Two very interesting MMA cards went down on Friday night.
Bellator 84 marked the end of the promotion’s seventh season and the beginning of the heavyweight title reign of rushin’ Russian Alexander Volkov.
Meanwhile, The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes wrapped up, letting fans see the return of Hector Lombard, gifting the world two new TUF winners in Rob Whittaker and Norman Parke and also giving George Sotiropoulos at least two concussions.
Saturday keeps up the brisk pace and gives us an epic card on the TUF 16 finale.
Topping the card is the big heavyweight bout between Matt Mitrione and Roy Nelson. Nelson, as you probably know, coached opposite former interim champion Shane Carwin, who had to withdraw from the fight due to a knee injury. Mitrione, a former teammate of Nelson on TUF 10, stepped in to replace Carwin.
Past the main event, the main card is filled with names like Pat Barry, Melvin Guillard, Jamie Varner and Dustin Poirier. The preliminary card is brimming with prospects (but no TUF 16 fighters…Dana White hates those guys).
Saturday is a huge night of fights. Keep an eye on Bleacher Report’s Live Blog of the event right here!
Main Card on FX:
Roy Nelson vs. Matt Mitrione
Colton Smith vs. Mike Ricci
Pat Barry vs. Shane del Rosario
Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner
Dustin Poirier vs. Jonathan Brookins
Preliminary Card on Fuel TV:
Mike Pyle vs. James Head
Johnny Bedford vs. Marcos Vinicius
Vinc Pichel vs. Rustam Khabilov
TJ Waldburger vs. Nick Catone
Preliminary Card on Facebook:
Reuben Duran vs. Hugo Viana
Mike Rio vs. John Cofer
Jared Papazian vs. Tim Elliot
TUF 16 Finale Start Times:
Preliminary Bouts on Facebook: 5:35 p.m. ET / 2:35 p.m. PT
Preliminary Bouts on Fuel TV: 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT
Main Card on FX: 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT
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