Bellator 297 pre-event facts: Patricio ‘Pitbull’ can be first to achieve triple champ status

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 297, where Patricio Freire is on the cusp of an unprecedented MMA accomplishment.

The biggest Bellator event of the year so far goes down Friday with Bellator 297, which takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

A championship doubleheader is featured on the top of a loaded card. In the main card, [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) will attempt to make his third light heavyweight title defense when he takes on [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA). The co-headliner, meanwhile, sees the return of bantamweight titleholder [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), who attempts to defend against current featherweight and former lightweight champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-5 MMA, 22-5 BMMA) in a potentially historic affair.

For more on the numbers behind the two title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 297.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 27-April 2)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported 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 March 27-April 2.

Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis added to Bellator 297 in Chicago

Bellator 297 continues to stack with notables as Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis is the newest addition to the June 16 lineup in Chicago.

[autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] have been atop major promotions’ light heavyweight divisions for nearly a decade but have never crossed paths.

That will change June 16 as a 205-pound bout between Anderson (16-6 MMA, 10-5 BMMA) and Davis (24-6 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) has been added to Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Promotion officials announced the booking after an initial report by ESPN on Thursday.

Anderson, 33, looks to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to champion Vadim Nemkov in November. The bout, which took place at Bellator 288, doubled as the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix final. It was also a rematch. Anderson and Nemkov fought in April 2022 at Bellator 277. The fight was declared a no contest after an inadvertent headbutt caused a cut on Nemkov.

Prior to the Nemkov bouts, Anderson was undefeated in Bellator with TKO wins over Ryan Bader, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, and Melvin Manhoef.

Davis, 38, seeks his third straight victories as he enters the fight on a two-fight winning streak that includes victories over Yoel Romero and Julius Anglickas. Davis is a former Bellator light heavyweight champion who, like Anderson, has only lost in the promotion to Nemkov.

With the addition, the Bellator 297 lineup includes:

  • Champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Freire – for bantamweight title
  • Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Bellator in 2022: A robust look at the stats, streaks, skids, and records

A full recap of Bellator’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, fights and individual performances of 2022.

Another year is in the books for Bellator.

The promotion hosted 17 fight cards to maintain its status among the top dogs in the MMA space. During that time, many records were set and a host of historic moments were produced.

Now that the year has come to a close, here are some of 2022’s most significant fights and individual performances.

Bellator champ Vadim Nemkov, Corey Anderson could have trilogy ‘down the line’

Given the first fight’s outcome, Bellator president Scott Coker is open to a third encounter between Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson.

CHICAGO – Bellator president Scott Coker feels for [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag].

“If I’m Corey, I’m really, really upset now,” Coker told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Friday after Bellator 288. “To me, that first fight, he turned the tide in that fight, and I thought he was on his way to win that fight. And then the cut happened, which he identified and brought to (referee) Frank Trigg’s attention, and the fight stopped. As you guys all know, that’s what happened, and we went by the rules.

“If he would’ve just kept punching for 5 seconds, he would’ve been the champ, won the million dollars, and won the tournament belt.”

That was in April at Bellator 287, the first light heavyweight grand prix final between Anderson and [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag], which ended in a no contest. If not for Anderson’s honesty about the accidental headbutt while dominating the final moments of Round 3, the fight would’ve gone to the scorecards – and a decision awarded to Anderson.

Instead Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) and Anderson (16-6 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) ran it back in the Bellator 288 headliner at Wintrust Arena, where Nemkov successfully defended his title with a sound unanimous decision win. The result was largely on account of two major factors: Nemkov outstruck Anderson and also stuffed each one of his takedowns over the course of 25 minutes.

“(Anderson) had a decent outing but not enough to beat Nemkov,” Coker said. “It was Nemkov’s night. I thought it was a very technical fight, went back and forth. There were some good exchanges, but I think Nemkov clearly won.”

Anderson, who had a three-fight unbeaten streak snapped, made it clear before Bellator 288 that winning the right way mattered – which is why he spoke up about the accidental clash of heads in the moment. But Anderson certainly didn’t have to do that. If he didn’t, he’d be $1 million richer.

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Coker said it’s likely Bellator would’ve booked a rematch in that scenario, as well. And even though Nemkov has a scheduled Feb. 4 title defense against Yoel Romero at Bellator 290, Coker already can see a Nemkov-Anderson trilog happening in the future.

“Absolutely. I mean, maybe it would’ve been a rematch (at Bellator 288), and the tournament would’ve been over, but I think this is a fight that maybe we might run it back another time down the line,” Coker said. “Let’s see how those guys do. Nemkov has a big fight against Yoel Romero on Feb. 4 in Los Angeles on CBS, which we’re really excited about. I think he’s gonna be busy. But let’s see how these guys run the division and when they can end up meeting again.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.

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Bellator 288 post-event facts: Usman Nurmagomedov makes history with title win

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 288, which saw Usman Nurmagomedov move to 16-0 while claiming gold.

The penultimate Bellator event of 2022 went down Saturday with Bellator 288 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

With two title fights on the card, one champ defended while another belt changed hands.

[autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) earned a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) to defend light heavyweight gold in the main event, while [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) outpointed [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) on the scorecards to claim the lightweight strap.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 288.

Vadim Nemkov def. Corey Anderson at Bellator 288: Best photos

Check out these photos from Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson at Bellator 288.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag]’s light heavyweight title defense and grand prix final victory over Corey Anderson at Bellator 288 which took place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. (Photos courtesy of Lucas Noonan, Bellator MMA)

Bellator 288 results: Vadim Nemkov shuts down Corey Anderson, defends light heavyweight title in grand prix final

Vadim Nemkov remains champion, and is $1 million richer for winning the light heavyweight grand prix.

CHICAGO – The Bellator light heavyweight grand prix is over and [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] was the last man standing.

The Bellator light heavyweight champion retained his title by defeating former UFC contender [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] in the light heavyweight grand prix final at Bellator 288. Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) defeated Anderson (16-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) in a unanimous decision, winning 48–47, 49–46 and 49–46 on the scorecards.

It was the second time they fought, as they competed back in April at Bellator 277. The bout ended in a no contest after there was an accidental clash of heads that rendered Nemkov out of the bout due to a severe cut.

This bout was Nemkov’s third title defense. He also took home the $1 million prize that came from winning the grand prix.

Bellator 288 took place on Friday at Wintrust Arena. The main card aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

It was a great showing by Nemkov, who completely shut down Anderson’s wrestling. Anderson attempted 15 takedowns and was unable to complete one.

The fight started at a high pace. It was high volume from both fighters as they went back and forth on the feet. As the round went by, Nemkov began leading the way. He was having good success with the right hand, connecting it multiple times. Anderson tried multiple takedowns, but none were successful. In the last seconds, Nemkov connected with a spinning wheel kick that dropped Anderson, who went for the takedown immediately after falling back and survived the round.

Nemkov carried that momentum to the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds. Anderson had his moments on the feet, but Nemkov was clearly having more success. Anderson again attempted multiple takedowns over and over, but Nemkov stuffed them all.

Nemkov would slow down and his attack would decrease in the championship round. And although Anderson upped the pressure and seemed to be the fresher fighter, Nemkov did enough to stuff any takedown attempt and score significantly on the feet.

Nemkov is now expected to defend his title on Feb. 4 at Bellator 290 in California. His challenger is former UFC contender Yoel Romero, who’s on a two-fight winning streak.

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This win kept Nemkov unbeaten in his Bellator career. Since joining the promotion in 2027, Nemkov has notched eight victories and the one no contest against Anderson. The Russian fighter has only lost twice in his career – a TKO loss to current UFC champion Jiri Prochazka back in 2015 and a split decision loss to Karl Albrektsson. Both defeats came under the Rizin FF banner.

On the other hand, Anderson suffered his first loss since leaving the UFC. The 33-year-old joined the Bellator ranks in 2020 and picked up three straight wins, defeating Melvin Manhoef, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, and Ryan Bader. He followed up that streak with the no contest bout against Nemkov.

Full results of Bellator 288 include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.

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Twitter reacts to Vadim Nemkov’s light heavyweight grand prix final win over Corey Anderson at Bellator 288

Check out the reaction to Vadim Nemkov’s grand prix final win over Corey Anderson in Chicago.

[autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] turned in a much-improved performance in his rematch with Corey Anderson in the main event of Bellator 288.

Nemkov (16-2 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) picked Anderson (16-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) apart with sharp strikes and perfect takedown defense to retain his light heavyweight title and win the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix. As an additional bonus, Nemkov takes home a $1 million prize for winning the tournament.

With the win, Nemkov stretches his unbeaten streak to 10, and is now set up to face Yoel Romero at Bellator 290 in February.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Nemkov’s title and grand prix final win over Anderson at Bellator 288 in Chicago.

Bellator 288 breakdown: Will Corey Anderson pick up where he left off against Vadim Nemkov?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator 288 main event between light heavyweight champ Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 288.

Bellator 288 takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.