Bellator MMA returns Friday, April 2 with Bellator 255 but as they begin their run at their new home on SHOWTIME some changes have been made to the upcoming cards.
Yoel Romero versus Anthony Rumble Johnson is one of the most anticipated matches in Bellator’s World Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a little longer for it. On Friday, Bellator MMA broke the news in a press release that the bout between the two heavy hitters would have to be postponed until May.
They were originally supposed to face one another on April 16 but travel issues forced Bellator to shuffle things around. Their bout has been moved to May 7, the Bellator 258 card where Juan Archuleta and Sergio Pettis are scheduled to fight for the bantamweight title. While changes change some of their plans, it still has the fights on deck for what is looking like some pretty well-stacked cards.
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said, “Like everyone, we had a few hurdles with travel issues and had to move some things around, but I’m pleased that we were able to reschedule these bouts quickly. We now have three stacked events in a row featuring quarterfinal matchups on SHOWTIME, while also adding other incredible fights to each of these cards.”
Below are the updated cards Bellator announced changes to. Keep in mind, with the ongoing pandemic, cards are more subject to change across MMA than before.
Updated BELLATOR MMA 256: Bader vs. Machida 2 Main Card:
April 9 on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout: Ryan Bader (27-6, 1 NC) vs. Lyoto Machida (26-10)
Flyweight Bout: Liz Carmouche (14-7) vs. Vanessa Porto (22-8)
Featherweight Bout: Adam Borics (16-1) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (16-2, 1 NC)
Featherweight Bout: Cat Zingano (11-4) vs. Olivia Parker (4-1)
Preliminary Card:
Middleweight Bout: Dalton Rosta (4-0) vs. Tony Johnson (9-2)
Featherweight Bout: Talita Nogueira (7-2) vs. Jessica Borga (3-2)
Bantamweight Bout: Cass Bell (5-1) vs. Jornel Lugo (5-0)
Featherweight Bout: Cody Law (2-0) vs. Nathan Ghareeb (2-0)
Bantamweight Bout: Jaylon Bates (1-0) vs. Jeffrey Glossner (2-1)
Lightweight Bout: Nainoa Dung (3-2) vs. Izzy William (4-3)
Flyweight Bout: Diana Avsaragova (2-0) vs. Tara Graff (1-2)
Bantamweight Bout: John Douma (4-2) vs. Will Smith (3-2)
Updated BELLATOR MMA 257: Nemkov vs. Davis 2 Main Card:
April 16 on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Light Heavyweight World Title/WGP Quarterfinal Bout: Vadim Nemkov (13-2) vs. Phil Davis (22-5, 1 NC)
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout: Corey Anderson (14-5) vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-5-1)
Flyweight Bout: Veta Arteaga (5-4) vs. Desiree Yanez (5-2)
Preliminary Card:
Lightweight Bout: Lance Gibson Jr. (3-0) vs. Marcus Surin (6-2)
Welterweight Bout: Grachik Bozinyan (10-4) vs. Demarques Jackson (11-4)
Featherweight Bout: John de Jesus (13-9) vs. Alfred Khashakyan (11-5)
Updated BELLATOR MMA 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis Main Card:
May 7 on SHOWTIME
9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Bantamweight World Title Bout: Juan Archuleta (25-2) vs. Sergio Pettis (20-5)
Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal Bout: Anthony Johnson (22-6) vs. Yoel Romero (13-5)
Bantamweight Bout: Patchy Mix (13-1) vs. James Gallagher (11-1)
Preliminary Card:
Bantamweight Bout: Josh Hill (20-3) vs. Raufeon Stots (15-1)
Featherweight Bout: Weber Almeida (5-0) vs. Johnny Soto (3-1)
Middleweight Bout: Johnny Eblen (7-0) vs. Daniel Madrid (18-6)
Bantamweight Bout: Henry Corrales (18-5) vs. Keith Lee (7-4)
Lightweight Bout: Alan Omer (24-5) vs. Bryce Logan (12-5)
