Bellator and SBG team up to spread Christmas cheer for children in Ireland

Bellator and famed Irish MMA gym Straight Blast Gym joined forces to help raise spirits with a special initiative as they filled the Bellator cage with toys for Christmas.

The initiative saw SBG and Bellator collect toys donated by the local community as they aimed to fill the famed Bellator cage with toys before donating them to children across Ireland for Christmas.

The event saw fans in Dublin challenged to create “a truly knockout Christmas” by donating toys to the appeal, which served the largest voluntary charitable organization in Ireland, St Vincent De Paul (SVP).

It resulted in a huge response, as the Bellator cage was filled with donations from generous Bellator fans across Ireland, all of whom doing their bit to help make a child’s Christmas a little bit happier this festive season.

As part of the event, fans attending the SBG gym to make donations were also able to meet and have photos taken with some of the gym’s most prominent names, including head coach John Kavanagh and Bellator fighters Peter Queally, Sinead Kavanagh, Brian Moore and Darragh Kelly.

“I’m delighted we were able to help organize the event and host it here at SBG HQ,” said Coach Kavanagh.

“The cage was filled with toys and it’s incredible to see them all stacked up. It will make a huge difference this Christmas for the children who need it most. I want to thank everyone who donated and came down on the day. Merry Christmas to everyone.”

Women’s featherweight contender Sinead Kavanagh said, “It’s a week to go until Christmas and times are tough for everyone but it’s great to be able to give something back to the children of Dublin and support the St Vincent De Paul charity. It’s incredible to see so many toys and let’s hope it’s a good Christmas for everyone.”

Bellator’s Head of Europe David Green said, “It has been a truly special day here in Dublin and I want to thank the extremely generous Irish community for their donations for such a great cause.

“Dublin is a huge part of the Bellator MMA event calendar, and we wanted to give something back to the community at this special time of year.

“We hope the donations received will provide a special Christmas for families across Ireland. From our fans to the wider community, Ireland has given so much to Bellator MMA, so to play a small part in giving something back is very rewarding.

“I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and we can’t wait to provide many more special moments in Dublin in 2023.”

Fans won’t have to wait long for Bellator’s next visit to the Emerald Isle, with Bellator 291 set to take place at Dublin’s 3Arena on Saturday, February 25, with a welterweight title unification bout between Yaroslav Amosov and Logan Storley set for the main event.