Corey Anderson [https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Corey-Anderson-171723] has started his Bellator career in the right way. ‘Overtime’ pulled off a dominant TKO win over Melvin Manhoef in his debut with the promotion. He showcased his strong ground game, taking down Manhoef at will. Once on the canvas, ‘Overtime’ put in some vicious elbows and punches until the referee had seen enough to stop the fight. [https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/EmHYusBU0AECgva.jpg] Following the fight, he said, “Whoever’s fighting for the title, I want the winner. Whoever’s got that strap, come see me.” Anderson’s time with the UFC had ups and downs. He joined the UFC in 2014 after winning [https://www.mmamania.com/2014/7/6/5875917/tuf-19-finale-results-eddie-gordon-corey-anderson-ultimate-fighter-winners-knockouts] TUF season 19, and after six years in the company made inroads to the top but couldn’t secure a title fight. He put together a four-fight win streak, which included a quick finish of Johnny Walker. Later, he got within reach of Jon Jones [https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/jon-jones/] for the title. A win over Jan Blachowicz would have seen him get a crack at the belt. However, things would not go Anderson’s way. Jan Blachowicz, who Anderson already had a win against back in 2015, would get his revenge. The Polish star finished ‘Overtime’ in the first round and would go on to beat Dominick Reyes to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion. Anderson on the other hand requested his release from the UFC and the promotion in-turn obliged. COREY ANDERSON WANTS THE BELLATOR TITLE The Bellator light heavyweight division will have its own share of challenges and hungry contenders standing in between Anderson and a title shot against Vadim Nemkov. These include the likes of Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis amongst a few. “Phil Davis and Vadim Nemkov – the two people fighting for the belt,” Corey stated [https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/11/bellator-251-corey-anderson-vadim-nemkov-phil-davis-next] at the post-fight news conference. “After they fight, I want the winner. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t get it.” [https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/EmIB6CbXUAESWsU.jpg] “Ryan Bader is going to heavyweight to defend his belt. If he was staying at 205, I would fight him. But he’s gone. Lyoto (Machida) just lost, so why would I fight a loser? I want somebody that won.” Anderson will now be looking at making his run at the Bellator title. The current champion, Nemkov, will have looked impressive, especially with his defeat of Ryan Bader to win the title. What did you make of ‘Overtime’s promotional debut? 

Former UFC light heavyweight Corey Anderson gets a dominant finish in his debut
and is now focused on winning the Bellator title.

Keith D'Souza is part of the Essentially Sports MMA writing team. Having
followed the sport since 2013, some of his favorite fighters include Max
Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, and Johny Hendricks. Keith also
runs PureMMAIndia, a brand that promotes MMA over social media which aims at
growing the sport in India. Besides MMA, Keith is also well versed in Formula 1.

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WATCH: Former UFC Fighter Corey Anderson Dominates Opponent on His Bellator
Debut

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Bound to Hit $200M Net Worth

<h2><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-335454" src="https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/20200807182845/bellatot-1.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="630" /></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">History</h2>
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. 
<h2><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-257245" src="https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/20200425201918/cokr.jpg" alt="Scott Coker" width="1200" height="675" /></h2>
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 <a href="https://www.si.com/mma/2014/09/04/scott-coker-bellator-format-changing">departure</a> from the organization's tournament format during its initial phase. 
<h2>Bellator's tournament format</h2>
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 <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/23/4257460/bellator-books-june-19-summer-series-start-with-king-mo-reality-show">Fight Master: Bellator MMA</a> 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 <a href="http://www.bellator.com/articles/43lpt8/scott-coker-launches-bellator-kickboxing">inception</a> in 2016.
<h2>Some big names who are part of Bellator MMA</h2>
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.

[caption id="attachment_256194" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]<img class="wp-image-256194 size-full" src="https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/20200423224443/patricio-freire-bellator-221-4.png" alt="" width="1000" height="667" /> Patricio Freire after becoming a two-division Bellator MMA champion[/caption]

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. 
<h2>List of Champions at Bellator MMA</h2>
Bellator MMA has 5 <a href="http://www.bellator.com/fighters">world champions</a> across 9 divisions. 2 fighters are double champions and 2 divisional titles are vacant at present. 

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-335406" src="https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/20200807180128/cris-c.jpg" alt="Cris Cyborg" width="1200" height="800" />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Division</td>
<td>Name</td>
<td>Date Won</td>
<td>Title Defenses</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Heavyweight</td>
<td>Ryan Bader</td>
<td><a href="http://www.bellator.com/events/m3b3su/bellator-214-fedor-vs-bader">January 26, 2019</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.espn.in/mma/fighter/history/_/id/2335530/ryan-bader">1</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Light Heavyweight</td>
<td>Ryan Bader</td>
<td><a href="http://www.bellator.com/events/65su78/bellator-180-davis-vs-bader">June 24, 2017</a></td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Middleweight</td>
<td>Vacant</td>
<td>Since February 10, 2020</td>
<td>-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Welterweight</td>
<td>Douglas Lima</td>
<td><a href="http://www.bellator.com/events/a7efkd/bellator-232-macdonald-vs-lima-2">October 26,2019</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.espn.in/mma/fighter/history/_/id/2500691/douglas-lima">0</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Lightweight</td>
<td>Patricio Freire</td>
<td><a href="http://www.bellator.com/events/jjumh6/bellator-221-chandler-vs-pitbull">May 11, 2019</a></td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Featherweight</td>
<td>Patricio Freire</td>
<td><a href="http://www.bellator.com/events/8t7jed/bellator-178-straus-vs-pitbull-4">April 21,2017</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.espn.in/mma/fighter/history/_/id/2532870/patricio-freire">3</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bantamweight</td>
<td>Vacant</td>
<td>Since November 27, 2019</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Women’s Featherweight</td>
<td>Cris Cyborg</td>
<td><a href="http://www.bellator.com/events/5r5vxq/bellator-238-budd-vs-cyborg">January 25, 2020</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.espn.in/mma/fighter/history/_/id/2354564/cris-cyborg">0</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Women’s Flyweight</td>
<td>Ilima-Lei Macfarlane</td>
<td><a href="http://www.bellator.com/events/v1400o/bellator-186-bader-vs-vassell">November 3,2017</a></td>
<td><a href="https://www.espn.in/mma/fighter/history/_/id/3924103/ilima-lei-macfarlane">4</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Bellator MMA

History Bellator MMA is one of the world&#8217;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 &#8216;warrior&#8217; 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&#8217;s tournament format during its initial phase.  Bellator&#8217;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. 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 &#8211;  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

Bellator MMA Archives

Bellator MMA Archives - EssentiallySports

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WATCH: Former UFC Fighter Corey Anderson Dominates Opponent on His Bellator Debut

Corey Anderson wants the Bellator title