Bellator are looking to round off 2022 on a high, with five big events set to give the promotion a spectacular end to the year.
Bellator 285 will see the promotion return to Dublin, Ireland on Friday, September 23 with local hero Peter Queally set to face MMA legend and former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the main event at the 3Arena. The co-headliner will see sparks fly between two powerful light heavyweight contenders as Yoel Romero faces off against Dutch legend Melvin Manhoef.
The action then moves on to Long Beach, California for Bellator 286 on October 1, with a featherweight championship bout between defending champ Patricio Pitbull and Hungarian contender Adam Borics. Chief support will be provided by the lightweight debut of former featherweight champ AJ McKee, who takes on Spike Carlyle.
The promotion then heads back across the pond to mainland Europe as Milan, Italy plays host to Bellator 287 on October 29. The Allianz Cloud will see a main event that showcases the promotional debut of European lightweight star Mansour Barnaoui, who takes on Adam Piccolotti in a 155-pound headliner. The co-main event offers up a pivotal clash in the middleweight division as Fabian Edwards, fresh off his knockout of Lyoto Machida, will look to solidify his championship credentials against the hard-hitting Dubliner Charlie Ward.
Joining those three events on Bellator’s end-of-year slate are two more events that look set to deliver some blockbuster action.
Bellator 288 in Chicago, Illinois will see the highly-anticipated light heavyweight grand prix final rematch between Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson on Friday, November 18. Their first meeting was ruled a no-contest, with Anderson dominating proceedings against the reigning 205-pound champion. Now he’ll get a second bite of the cherry as he looks to capture the light heavyweight title, and the $1 million tournament prize.
The lightweight title will also be on the line at the Wintrust Arena, as Patricky Pitbull puts his newly-won belt on the line against undefeated Russian contender Usman Nurmagomedov.
Finally, December 9 sees Bellator return to its regular home of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, with a pair of bantamweight grand prix semi-finals at the top of the card.
Headlining the event is the culmination of a increasingly heated rivalry as newly-crowned 135-pound champion Raufeon Stots takes on trash-talking, in-form Danny Sabatello, whose recent performances have put the bantamweight division on notice.
The co-main event will feature the other grand prix semi, as Patchy Mix takes on Magomed Magomedov in a battle between the division’s number two- and three-ranked contenders.
Bellator Event Schedule: September to December
- Friday, September 23 – Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally – Dublin, Ireland
- Saturday, October 1 – Bellator 286: Pitbull vs. Borics – Long Beach, California
- Saturday, October 29 – Bellator 287: Piccolotti vs. Barnaoui – Milan, Italy
- Friday, November 18 – Bellator 288: Nemkov vs. Anderson 2 – Chicago, Illinois
- Friday, December 9 – Bellator 289: Stots vs. Sabatello – Uncasville, Connecticut