Cat Zingano, Liz Carmouche, Patchy Mix and James Gallagher among those added to upcoming events
LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA, which debuts live on SHOWTIME® next Friday, April 2 with BELLATOR MMA 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 at 9 p.m. ET, announced today changes to upcoming events including rescheduling of two Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal matchups and the addition of several marquee fights.
Bellator MMA 256: Bader vs. Machida 2 on Friday, April 9 live on SHOWTIME will feature the first of four quarterfinal matchups, as BELLATOR Heavyweight Champion Ryan “Darth” Bader (27-6, 1 NC) steps inside the cage across from former UFC champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (26-10). A rematch nearly nine years in the making, Bader starts the tournament in hopes of reclaiming his second title and once again reigning over multiple divisions, while Machida plans on history repeating itself and advancing to the semifinals.
Bellator MMA 257: Nemkov vs. Davis 2 on Friday, April 16 sees the addition of experienced contender Corey “Overtime” Anderson (14-5) taking on promotional newcomer Dovletdzhan “Wolfhound” Yagshimuradv (18-5-1) in the five-round co-main event. In the card headliner, newly crowned champ Vadim Nemkov (13-2) makes the first defense of his 205-pound title in a rematch against former BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Champion, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (22-5, 1 NC).
As a result of these changes, BELLATOR MMA 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis on Friday, May 7, will now feature the BELLATOR debuts of both Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (22-6) and Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero (13-5), when they square off in the last quarterfinal matchup. The five-round fight will serve as the card’s co-main event. The event is headlined by a BELLATOR Bantamweight World Championship contest pitting Juan “The Spaniard” Archuleta (25-2) against Sergio “S.P.” Pettis (20-5).
“I’m thrilled to begin the BELLATOR MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix featuring the best 205-pound fighters in the world,” said BELLATOR MMA President Scott Coker. “Like everyone, we had a few hurdles with travel issues and had to move some things around, but I’m pleased that we were able to reschedule these bouts quickly. We now have three stacked events in a row featuring quarterfinal matchups on SHOWTIME, while also adding other incredible fights to each of these cards.”
The main card additions of former title challengers Cat Zingano, Liz Carmouche, Veta Arteaga and Patchy Mix, as well as top contenders Adam Borics and James Gallagher, highlight more of the stacked action coming to SHOWTIME all next month.
Below, please find the most up-to-date card listings for all three aforementioned events. (Please note these fight cards are current, but not yet complete.)
Updated BELLATOR MMA 256: Bader vs. Machida 2 Main Card:
April 9 on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout: Ryan Bader (27-6, 1 NC) vs. Lyoto Machida (26-10)
Flyweight Bout: Liz Carmouche (14-7) vs. Vanessa Porto (22-8)
Featherweight Bout: Adam Borics (16-1) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (16-2, 1 NC)
Featherweight Bout: Cat Zingano (11-4) vs. Olivia Parker (4-1)
Preliminary Card:
Middleweight Bout: Dalton Rosta (4-0) vs. Tony Johnson (9-2)
Featherweight Bout: Talita Nogueira (7-2) vs. Jessica Borga (3-2)
Bantamweight Bout: Cass Bell (5-1) vs. Jornel Lugo (5-0)
Featherweight Bout: Cody Law (2-0) vs. Nathan Ghareeb (2-0)
Bantamweight Bout: Jaylon Bates (1-0) vs. Jeffrey Glossner (2-1)
Lightweight Bout: Nainoa Dung (3-2) vs. Izzy William (4-3)
Flyweight Bout: Diana Avsaragova (2-0) vs. Tara Graff (1-2)
Bantamweight Bout: John Douma (4-2) vs. Will Smith (3-2)
Updated BELLATOR MMA 257: Nemkov vs. Davis 2 Main Card:
April 16 on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Light Heavyweight World Title/WGP Quarterfinal Bout: Vadim Nemkov (13-2) vs. Phil Davis (22-5, 1 NC)
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout: Corey Anderson (14-5) vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-5-1)
Flyweight Bout: Veta Arteaga (5-4) vs. Desiree Yanez (5-2)
Preliminary Card:
Lightweight Bout: Lance Gibson Jr. (3-0) vs. Marcus Surin (6-2)
Welterweight Bout: Grachik Bozinyan (10-4) vs. Demarques Jackson (11-4)
Featherweight Bout: John de Jesus (13-9) vs. Alfred Khashakyan (11-5)
Updated BELLATOR MMA 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis Main Card:
May 7 on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Bantamweight World Title Bout: Juan Archuleta (25-2) vs. Sergio Pettis (20-5)
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout: Anthony Johnson (22-6) vs. Yoel Romero (13-5)
Bantamweight Bout: Patchy Mix (13-1) vs. James Gallagher (11-1)
Preliminary Card:
Bantamweight Bout: Josh Hill (20-3) vs. Raufeon Stots (15-1)
Featherweight Bout: Weber Almeida (5-0) vs. Johnny Soto (3-1)
Middleweight Bout: Johnny Eblen (7-0) vs. Daniel Madrid (18-6)
Bantamweight Bout: Henry Corrales (18-5) vs. Keith Lee (7-4)
Lightweight Bout: Alan Omer (24-5) vs. Bryce Logan (12-5)
*Cards subject to change.
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
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About Bellator
Bellator is a leading global mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on SHOWTIME. Bellator is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant ViacomCBS, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About SHOWTIME
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple®, Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku®, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV and YouTube TV. Viewers can also watch on computers at Showtime.com. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.sho.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bellator
Ryan Grab – (706) 540-3425 – [email protected]
Danny Brener – (818) 577-8215 – [email protected]
C.J. Tuttle – (310) 496-9110 – [email protected]
SHOWTIME Sports
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Leah Capobianco – (917) 574-6985 – [email protected]