JOHNNY EBLEN BECOMES NEW UNDISPUTED BELLATOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION AND ENTERS POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS WITH DOMINANT UNANIMOUS DECISION VICTORY OVER GEGARD MOUSASI
BELLATOR TO RETURN ON FRIDAY, JULY 22 WITH LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT AND CLASH OF TOP 5 WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDERS
LIVE ON SHOWTIME
LOS ANGELES – Last Friday, Johnny Eblen (12-0) stunned the MMA world with a masterclass performance against the legendary Gegard Mousasi (49-8-2), dropping and outclassing the former champion en route to a unanimous decision shutout (50-45, 50-45, 50-45). Eblen vaulted to seventh in the BELLATOR men’s pound-for-pound rankings as a result of the title-clinching victory, while Mousasi fell to the #1-ranked middleweight contender.
Elsewhere on the card, #3-ranked Magomed Magomedov (19-2) and #6-ranked Danny Sabatello (13-1) improved their rankings and advanced to the Bantamweight World Grand Prix semifinals by defeating Enrique Barzola and Leandro Higo, respectively. Alexander Shabliy (22-3) rose to fifth in the lightweight rankings with his second-round TKO of former champion Brent Primus (11-3), who fell to fourth.
BELLATOR MMA returns to action on Friday, July 22 with a talent-stacked event headlined by a lightweight championship bout between reigning titleholder Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire (24-10) and #1-ranked contender Sidney Outlaw (16-4).BELLATOR 283: Pitbull vs. Outlaw will air on SHOWTIME beginning at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.
The co-main event of BELLATOR 283 will pit top-five welterweight contenders against one another in a clash with title shot implications, as former champion and #3-ranked Douglas Lima (32-10) and Jason Jackson (15-4) meet on the SHOWTIME-aired main card. Also competing on the card is undefeated #3-ranked lightweight Usman Nurmagomedov (14-0), who faces former wrestling standout Chris Gonzalez (7-1), and former RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix tournament winner Tofiq Musayev (18-4) makes his BELLATOR debut opposite Adam Piccolotti (13-4).
The preliminary fight card will begin at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT, and will be distributed on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, and Pluto TV.
More Stories
Rigondeaux Returns Tuesday Night at Miami Nightclub E11EVEN.
BYB 33 Wolverhampton Brawl RESULTS: Martinjak, Podmore Crowned New Champions
Hernandez Retains Titles at Fists of Fury