Yusuf Karakaya – Syndication Server

Bellator 290 gains: What all 28 fighters weighed on fight night

Find out how much weight all 28 fighters at Bellator 290 gained from the Friday morning official weigh-ins to Saturday night’s fights.

At Bellator 290 on Feb. 4 in Inglewood, Calif., 16 of the 28 fighters on the card gained more than 10 percent of their weight back. Two of those 16 exceeded the 15 percent threshold.

MMA Junkie obtained a list of fight-night weights Monday from California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster.

In California, fighters have their weights checked on fight day – not solely when they have to hit their marks on the scale. The extra procedure was instituted in 2017 as part of the commission’s efforts to cut back on excessive weight cutting. Within those rules was a cap on how much a fighter could gain from the official weigh-ins to the fight.

If a fighter gains more than 10 percent back before the bout, the commission can make a recommendation they move to a higher weight class. If a fighter gains more than 15 percent, the commission can potentially cancel their fight.

Check out the weight gains and percentages for all 28 fighters on the card at Kia Forum.

Bellator 290 salaries: Ryan Bader, Johnny Eblen lead disclosed purses

Check out the disclosed pay for all 28 fighters on Bellator 290, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Twenty-eight fighters competed Saturday at Bellator 290 with the titleholders leading all disclosed payouts.

California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Saturday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.

One of five fighters who pocketed six-figure disclosed paydays, [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] topped the list with $150,000. Legendary MMA fighter [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] and welterweight Sabah Homasi each made $100,000, despite losses.

Scroll below to see what the 28 fighters on Bellator 290 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Knockout artists Sabah Homasi, Brennan Ward set to fight at Bellator 290

Bellator 290 adds a fight between Sabah Homasi and Brennan Ward, two of the most violent strikers in the promotion’s welterweight history.

Two of the most violent finishers in Bellator welterweight history have been booked to fight each other.

[autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] and [autotag]Brennan Ward[/autotag] in recent weeks advocated to square off, and the promotion obliged as they’ve been booked to fight Feb. 4 at Bellator 290. Three people, including a Bellator official, informed MMA Junkie of the booking.

Bellator 290 takes place at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., with the main card on CBS after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Reinvented under the Bellator banner, Homasi (17-10 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) has won six of his past eight bouts and is on a two-fight winning streak. Both of the back-to-back victories came by first-round stoppage. In 17 wins, Homasi has 14 finishes.

Ward (16-6 MMA, 11-6 BMMA) returned in February after nearly five years away from MMA competition due to an ongoing battle with drug addiction. At Bellator 274, Ward was successful in his comeback bout when he defeated Brandon Bell by second-round TKO. In June, he defeated Kassius Kayne by second-round TKO at Bellator 282.

In addition, a welterweight bout between [autotag]Ethan Hughes[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Yusuf Karakaya[/autotag] (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) has been added to the prelims. Hughes signed a multifight deal with Bellator in 2021 after he pulled off one of the biggest betting upsets of the year when he defeated former Olympian Mahmoud Sebie by TKO at Bellator 271.

With the additions, the Bellator 290 lineup includes:

Champion Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko – for heavyweight title
Champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – for light heavyweight title
Sabah Homasi vs. Brennan Ward
Ethan Hughes vs. Yusuf Karakaya