More Bellator MMA news
BREAKING: Yoel Romero Makes His Bellator Debut Against Phil Davis on September 18
Former UFC middleweight contender, Yoel Romero is set for a debut under Bellator banner as he takes on Phil Davis on September 18.
‘Lot to Expose in His Career’- Bellator’s A.J McKee Makes Startling Claim about Matchup with Alexander Volkanovski
In a recent interview, Bellator champion A.J. McKee talks about the outcome of a potential fight with 'The Great' Alexander Volkanovski.
“I’ve Never Looked at Myself as the One Handed Fighter” – Nick Newell Looking to Inspire Fans With His New Movie
Bellator's one handed fighter Nick Newell has inspired many through his MMA career. And he hopes to do the same with his upcoming film.
‘It Was a Bit Disappointing’- Junior Dos Santos Says He Wanted to Fight Fedor Emelianenko on His Retirement Fight
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos shares his thoughts on Fedor Emelianenko and his upcoming fight with Tim Johnson.
BREAKING: Fedor Emelianenko Makes His MMA Return Against Tim Johnson at Bellator Moscow in October
Fedor Emelianenko is all set to make his MMA return against Tim Johnson at the Bellator Moscow event scheduled to happen this October.
‘It’s Time for Bellator to Show What My Value Is’- A.J. McKee Expecting Big Paychecks Following His Win Over Patricio Freire
Newly crowned Bellator MMA champion A.J. McKee expects big things coming his way after going past Patricio Freire at Bellator 263.
Usman Nurmagomedov Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Was Critical of His Performance-’He Said I Had a Lot of Mistakes’
Usman Nurmagomedov shares his thoughts on his performance against Muro and reveals Khabib Nurmagomedov's criticism on his performance.
‘If They Want to Get It On, We’ll Do It in a Second’- Scott Coker Sends a Message to Dana White About Potential Max Holloway vs AJ McKee Fight
Bellator President Scott Coker shares his thoughts on a cross-promotional fight between UFC and Bellator- states he will do it in a second.
A.J. McKee’s Dad Doesn’t Want His Son to Work With ‘Piece of Sh*t’ Dana White
Recently crowned Bellator MMA featherweight champion A.J. McKee's father gave insights to what he feels about UFC boss Dana White.
Daniel Cormier, Ben Askren and Other MMA Pros React to AJ McKee Submitting Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire in Round One at Bellator 263
AJ McKee defeated Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire via first-round Guillotine choke and won the Bellator MMA featherweight Grand Prix in style.
VIDEO: Khabib Nurmagomedov Protégé Usman Nurmagomedov Destroys His Opponent with a Liver Shot at Bellator 263
Usman Nurmagomedov secured a slick liver shot off a knee and stopped Luis Muro at Bellator 263 to improve to 13-0 as an undefeated pro.
VIDEO: Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov Helps Bellator Staff Load Daniel Carey Onto the Stretcher After Being Knocked Out By His Pupil
Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov helped out the opponent of his pupil who was violent knocked out at Bellator 263.
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 |
