More Bellator MMA News
VIDEO: Khabib Nurmagomedov Reacts in Joy as He Watches Fedor Emelianenko Return to Bellator in Style
UFC lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov was cageside for Fedor Emelianenko's most recent fight against Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Cousin Usman Nurmagomedov Remains Undefeated With a First-Round Submission Win at Bellator 269
Usman Nurmagomedov put in a dominant performance against Patrik Pietilla at Bellator 269. Nurmagomedov is now 14-0 in his career.
“Khabib Nurmagomedov Can Definitely Take That Path”- Usman Nurmagomedov Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Is Better at His New Role Than He Was as a Fighter
Usman Nurmagomedov believes that his cousin and former UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov can be a better coach than he was a fighter.
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire Reveals He’s Relinquished His Lightweight Belt So That His Brother Can Have His Shot
Former two-division Bellator MMA champ, Patricio Freire announced that he has relinquished his lightweight title to make way for his brother.
Bellator 266 Cancels a Fight Due to Unknown Reasons
Bellator 266 is just around the corner. However, the promotion has taken down one fight from their preliminary card just before the event.
Bellator Announces Huge News- Former RIZIN Champion Signs the Contract
Former RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyogi Horiguchi inked a deal with Bellator MMA and will be fighting for the US-based promotion.
Usman Nurmagomedov to Feature on Fedor Emelianenko’s Bellator Card
Usman Nurmagomedov set to face Patrik Pietila at the Bellator event on October 23. This event will be headined by Fedor Emelianenko's fight.
‘This Is My Sport’- A.J. McKee Sends Emphatic Warning to UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski
Bellator MMA featherweight champion, A.J. McKee has an answer for those who think UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski will beat him easily.
‘I Don’t Want to Go to Jail for Murder’- Dillon Danis Dismisses Diego Sanchez’s Call Out for a Bare-Knuckle Showdown
American Bellator fighter Dillon Danis responds to UFC veteran Diego Sanchez calling him out for a bare-knuckle showdown.
‘We’d Love to Have Him Here’- Bellator President Scott Coker Eyes to Sign Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker spoke out after Bellator 264 on the possibility of having Olympian Gable Steveson on the roster.
“You Got Slept by a Decision Machine”– Petr Yan Has a Hilarious Response to Raufeon Stots’ Call-Out at Bellator 264
Petr Yan has a hilarious response to Raufeon Stots' comments which he made following his victory over Magomed Magomedov at Bellator 264.
Gegard Mousasi Secures an Impressive TKO Win Over John Salter at Bellator 264, Set to Fight Paige VanZant’s Husband Austin Vanderford
Bellator MMA middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi secured a TKO win over John Salter at Bellator 264 and has his next assignment ready.
About Bellator MMA
History
Bellator MMA is one of the world's largest mixed martial arts promotions and is recognised as the closest competitor to the UFC. The term Bellator has its origin in Latin language which translates to 'warrior' in English.
Bjorn Rebney founded the company in 2008 and ran it until 2014, before departing and handing the reins to Scott Coker. Presently, the company has successfully hosted 242 numbered events.
The former Strikeforce executive made the move after his contract with Zuffa expired. Following Coker’s arrival, Bellator MMA pivoted to a more traditional North American approach to the sport. This is a departure from the organization's tournament format during its initial phase.
Bellator's tournament format
Bellator MMA has played host to a variety of tournaments under its older format, with 11 seasons of Bellator Fighting Championship held in 4 years from 2009 to 2014. The tournaments saw fighters of specific weight classes compete for a shot at the divisional title.
Also in 2013, the promotion aired a single-season series called Fight Master: Bellator MMA where Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock, Greg Jackson, and Joe Warren served as coaches.
Like all American martial arts organizations, the rules for fights in the Bellator promotion are exactly the same with eye gouges and groin strikes deemed as illegal offenses for which fighters can incur point penalties or be disqualified.
Along with MMA, Bellator has a kickboxing promotion which has hosted 12 events since its inception in 2016.
Some big names who are part of Bellator MMA
At present, the company is home to some of the biggest MMA names including former UFC Champions like Cris Cyborg, Frank Mir, and Lyoto Machida. Current Bellator Champions include Ryan Bader, Douglas Lima, Patricio Freire, and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. Additionally, the promotion is home to big names such as Fedor Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, and Cat Zingano.
via Imago
Patricio Freire after becoming a two-division Bellator MMA champion
Currently, there are 7 divisions for male fighters in Bellator. These are heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight. The promotion offers 2 divisions for its female talent at Featherweight and flyweight.
List of Champions at Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA has 5 world champions across 9 divisions. 2 fighters are double champions and 2 divisional titles are vacant at present.
| Division | Name | Date Won | Title Defenses |
| Heavyweight | Ryan Bader | January 26, 2019 | 1 |
| Light Heavyweight | Ryan Bader | June 24, 2017 | 1 |
| Middleweight | Vacant | Since February 10, 2020 | - |
| Welterweight | Douglas Lima | October 26,2019 | 0 |
| Lightweight | Patricio Freire | May 11, 2019 | 0 |
| Featherweight | Patricio Freire | April 21,2017 | 3 |
| Bantamweight | Vacant | Since November 27, 2019 | 0 |
| Women’s Featherweight | Cris Cyborg | January 25, 2020 | 0 |
| Women’s Flyweight | Ilima-Lei Macfarlane | November 3,2017 | 4 |
