More Bellator MMA News

“UFC Is Waiting for You”- Dana White and Co. Encouraged to Take Khabib’s Cousin Usman Nurmagomedov in UFC After Dominant Win Against Brent Primus at Bellator 300

Usman Nurmagomedov and his win at Bellator 300 has left MMA fans wanting to see the Dagestani fighter take his skills to the UFC.
Usman Nurmagomedov; Khabib Nurmagomedov; Dana White

Leon Edwards Issues a 9-Words Statement Following the Loss of His Brother at Bellator 299 to Johnny Eblen

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has a short message for his brother Fabian after his title bout loss at Bellator 299.
Leon and Fabian Edwards

As Dustin Poirier Steps on Conor McGregor’s Turf, Ex-BMF Contender Shares Massive Update on Johnny Eblen Ahead of Bellator 299 in Dublin, Ireland

Dustin Poirier provided an update regarding his teammate ahead of Bellator 299 as he visited his former rival Conor McGregor's hometown.
UFC 236 Holloway v Poirier 2: Weigh-Ins

“Bad*ss”- From Uber Eats to UFC Champ, Alexandre Pantoja’s Driving Factor Revealed by Teammate and Bellator Champ Johnny Eblen

Bellator middleweight champion, Johnny Eblen, reveals teammate Alexandre Pantoja and his story to the UFC title are an inspiration to all.
MMA: UFC 290 – Moreno vs Pantoja Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alexandre Pantoja (blue gloves) reacts to defeatin

“He Can’t Go to Jail” – Threatened With a Lawsuit by Nina Agdal, Logan Paul Fight Close to Getting Jeopardized as Conor McGregor’s Teammate Dillon Danis Reveals Possible “Jail” Time

Ahead of his fight against Logan Paul, MMA fighter Dillon Danis receives lawsuit threats from Paul's fiancée Nina Agdal; fans react.
Dillon Danis, Logan Paul

“It’s Really a Different Business System…”: Former Bellator Champ Alexander Volkov Opens Up on the “Sad” Ending of Bellator Amid Rumors of a Possible PFL Buyout

Amidst rumors of a buyout by PFL, current UFC Heavyweight Alexander Volkov speaks out on the fate of his former promotion Bellator.
MMA: UFC Fight Night-Volkov vs Aspinall, Mar 19, 2022; London, UK; Alexander Volkov (red gloves) and Tom Aspinall (blue

“Break the NDA With Jake…”: Conor McGregor’s Teammate Dillon Danis Threatens to Disclose Jake Paul’s Secret Relationship With a 24-Year-Old YouTuber After Brutally Trolling Logan Paul’s Fiancée for Weeks

Dillon Danis after calling out Nina Agdal, drags Jake Paul's name into the conversation, to rile up Logan Paul before their boxing match.
Dillon Danis, Logan Paul, Jake Paul

“Paying People to Try to Silence Me”: Days After Leaking Yet Another Video of His Fiancée, Conor McGregor’s Teammate Dillon Danis Comes Out With a Serious Allegation Towards Logan Paul

After heated press conferences and online attacks, MMA fighter Dillon Danis comes out with a new accusation against Logan Paul.
Dillon Danis, Logan Paul

“That’s a Game People Shouldn’t Be Playing”: UFC Star Sends Out a Stern Warning to Conor McGregor’s Teammate, Dillon Danis, for Targeting Logan Paul’s Fiancee Just to Promote a Fight

After Dillon Danis took to X to target Logan Paul and his fiancée, a veteran UFC fighter stepped in to draw the line.
Dillon Danis, Logan Paul

Michael ‘Venom’ Page’s UFC Dreams Might Just End Real Fast Claims Fans as Undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov Fires Backs at His Demands

MMA fans are not really sure of his skills as Michael Page gets a challenge from the undefeated fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Michael Page

“Tate Doesn’t Stand a Chance”- Israel Adesanya’s Bellator MMA Counterpart Trashing Andrew Tate Over Elon Musk’s Brainchild Has Jorge Masvidal, Bo Nickal, and Fans in Splits

Businessman and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate's deeds have backfired on him since the fans took shots at his resurfaced comments.
BUCHAREST: Andrew Tate Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, are brought by police officers to the Court of Appel, in Bu

Logan Paul’s Multi-Million Dollar Controversial Venture Exposed on Live TV After Trying to Insult Coach Conor McGregor for $1,000,000 Bet

After Logan Paul taunts 'Coach McGregor' ahead of his fight with Dillon Danis, 'El Jefe' defends the Irishman and claps back at Paul.
Conor McGregor, Logan Paul

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

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. 

DivisionNameDate WonTitle Defenses
HeavyweightRyan BaderJanuary 26, 20191
Light HeavyweightRyan BaderJune 24, 20171
MiddleweightVacantSince February 10, 2020-
WelterweightDouglas LimaOctober 26,20190
LightweightPatricio FreireMay 11, 20190
FeatherweightPatricio FreireApril 21,20173
BantamweightVacantSince November 27, 20190
Women’s FeatherweightCris CyborgJanuary 25, 20200
Women’s FlyweightIlima-Lei MacfarlaneNovember 3,20174