Category: Bellator

Some AEW Inner Circle Members To Be In Attendance For Jake Hager’s Fight At Bellator 231

Bellator 231 takes place tonight where Jake Hager (2-0) will take on Anthony Garrett. In AEW, Hager is a member of the stable, Inner Circle, which also consists of AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz.

According to Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz will be in attendance for the fight and then get in the cage for a post-fight photo op.

Hager recently spoke to Wrestling Inc.’s Dan Yanofsky about being able to work for both Bellator and AEW at the same time.

“Honestly, it was such a breath of fresh air. Both of those guys were so willing to work with me,” Hager stated. “AEW loves what I’m doing with Bellator and Bellator loves what I’m doing with AEW. I don’t think 10 years ago you would see that happen where an MMA fighter would go work on a pro wrestling TV show right in the middle of camp.

“For Scott and Tony to be willing to work with each other and understand that this is something really cool and cross-promote, among other things, the sky’s the limit. I feel like that’s the mindset with it. Entertainment is a big part of MMA and it is unique.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Bobby Lashley To Take Time Away From WWE After SummerSlam For MMA Return?

Bobby Lashley recently spoke with Sky Sports and revealed that he is still under contract to the Bellator MMA promotion.

The 42 year old Lashley said he expects to do a few more fights before he calls it quits on his MMA career. He has his eye on Bellator Heavyweight & Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader.

“I think I am still probably going to do a couple more before it’s all said and done,” Lashley said. “I am still under contract at Bellator also, and if I go back I will give them a call and possibly go after (Ryan) Bader. I don’t want to wait too long, time is ticking.”

Lashley said may return to the cage after the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view in August. He would likely need to take some time away from WWE to train for the fight. Lashley said his body is at 100% these days.

“I feel great. My body is 100% so I think maybe this summer, maybe after SummerSlam,” Lashley said.

Lashley said maybe he will talk with WWE boss Vince McMahon about winning the WWE Universal Title at SummerSlam, then go to Bellator to win their title.

Lashley also talked about Conor McGregor possibly coming to WWE and joked that they won’t be putting a top title on him because he’s too small.

Lashley’s last MMA fight came at Bellator 162 in October 2016. He defeated Josh Appelt that night by submission. Lashley’s current MMA record is at 15 wins and 2 losses.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jack (Swagger) Hager To Make Bellator MMA Debut In January

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It’s been over one year since Jack Swagger signed a deal with Bellator MMA … and now his first fight has finally been made official!

Swagger made the announcement Monday on Ariel Helwani’s MMA show and confirmed his debut will happen January 26th during the Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals at The Forum in Inglewood, CA.

His opponent will be 41-year-old JW Kiser, who has only fought (and lost) one professional fight.

“I think my career will be a lot longer than most people imagine, in mixed martial arts,” Swagger — aka Jake Hager — told Helwani. “I have nothing to prove. I’m doing this for me and my family. I know I belong and you will see that I do when I step in the cage.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Jack Swagger Signs With Bellator MMA, Announces He’ll Fight Heavyweight In 2018 (Video)

jack swagger mma bellator wwe

Former WWE star Jack Swagger is getting into the MMA world. He announced he’ll be fighting for Bellator in 2018 as a heavyweight.

Swagger made the announcement yesterday on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and said he’s excited because stepping into the cage for mixed martial arts is something he’s always wanted to do.

“We have been working and talking with them [Bellator] through the summer, we started negotiations and whatnot, and it literally got finalized this weekend,” Jack explained.

The wrestler says he’s been MMA/boxing training for eight months and is under contract for six fights. A specific date for the first fight hasn’t been set, but we’ll keep you updated once it’s made official.

Check out the interview below:

UFC Hall Of Famer Stephan Bonnar To Make In-Ring Wrestling Debut

stephan bonnar wrestling debut bowling alley

Make way for another MMA crossover in professional wrestling, because “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar is stepping into the squared circle for the first time … at a bowling alley.

Bonnar says he and fellow MMA fighter Phil Baroni are forming a tag team called “The Real Shooters” and will be making their in-ring debut on July 16.

It’s certainly a humble start to the UFC legend’s wrestling career, because the event is taking place at Inman’s Bowling Alley and Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana. Bonnar, however, promises a good show.

“I’m going to be doing flashy spin kicks, slapping submissions on these fools, and Phil Baroni’s going to be doing his thing. ‘The New York Badass.’ So, you’re going to be entertained. I guarantee it.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Fight Card For Bellator 170: Ortiz vs Sonnen 1/21/17

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This Saturday night on Spike, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz will meet Chael Sonnen in the main event of Bellator 170 at The Forum in Los Angeles.

MAIN CARD (Spike)

Light Heavyweight: Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen

Welterweight: Paul Daley vs. Brennan Ward

Middleweight: Ralek Gracie vs. Hisaki Kato

Featherweight: Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Emmanuel Sanchez

Lightweight: Derek Campos vs. Derek Anderson

PRELIMINARY CARD

Featherweight: Chinzo Machida vs. Jamar Ocampo

Heavyweight: Jack May vs. Dave Cryer

Featherweight: Henry Corrales vs. Cody Bollinger

Middleweight: Kevin Casey vs. Keith Berry

Welterweight: Guilherme Vasconcelos vs. John Mercurio

Welterweight: Gabriel Green vs. Jalin Turner

Catchweight: Christian Gonzalez vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Lightweight: Jacob Rosales vs. Ian Butler

Welterweight: Johnny Cisneros vs. Curtis Millender

Lightweight: Mike Segura vs. Tommy Aaron

Bantamweight: Rob Gooch vs. James Barnes

Female Flyweight: Rebecca Ruth vs. Colleen Schneider

Bobby Lashley Stepping Back Into Bellator MMA Cage Live Tonight On Spike TV

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TNA’s Bobby Lashley steps back inside the Bellator MMA cage this evening to meet Josh Appelt in the co-main event of Bellator 162. The contest airs live on Spike TV at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Lashley has picked up seven consecutive wins, including four straight finishes with Bellator. He is coming off a November first round TKO win over James Thompson, and has also stopped Dan Charles Karl Etherington and Josh Burns since 2014.

Earlier this month, Lashley lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Eddie Edwards after successfully defending it vs. Ethan Carter III.

Source: WrestlingINC

Chael Sonnen Parts Ways With UFC, Signs With Bellator

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Source: mmafighting.com

The bad guy is headed to Bellator.

In what can only be described as a shocking turn of events, Chael Sonnen has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA after the UFC recently granted him his release. Terms of the release or the new deal were not immediately available.

MMA Fighting confirmed the news with both UFC and Bellator officials after an initial report byThe Associated Press.

Sonnen, 39, will enter Bellator with a 29-14-1 professional record, however, he has not fought since his Nov. 2013 loss to Rashad Evans. He recently served a two-year suspension handed by the Nevada Athletic Commission for failing multiple drug tests in 2014.

Sonnen took to Twitter shortly after the news broke:

“Chael is an incredible athlete that has competed at the very highest levels of the sport,” Bellator MMA President Scott Coker stated, “and I know that he is going to continue to do just that here at Bellator. When we were signing him, Chael was adamant that he wants to compete in three divisions here. He already has unfinished business with Wanderlei Silva, but he also wants to fight guys like Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko and even Rory MacDonald at middleweight. These are all fights that I’d be very inclined to watch, so hopefully we can put some, if not all of these match-ups together starting before the end of the year.”

Sonnen told The MMA Hour in July that he was interested in fighting again and had officially entered the UFC’s USADA drug testing pool.

“I definitely have that itch,” Sonnen said. “I fantasize about it. But it’s one step at a time. I’m not holding back from you. I’m not acting like my return is some kind of breaking news. I’d tell it to you right now. But I have to pass this first test, quite frankly. It’s still out there. I’ve gotta pass it. If I pass that, I’ll pass all of them. But I have to know that everything is out. Boom, step one down.”

In the end, though, it didn’t matter as Sonnen, one of the most popular and polarizing figures in recent MMA history, is headed to Bellator.

It’s unclear when he’ll debut for the promotion, but it could come before the year ends. A Nov. 19 fight against Tito Ortiz in San Jose has been discussed.

Bellator Fighter Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos Recovering From Fractured Skull

Source: WrestlingINC

Cris “Cyborg” Justino is no longer married to Bellator fighter Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, but she still cares very deeply for him. Over the weekend, Santos was injured in a loss at Bellator 158 to Michael Page, suffering a fractured skull. While Bellator has agreed to pay medical expenses for the Brazilian, the Invicta FC featherweight champion has taken matters into her own hands.

A GoFundMe account was created to help assist Santos with his recovery. Several fighters have already donated to the cause, including Nate Diaz and Chael Sonnen. Santos is set to see another doctor on Monday to determine surgery in either the U.S. or the United Kingdom.

Kimbo Slice Was Awaiting Heart Transplant, UFC Comments On Slice, Spike TV Special

Source: WrestlingINC

Just a couple of days after legendary street fighter, boxer and mixed martial artist Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson passed away at 42, additional details have emerged regarding his death.

According to The Sun-Sentinel, Slice was admitted to Northwest Medical Center in Margate last Friday for abdominal pain, which according to those close to him, started in March. The decision to pull out of his scheduled Bellator 158 fight with James Thompson had already been made.

Slice passed way at 7:30 PM EST as doctors were preparing to transport him to Cleveland. There, he would have been placed on an organ donor list, as it was revealed that he’d require a heart transplant.

Bellator and Spike TV announced that they’ll be airing a one-hour tribute to Kimbo on Friday, June 24 at 7 PM EST.

The UFC issued a statement on Kimbo’s passing:

UFC is saddened to learn of the passing of Kevin Ferguson, known to fans around the world as Kimbo Slice.Slice will forever be a part of UFC history as a contestant on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2009, and for having fought twice inside the Octagon at The Ultimate Fighter Finale and UFC 113. He carried himself as a true professional during his time in our organization.

While he will never be forgotten for his fighting style and transcendent image, Slice will also be remembered for his warm personality and commitment to his family and friends.

UFC offers its sincere condolences to Slice’s family, friends and teammates at American Top Team.