Tag: Bellator News

Exclusive – BKFC boss reveals talks for major ‘Superstar’ free agent signings, plans to link up with UFC veterans

BKFC plan signing superstar free agents from the UFC and boxing nextBKFC CEO David Feldman is hitting 2024 fast, and strong. Not only did he mention the plans for a…

BKFC plan signing superstar free agents from the UFC and boxing next

BKFC CEO David Feldman is hitting 2024 fast, and strong. Not only did he mention the plans for a BKFC reality TV show in a recent LowKick MMA exclusive, but he’s also discussed the importance of BKFC making big moves in the MMA free agent market this year.

Not a stranger to big free-agent deals: David Feldman has willed outrageous deals into existence. Not only did they sign a potential star like Mike Perry from the UFC, but Feldman also has since matched him up with huge names in the industry such as Luke Rockhold, and Michael ‘Venom’ Page to name a few.

The mission is never over, however, and in the LowKick MMA exclusive interview, he mentioned how adamant the brand is about getting some of these big deals done.

David Feldman reveals More Big Signings are on the way to BKFC

“Bringing in the big names is something we’re going to focus big on in 2024,” David Feldman told LowKick MMA reporter, Makoa Goble, while speaking about BKFC’s ambitions for this year. “As well as the prospect series and growing them (fighters) from the ground up. So, we’re gonna bring up the big stars from up top and grow it from the ground up and we’re going to meet in the middle, and hopefully, that’s the recipe for success.”

Feldman mentioned he had some big news up his sleeve that he couldn’t speak on, but opened up a little bit more about the specifics as the conversation went on.

“The problem is, and I hate to do this to the journalists, but I can’t talk about it because If I do, it could blow my deal. But, yes, there are 13 guys right now. 13 guys on the radar. Four of them I would consider superstars, and the rest I would consider stars. Absolute stars.”

David Feldman was very patient and generous, and when asked if he could hint at the combat sports brands the fighters hailed from, he obliged.

“I mean, two boxing world champions. UFC. A few guys from Bellator. That’s probably it, really. But, the couple of boxing world champions I am getting: superstars.”

While exact names weren’t discussed, one could begin speculating about the identities of the fighters, since the MMA free-agent market is extremely thin up at the top. For the UFC fighters, guys like Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal have been speculated to make an appearance inside BKFC. Greg Hardy is another semi-notable name who is a free agent. While he was released from the UFC back in 2021, BKFC needs heavyweight stars to compete with the likes of Ben Rothwell, and Todd Duffee.

The speculation could probably go on endlessly, but honestly. It also wouldn’t be hard to figure out names just by studying the market. For the boxers, the market is a little bit more wide open. Shakur Stevenson is a recent free agent who fights in the lightweight division. This puts him on track to compete with the likes of Luis Palomino, Austin Trout, and Mike Perry to name a few. Such a signing would make sense for BKFC, and Stevenson was also the WBC lightweight champion so he fits the bill of a “world champion boxer”.

Who do you think David Feldman will sign out of the free agent market?

PFL x Bellator Supercard Officially Set for February 24 in Riyadh Featuring Four Champion vs. Champion Fights

PFL x Bellator supercardThe PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A few short months…

PFL x Bellator supercard

The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A few short months after the Professional Fighter League’s blockbuster announcement that it had acquired Bellator MMA, we now know when and where the highly anticipated event featuring PFL champions vs. Bellator champions will go down. According to a report from Ariel Helwani, the event will emanate from the Saudi Arabian capital next month with a slew of exciting fights.

In the main event of the evening, 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira will take on Bellator MMA heavyweight titleholder Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader. In the co-main event, 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay will face Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in a 185-pound fight.

Also announced for the main card is 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo who will face Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, and 2023 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov will square off with Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.

Rounding out the card will be a series of can’t-miss clashes, including former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza vs. Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov in a heavyweight bout. Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee will go down in a lightweight scrap and fight fans will also be treated to a heavy-hitting affair as Thiago Santos meets Yoel Romero.

Also expected to feature on the card will be the return of women’s boxing ‘GWOAT’ Claressa Shields, and the pro mixed martial arts debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh.

Check out the full fight card below:

PFL vs. Bellator Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Jason Jackson
  • Jesus Pinedo vs. Patricio Pitbull
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. AJ McKee

Prelims (ESPN News/ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET):

  • Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Chris Morris
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondal Rao
  • Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira

As always, the card is subject to change.

Report – Dillon Danis released from Bellator MMA contract, officially enters free agency

Dillon Danis released from Bellator MMA contract enters free agencyUndefeated welterweight grappler, Dillon Danis has officially been released from his multi-fight contract with the Scott Coker-led, Bellator MMA…

Dillon Danis released from Bellator MMA contract enters free agency

Undefeated welterweight grappler, Dillon Danis has officially been released from his multi-fight contract with the Scott Coker-led, Bellator MMA this weekend – bringing an end to his two-fight stint with the organization.

Danis, a who boasts an unbeaten 2-0 professional mixed martial arts record, has yet to compete inside the cage since he locked up a first round armbar submission win over Max Humphrey at Bellator 222 in New York City.

Just last weekend, New Jersey native, Danis made his return to combat sports competition, fighting professional wrestling star and podcast host, Logan Paul in a tense, bad-blooded professional boxing match – suffering a disqualification loss in their Manchester showdown. 

Prior and after the bout, Danis, a training partner of former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor, called for multiple debuts in the Octagon – welcoming fights with the likes of Nate Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev, and Kevin Holland to name a few. 

And off the back of his boxing match with Paul, it seems Danis will be free to test the waters and markets, landing his release from Bellator MMA officially.

“Dillon Danis is a free agent,” Ariel Helwani posted on his official X account. “Bellator officially released Danis this weekend, sources say.” 

A decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Danis, who made his mixed martial arts debut back in 2018 with a first round toe hold submission win over Kyle Walker under the Bellator MMA banner, had been sidelined from combat sports competition amid a slew of knee injuries, undergoing multiple surgical procedures to address. 

Dillon Danis calls for fight with Islam Makhachev after UFC 294

And off the back of his release from Bellator MMA, Danis has immediately took aim at last night’s UFC 294 headliner, Islam Makhachev, vowing to “play with” the lightweight champion, who stopped featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski with a thunderous first round high-kick KO in their title fight rematch.

“Unfinished Business,” Dillon Danis posted on his official X account. “Mark my words, I’ll play with this inbred.” 

Would you like to see Dillon Danis make a move to the UFC?

Ryan Bader talks Bellator’s future, discusses a potential legacy fight with Francis Ngannou in PFL

Ryan BaderWith Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night. With rumors of the promotion […]

Ryan Bader

With Bellator’s future currently up in the air, reigning heavyweight champion Ryan Bader was well aware that Saturday night’s Bellator 300 event could be his final opportunity to defend the title. Sadly, he won’t have that chance after his opponent, Linton Vassell, withdrew from the contest days before fight night.

With rumors of the promotion being sold to a third party swirling, Bader is uncertain where he or other members of the Bellator roster currently stand.

“I’ve had some talks with my manager about ‘what ifs,’ but really nobody knows what’s happening,” Bader told MMA Fighting. “So what you can do, keep that on the outside and take care of your job. Put yourself in the best position moving forward with a merger or who knows what happens. Are we all free agents? Are we merging with PFL? We don’t know.

“You can think of all different scenarios, but none of them may be true. What we have to do is keep our heads down and think about the fight in front of us, and put ourselves in the best position to get your contract picked up, or if you’re a free agent, a new contract. Being the heavyweight champion has a little bit of weight going into that.”

Ryan Bader Looks at a Potential Legacy Fight with Francis Ngannou

The prevailing theory thus far has Bellator being absorbed by the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that is looking to make a strong push in the next few years courtesy of an aggressive expansion in Europe and Africa. Not to mention the acquisition of former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou.

Currently, Ngannou is gearing up for a big-money boxing match with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on October 28. Once that bout is in the books, ‘The Predator’ is expected to turn his attention back toward MMA, making his PFL debut in early 2024. No official opponent has been announced for his premiere performance inside the Smart Cage, but whoever earns the opportunity will walk away with a fat sack of cash, win or lose.

“[Ngannou] has a minimum [of $2 million dollars], and that’s anybody that fights him gets $2 million,” Bader said. “You go in there as a champion and negotiate your terms too, that’s a nice little payday and something you work toward. Something like that’s definitely on the line, so maybe this is happening at the right time for the right reason.

“Obviously we’ve got to see how things shake out, but it seems to be happening at the right moment. It’s one of the things I’m talking about. If this merger or whatever comes to happen, that’s a big money fight and it’s something that’s very, very interesting.”

Ryan Bader first broke onto the MMA scene after winning the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2008. Over the next eight years, ‘Darth’ would compete against a who’s who of light heavyweight talent inside the Octagon, including Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Rashad Evans, Glover Teixeira, and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.

However, it wasn’t until he ventured to Bellator in 2017 that Bader would hit his strike, capturing both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles. In February, ‘Darth’ successfully defended the heavyweight strap against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 290. A fight that could end up being his last for the promotion.

“I’ve hit a lot of those plateaus and peaks as far as winning the heavyweight grand prix while holding the light heavyweight belt. You can’t really top that,” Bader said. “[I beat] Fedor [Emelianenko], and being heavyweight champ for so long — so yeah, a lot of it is you want to make [money], and I’ve been making great money, and I want to continue making great money or even more money.

“I’m 40 years old. I’m not going to be fighting here forever. I’m not going to be fighting four or five more years. So yeah, that’s a big motivator, too. Go out and get these paychecks, but deep down the [competitor] in me wants to go out and win, and win titles, and do that kind of stuff also. They go hand in hand.”

Video – UFC star Leon Edwards held back by security after Johnny Eblen KO’s his brother at Bellator 299

Leon Edwards held back by security after Johnny Eblen KO's his brother at Bellator 299Undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards was corralled by security and officials after the culmination of last night’s Bellator 299 event in Dublin, watching on from the corner after promotional middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen landed a third round KO win over his younger brother, Fabian Edwards. Birmingham native, Edwards, who has been sidelined since he […]

Leon Edwards held back by security after Johnny Eblen KO's his brother at Bellator 299

Undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards was corralled by security and officials after the culmination of last night’s Bellator 299 event in Dublin, watching on from the corner after promotional middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen landed a third round KO win over his younger brother, Fabian Edwards.

Birmingham native, Edwards, who has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 286 back in March, most recently landed a close, majority decision win over former pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman in the pair’s trilogy rubber match in London, England.

And over the course of this week, the Team Renegade BJJ & MMA staple has been booked for his return to competition, taking on former interim welterweight champion, Colby Covington in a championship grudge match atop a UFC 296 card in December. 

However, serving as a corner man last night in Dublin, Ireland, Edwards attempted to guide his younger brother, Fabian Edwards to middleweight success under the banner of the Scott Coker-led Bellator MMA, as he took on American Top Team ace, Eblen.

And despite starting brightly and mitigating a lot of the reigning champion’s offense, Fabian Edwards was dropped with a swinging hook in the third round, before Eblen capitalized and scored a ground strikes KO win.

Johnny Eblen and Leon Edwards lock horns after Bellator 299 title fight

Forced away from the downed Edwards by referee, Dan Miragliotta following his emphatic knockout win, Eblen shared a war-of-words with the above-mentioned, Leon Edwards after Bellator 299 – with promotional officials and security personnel corralling the duo. 

And following his victory, Eblen played up an eventual fight with the elder Edwards brother, claiming he hoped the Brummie landed a victory over former ATT staple, Covington in their UFC 296 title fight in December.

Cris Cyborg reveals peace talks with UFC boss Dana White amid feud: ‘I forgave him, I don’t hold grudges’

Cris Cyborg repairs relationship with UFC boss Dana White I don't hold grudgesReigning Bellator featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg reveals that she and Dana White have made amends.  Cyborg is one of the best talents that women’s MMA has ever seen, but her time with the sports biggest promotion, the UFC, only lasted three years. While the depth of competition will always be an issue for a female […]

Cris Cyborg repairs relationship with UFC boss Dana White I don't hold grudges

Reigning Bellator featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg reveals that she and Dana White have made amends. 

Cyborg is one of the best talents that women’s MMA has ever seen, but her time with the sports biggest promotion, the UFC, only lasted three years. While the depth of competition will always be an issue for a female featherweight, Cyborg also had a rough relationship with UFC CEO, Dana White. 

The pair have shared public spats over the years, some of which got rather personal – White once made fun of Cyborg personal appearance and claimed that she was ‘jacked up on steroids’, and that she looked like ‘Wanaderlei Silva in a dress and heels’. Cyborg signed with Bellator in 2019 and has enjoyed an undefeated run since debuting in 2020. She is now set to face Cat Zingano as part of the Bellator 300 card. 

Cris Cyborg and Dana White repair relationship

White has had countless public fueds over the years and rarely holds back on sharing his opinion. However, it seems that White and Cyborg have put things behind them abd moved on. 

Talking to ESPN, Cyborg says that she has forgiven White and recently spoke to him at a UFC event.

“I asked Dana if it was okay to watch my friend [at the UFC Apex], ‘I wish you are doing well’, and he said ‘It’s okay Cris, no problem’,” Cyborg said. “I already forgave him, everything that happened. I’m older and I don’t hold grudges…different ways in life, but I wish him the best, that’s for sure.” (H/T MMA News)

Cris Cyborg talks about her relationship with Dana White via ESPN.

Cyborg Vs. Zingano will be one of four title fights on the Bellator 300 which will take place on October 7 in San Diego, California

What is your favrioute moment from Cris Cyborg’s career?