It all goes down TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 26, 2019) at Bellator 214: “Fedor vs. Bader” from inside The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., as Light Heavyweight champion Ryan Bader faces former Pride FC legend Fedor Emelianenko to crown the winner of Bellator’s year-long Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Before Bader tries to make history by becoming a simultaneous two-weight class champion in Bellator, top ranked Featherweight stars Aaron Pico and Henry Corrales will collide, pro wrestler Jack Swagger (Jake Hager) will launch his mixed martial arts (MMA) career against J.W. Kiser, and Bantamweights with only one loss vie for title contention as Ricky Bandejas meets Juan Archuleta. It’s an action-packed event with something for almost everyone watching.
What’s Hot:
“The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko is considered by many to be the greatest MMA Heavyweight of all time, but the peak of his prowess was in Pride FC back in the 2000’s. At 42 years old Fedor says he fights for Russia and not for his own glory, but it would be a fitting comeback for the G.O.A.T. to claim one more Heavyweight title in his long and storied career. Ryan “Darth” Bader will not make that easy though. He walked through his opening round bout with ease and stifled the bigger and stronger Matt Mitrione with his wrestling takedowns. Emelianenko has one punch knockout power even at 42 years old, but you usually have to be standing up to generate that much force when you throw it.
Two contendership battles solidify the main card at the opposite end of the weight class spectrum. Juan Archuleta holds an outstanding 16-fight win streak heading into his Bantamweight fight, but Ricky Bandejas proved he’s ready by knocking off the highly-touted James Gallagher to hand him his first loss. In addition, one-time Olympic hopeful Aaron Pico looks pick up his fifth straight win, but Henry “OK” Corrales has the same goal, and the long-time Bellator veteran has to feel that his time is now to make a Featherweight title run.
What’s Not:
Let’s be honest and agree that Jake Hager is being given every chance to succeed provided he doesn’t take a crap on the big stage the way Greg Hardy did. His opponent was so befuddled at the conference call that he thought he was fighting in the Octagon. I’m sure both Brandon McMahan and Adel Altamimi are excited to be on the main card, but with 5-6 and 7-5 records, respectively, you might wonder why. I’ll tell you why — TV time filler.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
A Middleweight title defense was originally scheduled for this event, but Gegard Mousasi withdrew because of an injury, leaving the undefeated Rafael Lovato Jr. without an opponent. Other than that this card has largely stayed the same give or take a few “Prelims” undercard bout changes for fights that hadn’t been made official by Bellator until just last week.
Take a look below at Bellator 214’s complete fight card lineup and start times:
Main Card (Paramount Network/DAZN) — 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Ryan Bader
Aaron Pico vs. Henry Corrales
Jake Hager vs. J.W. Kiser
Juan Archuleta vs. Ricky Bandejas
Brandon McMahan vs. Adel Altamimi
“Prelims” Undercard (DAZN) — 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
A.J. Agazarm vs. Jesse Roberts
Chris Gonzalez vs. Henry Mendez
Weber Almeida vs. Odan Chinchilla
Jay-Jay Wilson vs. Tyler Beneke
Sean Johnson vs. Arturo Rivas
Jorge Juarez vs. David Pacheco
Jesse Merritt vs. Thor Skancke
Osman Diaz vs. Christopher Reyes
James Barnes vs. Ryan Lilley
Ian Butler vs. Craig Plaskett
Steve Ramirez vs. Desmond Torres
Here are all the ways to catch the action:
Online
- Bellator 214: “Fedor vs. Bader” early “Prelims” can be viewed on DAZN via your MAC/PC, smartphone, or multiple other streaming devices.
- Subscriptions cost $9.99 per month, but DAZN offers your first month free for new app members eager to catch “Fedor vs. Bader” later this evening.
Television
- Bellator 214’s is exclusive to Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV) in the United States. Check your local providers. It will also be streamable online via DAZN.
Bars
- Dave & Buster’s is the official sports bar of Bellator MMA. For a list of locations across the United States to find one in your area CLICK HERE.