Tag: Bellator 261

Bellator 261 pre-event facts: The first interim title fight in heavyweight history

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 261, which takes place Friday with a Timothy Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky main event.

Bellator returns on Friday with Bellator 261 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A historic fight is featured in the main event. With heavyweight champion Ryan Bader tied up with the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix, the company will implement an interim title for the first time at heavyweight.

[autotag]Timothy Johnson[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will clash for that belt, with the winner set up to unify with Bader when he becomes available.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 10 pre-event facts about Bellator 261.

Bellator 261: Make your predictions for Tim Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 261 event in Connecticut, where the interim heavyweight title will be on the line.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 261 event in Connecticut.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 261 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 261 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Christian Edwards receives medical clearance for heart, canceled fight rebooked for Bellator 261

Days after his fight was canceled, Christian Edwards is back on the Bellator schedule.

With a clean bill of health, [autotag]Christian Edwards[/autotag] is ready to give his return to the cage another go.

Six days after his fight against [autotag]Ben Parrish[/autotag] was canceled after the Bellator 259 official weigh-ins, the bout is back on the books. The light heavyweight duo has been rebooked for Bellator 261, promotion officials told MMA Junkie on Wednesday.

Bellator 261 takes place June 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Edwards’ (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) removal after this past Friday’s weigh-ins came as a surprise to many, including Edwards himself. After he stepped on the scale and came in light at 202 pounds, Edwards was denied medical clearance from The Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation due to heartbeat irregularities.

In a series of Instagram posts and stories following his removal, Edwards said the issue was a first – and likely an error. Sure enough, less than a week later, Edwards has been cleared and rebooked to fight Parrish (4-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

“Like (I’ve not) done this more than once lol these doctors are funny man,” Edwards wrote on Instagram on Saturday, in response to a tweet by reporter Mike Pendleton. “Just some funny motherf*ckers bro lol.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPLBnABJAr5/

Edwards, 22, is a training partner of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and one of two Mata Leon JacksonWink scholarship recipients in Bellator. He’s finished three of his four pro fights inside the distance.

With the addition, the Bellator 261 lineup includes:

  • Timothy Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky – for the interim heavyweight title
  • Kyra Batara vs. Lena Ovchynnikova
  • Isaiah Hokit vs. Aaron Hughes
  • Myles Jury vs. Sidney Outlaw
  • Keoni Diggs vs. Daniel Weichel
  • Christian Edwards vs. Ben Parrish

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 17-23)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from May 17-23.

Bellator welcomes fans back for Bellator 260 and Bellator 261 events

Bellator is set to welcome fans back with limited tickets for Bellator 260 and Bellator 261 going on sale Friday.

Bellator is set to welcome back live audiences starting June 11.

Announced in a press release Wednesday morning, Bellator officials revealed that for Bellator 260 and Bellator 261, the promotion will provide a limited number of tickets as they ease their way back to a full-capacity crowd.

Bellator 260, headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Douglas Lima and undefeated challenger Yaroslav Amosov on June 11, and Bellator 261, headlined by an interim heavyweight title fight between Timothy Johnson and Valentin Moldavsky on June 25, will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main cards will air on Showtime.

Tickets starting at $60 will be on sale Friday, May 21 for both Bellator 260 and Bellator 261 and will be available for purchase at Ticketmaster and Bellator.com.

Bellator has partnered with Elevate Sports Ventures, an “innovative and resourceful sports and entertainment marketing firm,” to aid in their return of having fans back. Bellator 260 will mark the first time the promotion welcomes fans back since the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

“We are very excited to be getting into business with Elevate,” Scott Coker said in the press release. “They bring a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to the table with a proven track record of providing consistent results for top professional sports franchises, leagues and events. It feels like our family just got bigger, and I am confident that this new relationship will lead to the continued growth of the Bellator brand.”

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Bellator 261 adds Tim Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky interim title headliner, Jury vs. Outlaw

With champion Ryan Bader competing at 205 pounds, the promotion has implemented an interim strap.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Bellator heavyweight title picture finally has some clarity, and it comes in the form of an interim belt.

Over the past few weeks, Bellator president Scott Coker has teased the implementation of an interim belt with the division’s champion, Ryan Bader, currently competing in the light heavyweight grand prix.

On Friday, promotion officials confirmed to MMA Junkie that Bellator 261 will take place on June 25. [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] will headline the event with the newly-instated interim championship up for grabs at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Johnson (15-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) is currently on a three-fight winning streak but has not competed since October 2020. After his most recent win, Johnson made it clear he felt he was next in line, a sentiment echoed by the undisputed title holder Bader.

As for Moldavsky (10-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), the Fedor Emelianenko protege has passed every test Bellator has thrown his way. His last three wins have come via unanimous decision against Bellator notables Linton Vassell, Javy Ayala, and most recently, Roy Nelson.

Promotion officials also informed MMA Junkie that a lightweight fight between Bellator-ranked lightweights [autotag]Myles Jury[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) has been added to the card.

Check out the current Bellator 261 lineup below:

  • Tim Johnson vs. Valentin Moladvsky – for the interim heavyweight title
  • Myles Jury vs. Sidney Outlaw
  • Kyra Batara vs. Lena Ovchynnikova
  • Isaiah Hokit vs. Aaron Hughes

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