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2023 in Bellator MMA

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2023 in Bellator MMA
Information
PromotionBellator MMA
First dateFebruary 4, 2023 (2023-02-04)
Last dateNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Events
Total events13
Fights
Total fights179
Title fights15
← 2022
2024 →

2023 in Bellator MMA was the fifteenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.

Events list

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Main article: List of Bellator MMA events
# Event Date Venue City Country Ref.
13 Bellator 301: Amosov vs. Jackson November 17, 2023 Wintrust Arena Chicago, Illinois U.S. [1]
12 Bellator 300: Nurmagomedov vs. Primus October 7, 2023 Pechanga Arena San Diego, California [2]
11 Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Edwards September 23, 2023 3Arena Dublin Ireland [3]
10 Bellator 298: Storley vs. Ward August 11, 2023 Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, South Dakota U.S. [4]
9 Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 July 30, 2023 Saitama Super Arena Saitama Japan [5]
8 Bellator 297: Nemkov vs. Romero June 16, 2023 Wintrust Arena Chicago, Illinois U.S. [6]
7 Bellator 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards May 12, 2023 Accor Arena Paris France [7]
6 Bellator 295: Stots vs. Mix April 22, 2023 Neal S. Blaisdell Arena Honolulu, Hawaii U.S. [8]
5 Bellator 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2 April 21, 2023 [9]
4 Bellator 293: Golm vs. James March 31, 2023 Pechanga Resort and Casino Temecula, California [10]
3 Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson March 10, 2023 SAP Center San Jose, California [11]
2 Bellator 291: Amosov vs. Storley 2 February 25, 2023 3Arena Dublin Ireland [12]
1 Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 February 4, 2023 Kia Forum Inglewood, California U.S. [13]

Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Tournament

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On September 28, 2022, Bellator president Scott Coker revealed in a The MMA Hour interview that a Lightweight World Grand Prix will take place in 2023.[14] On January 11, 2023, during an appearance on "The MMA Hour," Bellator president Scott Coker revealed the fighters taking part in the tournament. The lineup includes Usman Nurmagomedov, A.J. McKee, Tofiq Musayev, Alexandr Shabliy, Patricky Freire, Mansour Barnaoui, Benson Henderson, and Sidney Outlaw. The tournament kicked off at Bellator 292 on March 10 in San Jose, California.[15]

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 
 
 
 Russia Usman Nurmagomedov (c) SUB
 
 
 
 United States Benson Henderson 1
 
 Russia Usman Nurmagomedov (c)[c] UD
 
 
 
 United States Brent Primus 5
 
 France Mansour Barnaoui 5
 
 
 
 United States Brent Primus[a] UD
 
 
 
 
Russia Alexandr Shabliy[d]
 
 Azerbaijan Tofiq Musayev 3
 
 
 
 Russia Alexandr Shabliy TKO
 
 Russia Alexandr Shabliy UD
 
 
 
 Brazil Patricky Pitbull 5
 
 Brazil Roberto de Souza[b] 3
 
 
 Brazil Patricky Pitbull TKO
 

[16]

  1. ^ Primus replaced Sidney Outlaw after he was suspended for a positive drug test.
  2. ^ de Souza replaced A. J. McKee after he withdrew due to medical issues. The bout took place at catchweight of 161 pounds.
  3. ^ Nurmagomedov's win was later overturned to a No Contest after he tested positive for a banned substance in a prescription drug. He was not stripped of the title due to the unintentional ingestion of the substance, but did receive a suspension.
  4. ^ The conclusion to the tournament was cancelled following the acquisition of Bellator MMA by Professional Fighters League in November 2023. Shabliy and Nurmagomedov did however eventually face each other the next year in a Lightweight Title bout at Bellator Champions Series 4, where Nurmagomedov won by unanimous decision.

Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Tournament

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The eight participants of the tournament were revealed on December 3, 2021. They include current champion Sergio Pettis, the former Rizin and Bellator champion Kyoji Horiguchi, another former Bellator champion in Juan Archuleta, who captured the vacant bantamweight title in 2020 against Patchy Mix, who will also be in the tournament. The final four fighters in the Grand Prix are all ranked in the top six by Bellator at 135 pounds: Magomed Magomedov, James Gallagher, Raufeon Stots and Leandro Higo.[17][18][19] Pettis and Gallagher would eventually pull out due to injuries requiring surgery.[20][21] Due to the pull outs, two wild card qualifier bouts between Josh Hill and Enrique Barzola, with the winner meeting Magomed Magomedov in the opening round, and the second qualifier between Jornel Lugo and Danny Sabatello, which will have the winner face Leandro Higo in the first round of the tournament.[22] Due to Covid, Hill had to pull out of the bout and was replaced by Nikita Mikhailov.[23][24]

Wild CardsQuarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
              
United States Juan Archuleta 3
United States Raufeon Stots KO
United States Raufeon Stots (ic) SD
United States Danny Sabatello 5
Brazil Leandro Higo 5
United States Danny Sabatello UD
United States Danny Sabatello UD
United States Jornel Lugo 3
United States Raufeon Stots (ic) 1
United States Patchy Mix KO
Russia Magomed Magomedov SUB
Peru Enrique Barzola 4
Peru Enrique Barzola UD
Russia Nikita Mikhailov 3
Russia Magomed Magomedov 2
United States Patchy Mix SUB
United States Patchy Mix UD
Japan Kyoji Horiguchi 5

Title fights

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Title fights in 2023
Weight class Method Round Time Event Notes
Middleweight Johnny Eblen (c) def. Anatoly Tokov Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 49–46, 49–46) 5 5:00 Bellator 290 [a]
Heavyweight Ryan Bader (c) def. Fedor Emelianenko TKO (punches) 1 2:30 Bellator 290 [b]
Welterweight Yaroslav Amosov (c) def. Logan Storley (ic) Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45) 5 5:00 Bellator 291 [c]
Lightweight Usman Nurmagomedov (c) def. Benson Henderson Submission (rear-naked choke) 1 2:37 Bellator 292 [d]
Women's Flyweight Liz Carmouche (c) def. DeAnna Bennett Submission (arm-triangle choke) 4 4:29 Bellator 294 [e]
Bantamweight Patchy Mix def. Raufeon Stots (ic) KO (knee) 1 1:20 Bellator 295 [f]
Bantamweight Sergio Pettis (c) def. Patrício Pitbull Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 50–45, 50–45) 5 5:00 Bellator 297 [g]
Light Heavyweight Vadim Nemkov (c) def. Yoel Romero Decision (unanimous) (49–46, 49–46, 49–46) 5 5:00 Bellator 297 [h]
Flyweight Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Takahashi No Contest (accidental eye poke) 1 0:25 Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 [i]
Middleweight Johnny Eblen (c) def. Fabian Edwards KO (punches) 3 0:21 Bellator 299 [j]
Women's Flyweight Liz Carmouche (c) def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane TKO (leg kick) 5 0:17 Bellator 300 [k]
Women's Featherweight Cris Cyborg (c) def. Cat Zingano TKO (punches) 1 4:01 Bellator 300 [l]
Lightweight Usman Nurmagomedov (c) vs. Brent Primus No Contest (overturned) 5 5:00 Bellator 300 [m]
Bantamweight Patchy Mix (ic) def. Sergio Pettis (c) Submission (rear-naked choke) 2 1:51 Bellator 301 [n]
Welterweight Jason Jackson def. Yaroslav Amosov (c) KO (punches) 3 2:08 Bellator 301 [o]
  1. ^ For the Bellator Middleweight World Championship.
  2. ^ For the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship.
  3. ^ For the Bellator Welterweight World Championship.
  4. ^ For the Bellator Lightweight World Championship.
  5. ^ For the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship.
  6. ^ For the interim Bellator Bantamweight World Championship.
  7. ^ For the Bellator Bantamweight World Championship.
  8. ^ For the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship
  9. ^ For the inaugural Bellator Flyweight World Championship. Accidental eye poke rendered Takahashi unable to continue.
  10. ^ For the Bellator Middleweight World Championship.
  11. ^ For the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship.
  12. ^ For the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship.
  13. ^ For the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Originally a unanimous decision win for Nurmagomedov; overturned after he tested positive for a banned substance.
  14. ^ For the Bellator Bantamweight World Championship.
  15. ^ For the Bellator Welterweight World Championship.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bellator MMA | Bellator 301". 17 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Bellator 300: Historic event set for Oct. 7 in San Diego with 4 title fights". MMA Junkie. 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  3. ^ "Edwards beats Mousasi to set up Bellator title shot". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  4. ^ "Bellator 298 - Storley vs. Ward".
  5. ^ "Bellator MMA | BELLATOR x RIZIN: Pitbull vs. McKee". 30 July 2023.
  6. ^ Martin, Damon (2023-03-27). "Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero, Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Pitbull headlines Bellator 297". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  7. ^ "Bellator Paris: Fabian Edwards to fight Gegard Mousasi in May middleweight title eliminator". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  8. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator Set for April Doubleheader in Hawaii with Carmouche vs. Bennett, Mix vs. Stots". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  9. ^ "Bellator MMA returning again to Hawaii in April". KHON2. 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  10. ^ "Marcelo Golm vs. Daniel James, Cat Zingano vs. Leah McCourt headline Bellator 293 on March 31". MMA Junkie. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  11. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2023-01-11). "Bellator 8-man Lightweight World Grand Prix lineup announced, Usman Nurmagomedov defends title against Benson Henderson at Bellator 292 on March 10". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  12. ^ Mike Bohn (2022-09-26). "Bellator announces return to Dublin on Feb. 24; Scott Coker promises 'amazing fight card'". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  13. ^ "Emelianenko to fight Bader in retirement bout". ESPN.com. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  14. ^ Jed Meshew (September 28, 2022). "Scott Coker announces Bellator lightweight grand prix for 2023". mmafighting.com.
  15. ^ Sherdog.com. "Eight-Man Field Announced for Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  16. ^ "Bellator San Diego: Nurmagomedov vs. Shabliy Full Results". cagesidepress.com.
  17. ^ Al-Shatti, Shaun (2021-12-03). "Bellator announces $1 million bantamweight grand prix for 2022, eight-man tournament field". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  18. ^ "Bellator announces eight-man bantamweight grand prix for 2022". MMA Junkie. 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  19. ^ "Bellator MMA announces eight-man World Grand Prix at bantamweight starting in 2022". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  20. ^ "James Gallagher injured, Bellator bantamweight grand prix takes another blow". MMA Junkie. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  21. ^ "Bellator 279 card: Sergio Pettis out of Bantamweight World Grand Prix with injury, Juan Archuleta steps in". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  22. ^ "Bellator adds two wild card bouts, four fighters to bantamweight grand prix". MMA Junkie. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  23. ^ "Bellator bantamweight grand prix takes another hit with Josh Hill withdrawal". MMA Junkie. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  24. ^ "Josh Hill out of Bellator bantamweight grand prix, Nikita Mikhailov to face Enrique Barzola". MMA Junkie. 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
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