All articles tagged with #bellator mma
Veteran commentator Jimmy Smith is returning to Bellator MMA's broadcast team, starting with the June 22 event in Dublin, Ireland. Smith, who previously worked with Bellator from 2010 to 2017 before stints with UFC and WWE, will join Sean O’Connell and Dan Hardy. Smith is excited to reunite with old colleagues and call fights for both familiar and new athletes in what he considers Bellator's most talented roster ever.
Gegard Mousasi is considering legal action against the PFL due to a lack of communication and fight opportunities since PFL's acquisition of Bellator MMA. Mousasi, who signed a new contract with Bellator before the acquisition, claims PFL is avoiding honoring his contract due to financial constraints. At 38, Mousasi is frustrated and feels disrespected, stating PFL is the worst organization he has fought for.
Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Bellator MMA are set to host their first-ever "Champions vs. Champions" mega-event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, 2024, featuring four title fights and several showcase bouts. The stacked pay-per-view (PPV) event will see champions from both promotions facing off against each other, including a heavyweight title fight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader, as well as matchups in the welterweight, featherweight, and middleweight divisions. Additionally, the event will feature showcase fights and undercard bouts, making it a highly anticipated event for MMA fans.
Kayla Harrison, two-time PFL champion, called for a potential superfight against Bellator MMA champion Cris Cyborg after her dominant win over Aspen Ladd. The PFL recently acquired Bellator, making a matchup between Harrison and Cyborg more feasible. The PFL intends to continue operating Bellator as a separate league but plans to have a champion vs. champion event in early 2024. In other PFL news, Larissa Pacheco became the first two-weight champion, Olivier Aubin-Mercier defended his lightweight title, Renan Ferreira scored a stunning upset at heavyweight, Magomed Magomedkerimov won the welterweight championship, and Impa Kasanganay delivered a dominant performance at light heavyweight.
Liz Carmouche retained her Bellator MMA flyweight championship title by submitting DeAnna Bennett via arm triangle choke in the fourth round of their fight at Bellator 294. Although Bennett was ineligible to win the belt after missing weight, Carmouche elected to put her championship on the line. Bennett had success taking Carmouche down in the first three rounds, but Carmouche's strength and experience showed in the fourth, leading to her fourth consecutive finish.
Former UFC title challenger Ray Borg has retired from fighting after his Bellator 295 bout vs. Kyoji Horiguchi was canceled due to weight-related issues. Borg's career has been plagued by fight cancellations mostly due to weight-related issues. He was also axed from his longtime management firm Dominance MMA, which cited unprofessionalism. Borg competed 12 times in the UFC and compiled a 7-5 record, with the pinnacle of his promotional career by most accounts a UFC 216 title challenge loss to Demetrious Johnson.