The final Bellator event of the year takes place Saturday with Bellator 237, which goes down at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, with a main card that airs on Paramount.
A heavyweight showdown between fighters who made the majority of their fame in “The Land of the Rising Sun” is set to serve as the main event. Former PRIDE champ [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) is set to meet former UFC champ [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) in a three-round bout.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 237.
* * * *
Main event
Emelianenko, 43, is the oldest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
Emelianenko is 4-2 since he returned from retirement in December 2015.
Emelianenko is 13-4 (with one no contest) when facing former UFC champions or title challengers.
Emelianenko has earned 29 of his 38 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his Bellator wins.
Emelianenko has suffered all six of his career losses by stoppage.
Jackson returns to competition for the first time since Sept. 29, 2018. The 454-day layoff is the longest of his more than 20-year career.
Jackson did not compete in 2019. It’s the first time he hasn’t fought inside a calendar year since making his MMA debut in 1999.
Jackson competes in his eighth career heavyweight bout. He’s 4-3 when competing in the weight class.
Jackson has suffered his past four losses by decision. He hasn’t been stopped since September 2011.
Co-main event
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 16-5 BMMA) competes in his 22nd Bellator bout, tied for the second most appearances in company history behind David Rickels (23).
Chandler’s 16 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Patricio Freire for second most in company history behind Patricio Freire (18).
Chandler’s 14 victories in Bellator lightweight competition are tied with Patricky Freire for most in divisional history.
Chandler’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied with Freire and A.J. McKee for most in company history.
Chandler’s six submission victories in Bellator competition are tied for second most in company history behind Goiti Yamauchi (seven).
Chandler’s 11 appearances in Bellator title fights are tied with Freire for most in company history.
Chandler is one of two fighters in Bellator/UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce history with three title reigns in a single weight class. Randy Couture also accomplished the feat.
Chandler’s six victories in Bellator championship fights are second most in company history behind Freire (eight).
Chandler’s five losses in Bellator title fights are the most in company history.
[autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) makes his second Bellator appearance in a 42-day stretch. He was victorious at Bellator 234 on Nov. 15.
Remaining main card
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 12-1 BMMA) becomes the first fighter to make five Bellator appearances in 2019.
Page makes his second Bellator appearance in a 34-day stretch. He was victorious at Bellator Europe 6 on Nov. 23.
Page’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak, snapped in Bellator 221, is tied for the second longest streak in company history behind McKee (16).
Page’s 12 victories in Bellator welterweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Andrey Koreshkov (13) and Douglas Lima (13).
Page’s nine stoppage victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Lima for most in divisional history.
Page’s eight knockout victories in Bellator competition are third most in company history behind Lima (nine) and Patricky Freire (nine).
Page’s eight knockout victories in Bellator welterweight competition are tied with Lima for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) is 6-3 since he dropped to the welterweight division in January 2015.
Larkin’s three-fight Bellator winning streak at welterweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Logan Storley (five) and Joey Davis (five).
Larkin has earned eight of his past 11 victories by decision. That includes all three of his Bellator wins.
[autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights. He was victorious in his most recent bout at Rizin FF 19 in October.
[autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), 25, is the youngest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.
[autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) is 5-1 since he moved up to the Bellator lightweight division in October 2016.
Yamauchi has earned 20 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 10 Bellator wins.
Yamauchi’s seven submission victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.