UNDEFEATED WORLD CHAMPIONאַ.דזש. 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 ANDERSONFOR $1 MILLION PRIZE IN BELLATOR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX FINAL
BELLATOR 277SET FOR FRIDAY, אפריל 15, בייַ 10 פּ.ם. עט / 7 פּ.ם. פּטLIVE ON SHOWTIME INSIDE THE SAP CENTER IN SAN JOSE, קאַליף.
TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY
לאס אנדזשעלעס (פעברואר. 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 Titleholderאַ.דזש. מאַקי (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 championפּאַטריסיאָ פּיטבולל (32-5) for the second time in less than nine months on Friday, אַפּריל 15, בייַ10 פּ.ם. עט / 7 פּ.ם. פּט לעבן אויף שאָוטיים.
In the co-feature ofבעללאַטאָר 277: McKee vs. פּיטבולל 2 אין די זאַפט צענטער אין סאַן דזשאָסע, קאַליף., current 205-pound BELLATOR MMA World Championוואַדים נעמקאָוו (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-ראַנגקט קאַנטענדערCorey Anderson(16-5)in the BELLATOR MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix final.
טיקקעץ פֿאַרBELLATOR MMA 277: McKee vs. פּיטבולל 2go on sale this Friday, פעברואר. 18 at bothTicketmaster.com אוןBellator.comwith a special presale starting the day prior.
אַדדיטיאָנאַללי, four preliminary bouts have been announced including a mouthwatering matchup between two highly ranked heavyweights as No. 5-ראַנגקטTim Johnson (15-8) faces surging No. 6-ראַנגקטTyrell Fortune(11-2, 1 נק) in a rematch fromבעללאַטאָר 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 פּ.ם. עט / 4 פּ.ם. פּטon the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.
In their historic initial matchup at the Forum in Inglewood, קאַליף., McKee stunned Pitbull by landing a punishing left leg kick to the head at 1:40 of the opening stanza atBELLATOR MMA 263אויף יולי 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 פון די עפענונג ראַם.
“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, קאַליף., BELLATOR’s top-rated pound-for-pound fighter has exceeded the lofty expectations placed on him since his professional debut three days following his 20טה געבוירנ-טאָג. Armed with six knockouts and seven submissions, the Team Bodyshop product, וואס וועט קער 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, פּאַט קורראַן, 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 קאַריערע קאַנטעס (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 (צוויי מאָל). אין 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. מיט 23 finishes in 37 פאַכמאַן פיגהץ, 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, נ.דזש., 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 אויף אפריל 16, 2021. Exactly six months later atBELLATOR MMA 268, the Rockford, קראַנק., 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 אין נאוועמבער 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, צווישן אנדערע.
נאָך באָוץ וועט זיין מודיע באַלד.
בעללאַטאָר 277: McKEE VS. PITBULL 2הויפּט קאָרט:
פרייַטיק, אַפּריל 15 – live onשאָוטיים
10 פּ.ם. עט / 7 פּ.ם. פּט
Featherweight World Championship: C–אַ.דזש. מאַקי (18-0) vs. No. 1-פּאַטריסיאָ פּיטבולל (15-5)
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Final: C-וואַדים נעמקאָוו (15-2) ווס. צי ניט. 1-Corey Anderson (16-5)
LOS ANGELES –BELLATOR MMA has confirmed the full fight card forBELLATOR MMA 274: Gracie vs. Storleyדעם שבת, פעברואר. 19, בייַ די מאָהעגאַן Sun אַרענאַ אין ונקאַסוויללע, קאַן. SHOWTIME will televise the phenomenal main card live at9 פּ.ם. עט / 6 פּ.ם. פּט.
אַדדיטיאָנאַללי, nine thrilling preliminary fights will stream live three hours earlier on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at6 פּ.ם. ET/3p.m. פּט.
אין די הויפּט געשעעניש פון די אָוונט, צי ניט. 4-ראַנגקטנימאַן גרייסי(11-2) will strap on the BELLATOR gloves for the 12טהconsecutive time when he takes on former four-time collegiate All-American wrestler and No. 5-ראַנגקטLogan Storley(12-1) in a five-round clash of top-5 welterweights. אין די קאָ-Featured באַוט, former BELLATOR Welterweight Champion and No. 9-ראַנגקטאַנדריי קאָרעשקאָוו (24-4) will return to action and open his 2002 campaign against Alliance MMA product and owner of seven first-round finishesChance Rencountre(16-4) of Pawhuska, אָקלאַ.
The updated and complete listing of bouts can be found below.
LOS ANGELES –It was officially announced at tonight’sבעללאַטאָר 272: פּעטטיס ווס. Horiguchievent 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 betweenSergio Pettis אוןKyoji Horiguchiwill 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, צי ניט. 2 ראַנגקט-Raufeon Stots, צי ניט. 3 ראַנגקט-Patchy Mix, צי ניט. 4 ראַנגקט-Magomed Magomedov, צי ניט. 5 ראַנגקט-לעאַנדראָ היגאָ, און ניט קיין. 6 ראַנגקט-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, דעצעמבער. 6.
מייַסטער – Sergio Pettis (21-5):
Fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.,Sergio Pettiscaptured the BELLATOR bantamweight crown in May 2021 by outpointing former championJuan Archuletain 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, דזשאַפּאַן, די 31-יאָר-אַלטKyoji Horiguchiis 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. צומ באַדויערן, 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 championSergio Pettis בייַבעללאַטאָר 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. אַדדיטיאָנאַללי, more than half of Horiguchi’s career victories have come via knockout. איצט, 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, פלאַ., aims to get his hands back on BELLATOR’s title
צי ניט. 1 Ranked Bantamweight – Juan Archuleta (25-3):
With the Bantamweight World Grand Prix set, former BELLATOR World Champion and No. 1-ראַנגקטJuan Archuletasees a clear path toward regaining the 135-pound crown. Armed with 25 professional victories, אַרייַנגערעכנט 12 by way of K.O. אָדער סאַבמישאַן, 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, הענרי קאָרראַלעס, and Ricky Bandejas, strives to keep that trend going throughout the Grand Prix.
צי ניט. 2 Ranked Bantamweight – Raufeon Stots (17-1):
Considered one of the world’s best 135-pound fighters, Raufeon “Supa” Stotshas been in the title conversation since his 2019 BELLATOR debut. Currently riding a nine-fight winning streak, די ניט קיין. 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 רעקאָרד, the Roufusport product and two-time NCAA Division II Champion now has an opportunity to compete for a long-awaited crown.
צי ניט. 3 Ranked Bantamweight – Patchy Mix (15-1):
Set to make his sixth promotional appearance under the BELLATOR umbrella, the pride of Angola, נ.י., has collected two-first round submission victories while compiling a 4-1 record with the Scott Coker-led promotion. The 28-year-old Buffalo, נ.י.. native looks to build off his most recent win atבעללאַטאָר 270over James Gallagher in his opponent’s hometown of Dublin, ירעלאַנד, לעצטע חודש. 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. איצט, 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.
צי ניט. 4 Ranked Bantamweight – Magomed Magomedov (18-2):
After capturing belts in different organizations, Dagestani phenomMagomed Magomedovhopes 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.
צי ניט. 5 Ranked Bantamweight – לעאַנדראָ היגאָ (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 Caldwellatבעללאַטאָר 259 מאי 2021. As 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.
צי ניט. 6 Ranked Bantamweight – James Gallagher (11-2):
Hailing from Strabane, ירעלאַנד, 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 atבעללאַטאָר 169 אין דעצעמבער 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 atבעללאַטאָר 227. Poised for the biggest test of his young career, the former SBG Ireland-product aims to shed the shadow of former training partner, קאָנאָר McGregor, and add to his own legacy with a shot at BELLATOR bantamweight gold.