eight opponents, including a third-round stoppage of Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov atBELLATOR MMA 257 huhtikuuta 16, 2021. Exactly six months later atBELLATOR MMA 268, the Rockford, Ill., native walked into the cage to the spellbinding sounds of The Doors’ “Five to One,” and took the song title literally by knocking out Arizona State University wrestling legend Ryan Bader in 51 seconds in front of Bader’s hometown crowd at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. In his first promotional appearance, “Overtime” registered a second-round TKO over Dutch kickboxing legend Melvin Manhoef atBELLATOR MMA 251 marraskuussa 2020. Prior to joining BELLATOR, Anderson tallied a 10-5 record with a rival promotion, winning “The Ultimate Fighter 19” tournament in 2014, and boasting impressive wins over Glover Teixeira, Jan Błachowicz and Johnny Walker, muiden muassa.
Muita jaksoja julkaistaan pian.
Bellator 277: McKEE VS. PITBULL 2Pääkortti:
Perjantai, Huhtikuu 15 - jatka elämääSHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Featherweight World Championship: C–A.J. McKee (18-0) vs. No. 1-Patricio Pitbull (15-5)
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Final: C-Vadim Nemkov (15-2) vs. Älä. 1-Corey Anderson (16-5)
Bellator 263TAKES PLACE AT THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY, Heinäkuu 31 – LIVE Showtime®
TICKETS FOR THIS MASSIVE EVENT GO ON SALE TOMORROW ATBELLATOR.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 promotionPatricio Pitbull (32-4) and the company’s best-ever homegrown fighter in No. 1 sijoittuiAJ McKee (17-0).
The culmination of the BELLATOR Featherweight World Grand Prix takes place Saturday, Heinäkuu 31 klo Forum Inglewood, Kalifornia., and marks the company’s first domestic event hosted away from “The Fightsphere” since February 2020.
Bellator 263: Pitbull vs. McKeeairs live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT and tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, Kesäkuu 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 ofPat 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. Lisäksi, 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. Kanssa 23 finishes in 36 ammattikäyttöön taistelee, 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 BELLATOR MMA YouTube-kanavalla, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube-kanava, as well as Pluto TV and features former featherweight title challenger and No. 2 sijoittuiEmmanuel Sanchez(20-5) versus Denmark’s No. 8 sijoittuiMads Burnell(15-3), a bantamweight tilt between No. 3 sijoittuiMagomed “Tiger” Magomedov(18-1) ja o. 4 Raufeon “Supa” Stots(16-1) and a lightweight affair pitting undefeatedUsman Nurmagomedov (12-0) vastaanManny Muro(12-6).
C-Patricio Pitbull (32-4) defeated #2-Emmanuel Sanchez(20-5) via technical submission (giljotiini kuristin) at 3:35 of round one
#6-Jason Jackson(14-4) voitti #3-Neiman Gracie(10-2) kautta yksimielinen päätös (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
#6-Tyrell Fortune(10-1) voittiJack May (11-8) kautta TKO (lyöntejä) at 3:16 of round one
Usman Nurmagomedov(12-0) voittiMike Hamel(7-5) kautta yksimielinen päätös (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
5-Kana Watanabe(10-0-1) voitti #4-Alejandra Lara(9-4) jaetulla päätös (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Alustava Card:
#6-Magomed magomedov (18-1) voittiCee Jay Hamilton (15-8) via jättämisestä (taka-alasti kuristin) at 1:22 kierroksen kaksi
Mandel Nallo (8-1) voittiRicardo Seixas (9-3) kautta tyrmäys (lakot) at 3:23 of round one
Khalid Murtazaliev (15-2) voittiFabio Aguiar (17-2) kautta yksimielinen päätös (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Chris Gonzalez (6-0) voittiRoger Huerta (24-13-1) via jättämisestä (lakot) at 3:01 kierroksen kolme
Jose Augusto (17-1) voittiJonathan Wilson (9-3) via jättämisestä (head and arm choke) at 4:58 of round one
Roman Faraldo (5-0) voittiTrevor Gudde (2-2) kautta TKO 1:30 of round one
Jordan Newman (3-0) voittiBranko Busick (2-2) kautta TKO (lakot) at 2:30 kierroksen kaksi
\
THE FINALS OF THE BELLATOR MMA FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX – CHAMPION PATRICIO “PITBULL” VS. #1-RANKED AJ MCKEE
Lainausmerkit:
Patricio “Pitbull:"“I am ready to fight AJ McKee right now, please just tell SHOWTIME, I will get in the cage and we can take care of this tomorrow.”
“I want to be the first man to defeat McKee, he has been opening his mouth about me for a very long time, this will be the biggest fight in BELLATOR history.”
AJ McKee: “Patricio Pitbull has been the man. Nothing against him. He’s got great accolades. I already said I’m going to be the champ-champ. Minulle, it’s the new era. He said my time is over. My time has just begun. We’ll see.
“It’s a fight the fans have wanted for the longest. Päälle, että, he’s underrated. He’s an outstanding champ. His accolades, his credentials, his record is phenomenal. Mutta lopussa päivän, nobody has a win over me. Nobody has a belt with my name on it and nobody is going to get a belt with my name on it.”
Exclusive Fight Content Includes Past Events, Poimintoja, And In-Depth Analysis of Featherweight And Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix
NEW YORK – MARCH 19, 2021 – BELLATOR MMAis launching on SHOWTIME on Friday, April 2 withBELLATOR MMA 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2followed by two consecutive Friday nights of live championship MMA fight action. In anticipation of the launch, SHOWTIME will air a collection of BELLATOR specials and fight replays across its distribution platforms to set the stage for the April 2 live event featuring theBELLATOR MMA Featherweight World Grand Prix Semifinal, as well as the beginning of the highly anticipatedBELLATOR MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prixset to begin on Friday, April 9 and Friday, Huhtikuu 16.
Starting this week, both SHOWTIME subscribers and non-subscribers have access to an exclusive collection of fights that have paved the way for the compelling upcoming matchups in each of these premier mixed martial arts tournaments featuringPatricio "Pitbull", Emmanuel Sanchez, AJ McKee, Vadim Nemkov, Ryan Bader ja lisää.
Lisäksi, SHOWTIME Sports will present a pair of highlight-driven specials hosted byMorning Kombat’sBrian Campbell and Luke Thomas to preview the Pitbull vs. Sanchez featherweight semifinal and the start of the eight-man Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament. TitledROAD TO BELLATOR MMA, bothspecial programs will consist of highlights, analysis, and fight predictions, as SHOWTIME Sports’ dynamic combat sports duo prepares viewers for the live debut of BELLATOR MMA on SHOWTIME.
ROAD TO BELLATOR MMA: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2will debut on Monday, March 22 whileROAD TO BELLATOR MMA: Light Heavyweight World Grand Prixwill premiere one week later on Monday, Maaliskuu 29 onShowtime Urheilu jaBELLATOR MMAYouTube channels.Both programs also will beavailable to subscribers on all SHOWTIME On Demand platforms, on SHOWTIME EXTREME, as well as to SHOWTIME distributors for their free-on-demand and online portals.
Lauantaina, Maaliskuu 27, a replay ofBELLATOR MMA 253: Caldwell vs. McKeewill air on SHOWTIME at 8 p.m. ET / PT.The four-fight card, includingMcKee’s iconic “McKee-otine” finish over former BELLATOR Bantamweight World ChampionDarrion Caldwellthat propelled the young star into the Featherweight World Grand Prix Final, will also replay onSHOWTIME on Sunday, Maaliskuu 28 at 12 Midnight ET/PT, and again on Thursday, Huhtikuu 1 at 9 p.m. ET / PT.
Bellator 253, along with several past events which featured the world-class fighters in the upcoming tournaments, will be scheduled on SHOWTIME EXTREME weeknights at 10 p.m. ET/PT and are now available on SHOWTIME On Demand platforms. Select events will be available for free to non-subscribers via SHOWTIME distributor platforms and on Pluto TV’s SHOWTIME Selects and BELLATOR MMA channels.
Osana BELLATOR MMA:n julkaisua SHOWTIMEssa, verkosto tarjoaa SHOWTIME-suoratoistopalvelun uusille katsojille 30 päivän ilmaisen kokeilujakson, seuraa alennettu kuukausittainen liittymismaksu 4,99 dollaria kuukaudessa seuraavien kuuden kuukauden ajan. Katsojat voivat ilmoittautua osoitteessaSHO.com/BellatorMMA.
The following fight replays are scheduled for the weeks ahead as fans prepare for the launch of BELLATOR MMA on SHOWTIME:
·BELLATOR MMA 252: Pitbull vs. Carvalho- (Original air date 11/12/2020)
·BELLATOR MMA 251: Manhoef vs.. Anderson- (Original air date 11/05/2020)
·BELLATOR MMA 245: Davis vs. Machida 2- (Original air date 09/11/2020)
·BELLATOR MMA 244: Bader vs. Nemkov- (Original air date 08/21/2020)
·BELLATOR MMA 222: MacDonald vs. Gracie- (Original air date 06/14/2019)
·BELLATOR MMA 220: MacDonald vs. Fitch- (Original air date 04/27/2019)
·BELLATOR MMA 214: Fedor vs. Bader- (Original air date 01/26/2019)
·BELLATOR MMA 186: Bader vs. Vassell- (Original air date 11/03/2017)
·Lisää, two individual bouts from BELLATOR MMA 209: - (Original air date 11/16/2018)
BELLATOR MMA: Davis vs Nemkov
BELLATOR MMA: Pitbull vs. Sanchez
Lisätietoja osoitteestawww.bellator.com taiwww.SHO.com, follow on Twitter @BellatorMMA and @ShowtimeSports, on Instagram @BellatorMMA and @ShoSports, tai tulla faniksi Facebookissa osoitteessawww.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.