Author: mmafighting

Bellator MMA as we know it is over. Long live Bellator MMA? On Monday, one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets became official: The Bellator brand now belongs to the PFL. What this means for the long-term prospects of Bellator — for many years considered to be the No. 2 promotion in all of MMA — remains to be seen, but for the time being fans can dream of matchups featuring the biggest names from both rosters as well as how this acquisition might shake up combat sports. What can be said for certain is that, warts and all, Bellator as…

Rising heavyweight Justin Tafa will face Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 298 on Feb. 17, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. The pay-per-view card is expected to take place in Los Angeles, Calif., and will feature featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria in the main event. Tafa (7-3, 1 no contest) enters the bout on a four-fight unbeaten streak with a trio of first-round knockouts over Austen Lane, Parker Porter and Harry Hunsucker. The other match as a short no-contest versus Lane, due to an accidental eye poke. De Lima (21-9-1) looks to rebound…

Nineteen UFC 295 fighters need doctor clearance to remove indefinite suspensions issued by the New York State Athletic Commission, including two of its headliners. Former light heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka and new interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall are among the group that need clearance after the pay-per-view event, which took place Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The medical suspensions were released to the NYSAC after a records request by MMA Fighting. Prochazka was stopped by Alex Pereira in a title fight for the vacant light heavyweight title. Pereira was given a mandatory seven-day term. Aspinall…

Bellator as we know it is no more. Following PFL’s long-awaited acquisition of Bellator, MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti, Jed Meshew, and Damon Martin react to Monday’s events and PFL chairman Donn Davis’ interview on The MMA Hour about the vision of PFL and Bellator moving forward. What should we make of how Bellator’s sale ultimately played out? Are the PFL’s plans destined to create a 1B to the UFC’s 1A or is this just history repeating itself all over again? Is Monday’s sale a good or bad development for the fans of the sport, but more importantly, is it a…

Donn Davis believes that the PFL just took its next step toward greatness. The league officially announced Monday that it has acquired Bellator MMA’s roster and assets, a move that greatly strengthens the PFL’s standing in the MMA world. As the founder of the PFL, Davis couldn’t be more thrilled with the possibilities that lie ahead for his organization, especially in regards to how the acquisition could accelerate the league’s growth. Davis appeared on The MMA Hour shortly after the PFL-Bellator news broke to discuss a number of topics, including whether he feels UFC CEO Dana White has been feeling…

Considering the stir Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou caused this past October, should fight fans expect to see the two heavyweight titans rematch in the future? “I think there’s a good chance of that happening. I do,” Fury’s promoter, Queensberry Promotions founder Frank Warren, said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I don’t know [if it’ll be next for Fury]. It’s like jumping too far forward. Let’s get the big one [with Oleksandr Usyk on Feb. 17] out of the way first, and then we’ll see where we go. But I do think [it’ll happen]. Tyson told me that he wants…

This past weekend, UFC Vegas 82 went down to little fanfare, and Bellator held the final event of its previous regime, as on Monday, PFL announced it had acquired Bellator. So let’s talk about the acquisition, what comes next, and what the best Bellator moment was. PFL finally acquires Bellator New MMA Global Powerhouse@PFLMMA acquires @BellatorOur Fighter Roster Equal To UFC – Both 30% Top 25 World Ranked FIghtersPFL Launch Reimagined Bellator – Bellator International Champions SeriesMega-Event For Fans In 2024 – PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs pic.twitter.com/Ma4YUl4AUi— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) November 20, 2023 This isn’t technically a question, but…

Dana White and his friends definitely know how to take care of each other. The UFC CEO shared an Instagram Story from this past weekend in which he revealed that he received a $500,000 gift in the form of gambling chips courtesy of SteveWillDoIt (a.k.a. Stephen Deleonardis) of the Nelk Boys and Barstool Sports’ Taylor Lewan. Watch White’s account of the evening below (video courtesy of @jedigoodman). According to White, Deleonardis and Lewan didn’t simply scrape up $500K out of their couch cushions. The two allegedly worked their way up from $10,000 in chips to the six-figure number before meeting…

After months of rumors and speculation, PFL’s acquisition of Bellator is final. PFL chief Donn Davis on Monday announced the news on social media, prompting an immediate reaction from fighters in the PFL fold, which includes influencer turned boxer turned MMA hopeful Jake Paul. Paul, who bought in to PFL in addition to linking to the promotion for his MMA debut, was among several immediate reactions to the acquisition. Here’s how fighters reacted to the news. It’s sad to see @BellatorMMA as we know it ending. Bellator is a big part of my story. I hope the future is bright…

The PFL has officially closed a deal to acquire Bellator MMA. The long rumored sale was made official on Monday with PFL founder Donn Davis announcing the news via Twitter. Multiple people speaking on the condition of anonymity told MMA Fighting that the deal included stock in the PFL which will allow Paramount — the now former owners of Bellator — to maintain a minority ownership in the promotion. New MMA Global Powerhouse@PFLMMA acquires @BellatorOur Fighter Roster Equal To UFC – Both 30% Top 25 World Ranked FIghtersPFL Launch Reimagined Bellator – Bellator International Champions SeriesMega-Event For Fans In 2024…