2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Glob ...

, a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016.

Background

2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion

Bellator Kickboxing Bellator Kickboxing was an American kickboxing promotion company based in Los Angeles, active between 2016 and 2019. Bellator was founded in 2016 by president Scott Coker. It was the sister promotion of Bellator MMA. On April 16, 2016, Bellator ...

, which would debut on the night of Bellator 152 on April 16 and be taped for broadcast on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was ...

on April 22.

Bellator 148

Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich took place January 29, 2016 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The main event was a Welterweight fight between

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Cage Rage, Final Fight Championship, Strikeforce, Eli ...

and Andy Uhrich. The event was expected to be headlined by a

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

bout between

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

veteran

Josh Koscheck Edinboro Fighting Scots Josh D. Koscheck (born November 30, 1977) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought at Welterweight for the UFC and Bellator MMA. Koscheck made his debut with the UFC on the first season of the reali ...

and Matt Secor. However Koscheck pulled out of the bout due to an injury. As a result,

vs. Andy Uhrich was elevated to the main event Also on the card Paul Bradley faced

Chris Honeycutt Chris Honeycutt (born July 25, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly fought in Bellator's Middleweight division. Background Born in Brook Park, Ohio, Honeycutt began wrestling at the age of four. Honeycutt attended North Andov ...

in a rematch. Bradley and Honeycutt first squared off at Bellator 140, where their bout ended in a no contest in the second round due to an accidental clash of heads opening a cut on Bradley that forced a stoppage. Results

Bellator 149

Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie III took place February 19, 2016 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV, drawing an average 2.0 million viewers. Background The main event and co-main event of Bellator 149 were announced on the air during Bellator 145. President

Scott Coker Scott Coker (born October 3, 1962) is an American mixed martial artist, Taekwondoin, former movie stuntman, and combat sports promoter. He is the founder and former CEO of MMA promotion Strikeforce and the current President of Bellator MMA. Bac ...

announced the main event fight would feature trilogy bout between

combat sport A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opp ...

s legends

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

and

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family, he is considered to be one of the most influential figure ...

. Gracie initially beat Shamrock in fifty-seven seconds via rear-naked choke at their first meeting at

UFC 1 ''The Ultimate Fighting Championship'' (later renamed ''UFC 1: The Beginning'') was the first mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States, on November ...

in 1993. Subsequent to that bout, the duo fought to a thirty-six minute draw at

UFC 5 ''UFC 5: The Return of the Beast'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 7, 1995, at the Independence Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The event was seen live on pay per view in the U ...

in 1995. The co-main event featured a heavyweight bout between former

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

street fighters A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...

Kevin Ferguson, aka " Kimbo Slice" and Dhafir Harris, aka "Dada 5000" During intermission after the Kimbo Slice vs.

Dada 5000 Dhafir Harris (born August 4, 1977) known as Dada 5000, is a Bahamian-born American who is a former mixed martial artist and internet celebrity with his no holds barred street fight videos. He starred in ''Dawg Fight'' which is about street fight ...

fight and shortly before the

vs.

bout,

ring announcer Michael C. Williams announced to the live

Toyota Center Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in Houston. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it was once the home of the Houston ...

crowd attendance of 14,209. Thus making Bellator 149 the largest attended show in

history, beating out Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 previous live attendance of 11,732. Following the event it was announced that both

and Kimbo Slice had failed their pre-fight drug tests. Shamrock tested positive for the anabolic steroid

nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) which is used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate (brand name Durabolin). Nandrol ...

, the opioid

methadone Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to hero ...

, and an elevated (T/E) ratio of 12.4:1. Meanwhile, Slice also tested positive for nandrolone and having an elevated (T/E) ratio of 6.4:1. The maximum allowed (T/E) ratio by both the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's k ...

is 4:1. On May 2, 2016, it was revealed that Slice had settled with the Texas Athletic Commission with a fine of $2,500 and a revoking of his license in the state of Texas. The result of the bout has also been changed to a

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neithe ...

. Results

Bellator 150

Bellator 150: Kongo vs. Spartan took place February 26, 2016 at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kansas. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The event was expected to be headlined by a rematch between

Marcos Galvão Marcos Galvão (born 23 June 1981) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2003, Galvão peaked at a global rank ...

and Eduardo Dantas for the Bellator Bantamweight Championship. The bantamweight title rematch was originally scheduled for Bellator 144, but was postponed when Dantas was forced to withdraw after suffering a rib injury in training. Dantas defeated Galvão via second-round knockout in their first meeting at Bellator 89 when “Dudu” was the promotion's reigning 135-pound champ. However, due to an illness throughout the week leading to the fight, Galvão was pulled from the card the day of the weigh ins. The co-main event featured local favorite

David Rickels David Rickels (born January 5, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter who is currently competing in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional since 2010, he is a 23-fight veteran of the Bell ...

facing off against Bobby Cooper. Results

Bellator 151

Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell took place March 4, 2016 at the

WinStar World Casino WinStar World Casino and Resort is an American tribal casino and hotel located in Thackerville, Oklahoma, near the Oklahoma–Texas state line. It is owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation. The casino opened as the WinStar Casinos in 2004, a ...

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (3 ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The event was headlined by an Bantamweight bout between Joe Warren and undefeated rising star

Darrion Caldwell Darrion Caldwell (born December 19, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion. ...

. A former two-division champion, Warren has won six of his last seven fights in

. The 39-year-old last appeared at Bellator 143 on Sept. 25, when he captured a unanimous verdict against

L.C. Davis La Carvas Rashad Davis (born October 28, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, Davis has also formerly competed for the Quad Citie ...

. The 27-year-old Caldwell is 8-0 in his burgeoning career, including five triumphs under the Bellator banner. In his last outing, the former NCAA national champion wrestler choked out Shawn Bunch inside of a round at Bellator 143.

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987) is a British kickboxer, boxer, and mixed martial artist. He is recognised in the MMA community for his unorthodox fighting style, which originated fro ...

was originally scheduled to face Fernando Gonzalez at this event but was pulled out of the bout in early February 2016. He was replaced by Resurrection Fighting Alliance welterweight champion Gilbert Smith. Results

Bellator 152

Bellator 152: Italy took place April 16, 2016 at the Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy. The event aired on

. Background The event was announced in Paris by

President

joined by

Oktagon Oktagon is an international martial arts tournament based in Northern Italy and founded in 1996 by Carlo Di Blasi. The annual Oktagon tournaments, which draw 14,000 spectators, are also broadcast on DMAX and Rai Sport television to 120 countries ...

Kickboxing President Carlo Di Blasi a co-promoted event set to take place on April 16 at the

Pala Alpitour Palasport Olimpico, officially operating with the sponsored name Pala Alpitour except during events prohibiting sponsorship names when it is usually known as simply PalaOlimpico, or occasionally PalaIsozaki after its architect, is a multi-purpos ...

Torino, Italy Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

. Bellator 152 was followed by "Bellator Kickboxing: Torino”, the debut event of

. The event would be televised on Friday, April 22 on

, following their broadcast of Bellator 153. Results

Bellator 153

Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson took place April 22, 2016 at the

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span. It was built by the Perini Buil ...

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by a Welterweight Championship match between current champion

Andrey Koreshkov Andrey Andreevich Koreshkov (Russian: Андрей Андреевич Корешков, born August 23, 1990) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. He is the former Bellator Welterw ...

and former

and WEC lightweight champion

Benson Henderson Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes for Bellator MMA, currently competing in their Lightweight division. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. As of Novem ...

. The 32-year-old Henderson recently ended a 14-fight run with the

by signing a multi-fight deal with

. A longtime 155-pounder, Henderson recorded back-to-back wins as a welterweight in 2015. Also on the card is the Bellator debut of

Evangelista Santos Evangelista Santos ( born December 12, 1977) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 1997 until 2016, Santos competed for Strikeforce, Bellator MMA, the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Ch ...

taking on long time contender Brennan Ward. Former Bellator Featherweight Champion

Patrício Pitbull Patrício Freire (born July 7, 1987, in Natal, Brazil), known professionally by his ring name Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA where he is the current three-time Bellator Featherweight Ch ...

was originally scheduled to face John Macapá. who had to pull out of the evening's co-feature bout with a broken rib. Results

Bellator 154

''Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo'' is a

event held on May 14, 2016 at the

SAP Center The SAP Center at San Jose (originally known as San Jose Arena and the HP Pavilion at San Jose) is an indoor arena located in San Jose, California. Its primary tenant is the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, for which the arena has ...

in San Jose, California, USA. The event was aired live in prime time on

. Background Davis vs. King Mo was announced during Bellator 149 in Houston. The two men were supposed to face each other in the finals of the Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 light heavyweight one-night tournament back in September, but "King Mo" sustained a hip injury after winning in the first round. Former

star Phil Davis won the tournament at Dynamite by submitting

Emanuel Newton Emanuel Newton (born February 1, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division, where he is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. He has also competed for WEC, King of the ...

and knocked out reserve fighter Francis Carmont. Davis was originally scheduled to challenge light heavyweight champion

Liam McGeary Liam McGeary (born 4 October 1982) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division. He is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. Mixed martial arts career Early career McGea ...

, but McGeary was injured. Lawal won the two-night, eight-man tournament at

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the sp ...

on New Year's Eve in Japan. He knocked out Brett McDermott in the first round, beat Teodoras Aukstuolis in the semifinals by unanimous decision and knocked out Jiri Prochazka in the final. The winner of the main event will challenge for the title against the current champion. Former Bellator Lightweight Champion

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained n ...

was scheduled to face former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, ...

in a lightweight bout. However, on May 2, it was announced that Thomson pulled out of the bout due to an undisclosed injury. As a result, Chandler was pulled from the card altogether.

Jordan Parsons Jordan Parsons (August 26, 1990 – May 4, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in Bellator's featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Parsons had also previously competed for the Championship Fi ...

was scheduled to face Adam Piccolotti in a featherweight bout on this card. That fight was cancelled after Parsons was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left him hospitalized before he died on May 4, 2016.

Sergei Kharitonov Sergei Valerievich Kharitonov (russian: Серге́й Вале́рьевич Харито́нов, Sergéj Valér'jevich Kharitónov, ; born August 18, 1980) is a Russian professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and former kickb ...

was scheduled to make his debut on this card against Josh Appelt. However, on May 11, Kharitonov withdrew from the bout due to illness. As a result, Appelt was also removed from the card. Darren Uyenoyama was scheduled to fight on this card against Alvin Cacdac but required medical testing revealed a condition that would not allow Darren to compete. Results

Bellator 155

Bellator 155: Carvalho vs Manhoef took place May 20, 2016 at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by a match between Rafael Carvalho and

Melvin Manhoef Melvin Manhoef (born 11 May 1976) is a retired Surinamese-born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer. In kickboxing, he is a former It's Showtime Middleweight Champion, and in MMA he was the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion. In mixed mar ...

for the Bellator Middleweight Championship. Carvalho pulled off one of 2015's biggest upsets when he finished

Brandon Halsey Brandon Halsey (born September 16, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for ...

with a body kick in the second round to claim the Middleweight title at Bellator 144 last October. The Brazilian has not lost since his MMA debut in 2011 and has stopped 10 of his last 12 opponents. Manhoef earned his shot at the title by knocking out Hisaki Kato in the opening round at Bellator 146. The co-main event featured former Bellator Featherweight Championship Champion Pat Curran facing off against former

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

featherweight champion

Georgi Karakhanyan Georgi Karakhanyan is a Russian-born Armenian-American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, Karakhanyan has also formerly competed for the ...

. This event was scheduled to crown the inaugural Bellator women's featherweight champion in a bout between Marloes Coenen and

Julia Budd Julia Olivia Budd (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian kickboxer and mixed martial artist competing in the Women's Featherweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). She has fought in MMA promotions '' Strikeforce'' and ''Invicta Fightin ...

. However, Budd was injured and replaced by Alexis Dufresne thus changing the fight to a non-title bout. A preliminary bout between Ricky Steele and Eric Cronkhite was cancelled after Cronkhite missed weight by 9 pounds. Results

Bellator 156

Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2 took place on June 17, 2016 at the

Save Mart Center Save Mart Center at Fresno State is a multi-purpose arena, on the campus of California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), located in Fresno, California. An open house was held for the community on November 5, 2003, with the official ribbon ...

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background

made the first defense of his Bellator Bantamweight Championship title against Eduardo Dantas. The rematch was originally scheduled for Bellator 150, but was scrapped following a last-minute illness suffered by Galvão. Both fighters cut their teeth with André Pederneiras’ Nova Uniao squad in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, until their paths crossed at Bellator 89. Dantas won the fight via a second-round knockout. Dantas went on to defend the title against Anthony Leone before losing it to Joe Warren at Bellator 128. In turn, Galvão pieced together three consecutive victories and then defeated Warren via second-round technical submission to become the new champion.

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

was originally scheduled to face

Chidi Njokuani Chidi Godson Njokuani (born December 31, 1988) is an American former Muay Thai kickboxer and current professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A profession ...

, but was pulled from this bout when he got the call to headline Bellator 158 in London against

due to an injury that forced

out of that match up. Results

Bellator 157

Bellator 157: Dynamite 2 was held on June 24, 2016 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between former

light heavyweight champion

Quinton Jackson Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (born June 20, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist, actor and former professional wrestler, who most recently fought in the Bellator MMA. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and unified the Pride Middle ...

and Japanese Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii. Jackson had a successful three-fight stint with

- two knockouts against

Joey Beltran José Felipe Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He currently comp ...

and

Christian M'Pumbu Christian M'Pumbu (born June 2, 1977) is a French-Congolese professional mixed martial artist. He was the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion. Background M'Pumbu was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the ...

plus a unanimous decision won over

Muhammed Lawal Oklahoma State Cowboys Central Oklahoma Bronchos Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wre ...

- before returning to the UFC where he defeated Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision at UFC 186. After facing Maldonado, a contract settlement brought Jackson back to Bellator MMA. A 2008 Olympic gold medalist in judo, Ishii began his MMA career in December 2009 and has competed against fighters such as

Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko ( rus, Фёдор Влади́мирович Емелья́ненко, r=Fyodor Vladimirovich Yemelyanenko, p=ˈfʲɵdər vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjænʲɪnkə, IPA; born ...

Mirko Cro Cop Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a retired Croatian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro C ...

Jerome Le Banner Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...

, and

Tim Sylvia Timothy Deane Sylvia (born March 5, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, professional wrestler, and a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. He has competed as a Super Heavyweight and Heavyweight. While he is best kn ...

. In the co-main event, former Bellator Lightweight Champion

took on top contender

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA, Bellator's Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division, wher ...

for the vacant Bellator Lightweight Championship. Like the previous ''Dynamite'' card, the show combined MMA and kickboxing bouts with a cage and ring set up side-by-side. ''Bellator Kickboxing: St. Louis'' - which featured a rematch between Joe Schilling and Hisaki Kato under kickboxing rules - aired immediately following the ''Dynamite 2'' portion on Spike TV. Results

Bellator 158

Bellator 158: Daley vs. Lima (aka ''Bellator: London'') was held on July 16, 2016 at the

O2 Arena (London) The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The event had a tape-delayed broadcast on

and

Channel 5 (UK) Channel 5 is a British free-to-air public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel launched in 1997. It is the fifth national terrestrial channel in the United Kingdom and is owned by Channel 5 Broadcast ...

. Background Originally, Bellator President

announced that Kimbo Slice and James Thompson would compete in the main event of Bellator 158, to take place July 16 at London's O2 Arena. This was to be a rematch of their infamous 2008 clash under the

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

banner which ended in a controversial TKO win for Kimbo. Tragically these plans had to be scrapped, as Slice died suddenly on June 6, 2016 of heart failure.

was scheduled to make his debut on this card against

. However, Koscheck withdrew from the bout and was replaced by

. Fernando Gonzalez was supposed to fight

but visa issues forced him off the card and was replaced by

. Contractual issues with ATAK Promotions caused Mark Godbeer and Ben Smith to withdraw from the card.

Linton Vassell Linton Vassell (born 3 June 1983) is an English mixed martial artist, who competes in the Heavyweight division of Bellator. A professional since 2008, he has also competed for UCMMA and Cage Warriors. He is the former UCMMA Light Heavyweight ...

was supposed to fight Francis Carmont but a cut over his left eye forced him to withdraw and be replaced by Lukasz Klinger. The Mohegan Department of Athletic Regulation was responsible for drug testing at this event and marks the first time that Bellator had a US-based athletic commission exercise regulatory powers abroad. Results

Bellator 159

Bellator 159: Caldwell vs. Taimanglo was held on July 22, 2016 at the Kansas Star Arena in

Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for J ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by a bantamweight title eliminator bout between

and Joe Taimanglo. The winner is expect to face the current bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas. Originally set at bantamweight, the fight was switched to a catchweight when Taimanglo weighed in at 138 pounds. In the co-main event, local fighter Dave Rickels met Melvin Guillard. It was originally scheduled to be a lightweight bout, but Guillard missed weight and came in at 157.9 pounds. Results

Bellator 160

Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull was held on August 26, 2016 at the

Honda Center The Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by a Lightweight title eliminator fight between former

champion

and former Bellator featherweight champion

. Henderson, after being defeated in his April debut against welterweight champion

, returned to the division where he twice defeated

Frankie Edgar Frankie Edgar (born October 16, 1981) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning his career in the Lightweight division, ...

. He has also beaten former UFC title challengers

Nate Diaz Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is currently a free agent. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought for over 15 year ...

and

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ult ...

. Pitbull sought to parlay the victory to a title shot against lightweight champion

, who claimed the belt by knocking out Pitbull's brother, Patricky, on June 24. Due to pressure from fans the feature prelim was moved back to being the co-main even on the card featuring NCAA Division I National Champion in Wrestling

Bubba Jenkins Bubba Jenkins (born February 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division of Professional Fighters League. He has also notably competed for Bellator MMA, Absolute ...

versus

. The last time these two met Karakhanyan defeated Jenkins by guillotine choke in the first round. Additionally, four-time NCAA Division II Champion wrestler

Joey Davis Joel Malcolm Davis (born December 29, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. As a wrestler at Notre Dame College, he was the ...

made his professional MMA debut on this card; as an amateur he had a record of 5-0. Davis recently graduated from

Notre Dame College Notre Dame College (Notre Dame College of Ohio or NDC) is a private Roman Catholic college in South Euclid, Ohio. Established in 1922 as a women's college, it has been coeducational since January 2001. Notre Dame College offers 30 majors and i ...

, where he accumulated an undefeated 131-0 record over the course of four seasons during his collegiate wrestling career. He is the only Division II wrestler in NCAA history to win four consecutive national titles, and is one of three wrestlers ever to complete a four-year college career with an undefeated record. Kevin Ferguson Jr., the eldest son of Kimbo Slice, was scheduled to make his Bellator debut on this card against Jonathan Tomasian. However, the bout was cancelled on August 21 due to an injury received by Ferguson. Results

Bellator 161

Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson was held on September 16, 2016 at the

H-E-B Center at Cedar Park H-E-B Center at Cedar Park is an indoor arena located in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin. Originally named the Cedar Park Center, the arena is home to the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. T ...

Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a major suburb of Austin in the state of Texas, approximately to the north-west of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 77,595. History Before the arrival of European sett ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by a heavyweight fight between former

veteran

Cheick Kongo Cheick Kongo is a French heavyweight Mixed Martial artist and former Kickboxer who fights in Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of May 10, 2022, he is #4 in the ...

and Tony Johnson. Kongo was currently riding a two-fight winning streak over Vinicius Queiroz and Alexander Volkov. Kongo also owns wins against

Shawn Jordan Shawn Martin Jordan (born October 24, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Professional Fighters League's Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, Jordan has also formerly competed for ...

Matt Mitrione Matthew Steven Mitrione (born July 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist and former American football player, who competed for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and most recently for Bellator MMA. Prior to embarking on an MM ...

, Pat Barry and Mirko Filipovic. The bout was Kongo's third consecutive Bellator headliner slot. Meanwhile, Johnson boasted a three-fight winning streak, including a pair of victories under the Bellator banner – a January win over

Raphael Butler Raphael Butler (born January 4, 1984) is an American retired Heavyweight boxer and mixed martial artist. A professional boxing competitor from 2004 until 2011, he fought fighters the likes of David Price, Malik Scott, Eddie Chambers, and Chri ...

and an April 2015 win over Volkov. Johnson also owns wins against

contender

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts i ...

and former

champion

. Results

Bellator Kickboxing 3

Bellator Kickboxing 3 was held on September 17, 2016 at the Syma Hall in

Budapest, Hungary Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

. The event aired on tape delay on September 23, 2016 in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by a Bellator Kickboxing welterweight title fight between Karim Ghajji and Zoltán Laszák. Ghajji had previously won the title in his Bellator debut with a split decision victory over Mustapha Haida at Bellator 152. Results

Bellator 162

Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove was held on October 21, 2016 at the

FedEx Forum FedExForum is a multi-purpose arena located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Memphis, both of whom previously played home g ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background Bellator 162 was headlined by the return of former middleweight champion

Alexander Shlemenko Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko (russian: Александр Павлович Шлеменко, born 20 May 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighting for Bellator Fig ...

for the first time in approximately 18 months, as he takes on '' The Ultimate Fighter 3'' winner

Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King ...

. Shlemenko hadn't fought for Bellator since he knocked out

at Bellator 133 in February 2015. The former middleweight champ was suspended for three years by the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

State Athletic Commission after failing a post-fight drug test for

steroids A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...

. Shlemenko's suspension was reduced to one year, making him eligible to compete in February of this year. Shlemenko has fought twice in 2016 under the M-1 Challenge banner, scoring consecutive triumphs over

Vyacheslav Vasilevsky Vyacheslav "Crushin Russian" Vasilevsky is a Russian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Vasilevsky has fought for Bellator MMA, M-1 Global, and ...

. Grove has been victorious in three of his last four Bellator appearances, including back-to-back stoppages of Francisco France and

. In the co-main event

Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is an eight-time world champion, having been a two-t ...

squared off with Josh Appelt. Lashley entered the cage on a seven-fight winning streak, while Appelt returned to Bellator on the strength of back-to-back victories. Kevin Ferguson Jr., the eldest son of the late Kimbo Slice, was scheduled to make his Bellator debut on this card against Rick Bing. However, the bout was cancelled due to Bing missing weight for the fight. Results

Bellator 163

Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis was held on November 4, 2016 at the

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background In the main event,

put up his light heavyweight title in a long-awaited match up with top contender Phil Davis. This was McGeary's second title defense. McGeary won the title by defeating

in a five-round unanimous decision at Bellator 134. He then defended the title against

Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

at Bellator 142. McGeary has been out of action for over a year due to a medial collateral ligament injury. Davis defeated former light heavy champion Emanuel Newton and Francis Carmont in a one-night tournament to earn the title shot. While waiting for McGeary to heal, Davis also defeated

at Bellator 154. The scheduled co-main event of Marloes Coenen vs. Talita Nogueira was cancelled the day before the event when Talita failed to make weight. A welterweight bout between

and Derek Anderson was also scrapped on the day of the event after Daley fell ill from effects of his weight cut. Additionally, a catchweight bout at 160 pounds between Keenan Raymond and Kastroit Xhema was cancelled when Raymond withdrew from the fight. The preliminary card featured the Bellator debut o
Vinicius De Jesus
It also featured the professional MMA debuts of former standout wrestlers

Ed Ruth Edward Lee Ruth (born October 21, 1990) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three-time NCAA D ...

and Tyrell Fortune. Ruth was a three-time NCAA Division I champion for Penn State, while Fortune won an NCAA Division II title for Grand Canyon. Results

Bellator 164

Bellator 164: Koreshkov vs. Lima 2 was held on November 10, 2016 at the

Menora Mivtachim Arena Menora Mivtachim Arena ( he, היכל מנורה מבטחים; also known as the Yad Eliyahu Arena, ; and formerly known as the Nokia Arena, ) is a large multi-purpose sports indoor arena that is located in southeast Tel Aviv, Israel. The arena is ...

Tel Aviv, Israel Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. The event aired on

on tape delay. Background The event was headlined by two of the world's top Welterweights. Bellator champion

met former champion Bellator

in a rematch in the main event. Koreshkov won the welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Lima at Bellator 140. He defended the belt earlier that year with a dominant win over former

lightweight champion

at Bellator 153. Lima won the vacant welterweight title with a second-round TKO of

Rick Hawn Rick Hawn (born September 15, 1976) is a former Olympic judoka and professional mixed martial artist. A professional MMA fighter from 2009 - 2015, Hawn most notably competed for Bellator MMA, where he won the Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournam ...

at Bellator 117. After a lengthy layoff, he fought Koreshkov and lost via unanimous decision. After his loss to Koreshkov, he was out for a full year, but came back in July to defeat

at Bellator 158. In addition, the card featured one of Israel's own in the co-headliner, when newly signed Bellator MMA featherweight and Israeli Army veteran

Noad Lahat Noadya Lahat ( he, נועד להט; born June 8, 1984), also known by the nickname Neo, is an Israeli mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. A professional since 2008, he is the second Israeli to ever fight in the UFC ...

met NCAA Division II All-American

Scott Cleve Scott Cleve (born July 22, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Featherweight division and the MFC. Background Cleve was born in Long Beach, California and raised in Escondido, California, attending Escondid ...

, defeating him via a rear naked choke. Results

Bellator 165

Bellator 165: Chandler vs. Henderson was held on November 19, 2016 at the

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was headlined by two of the world's top lightweights as two-time Bellator champion

met former

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

and

champion

. Chandler looked to defend his belt for the first time since defeating

via knockout at Bellator 157: Dynamite 2. A 15-fight veteran of

, Chandler has collected memorable wins at 155-pounds including a victory over former

lightweight champion

Eddie Alvarez Edward "Eddie" Alvarez (born January 11, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight (170 lb) division of ONE Championship. He also formerly competed in the UFC and Bellator MMA, winning world titles ...

. Henderson earned a title shot in the lightweight division against its current titleholder in Chandler after defeating

Patricio Freire Patricio in Spanish, or Patrício in Portuguese, is a male given name equivalent to Patrick in English. The Spanish name is pronounced with the stress on the same first i as Portuguese, but an accent is not needed because this follows normal ru ...

at Bellator 160. Results

Bellator 166

Bellator 166: Dantas vs. Warren 2 was held on December 2, 2016 at the

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The event was headlined by a title fight rematch as Eduardo Dantas defended the Bellator Bantamweight Championship against former champion Joe Warren. Dantas had won back to back fights since losing the Bellator bantamweight title to Warren at Bellator 128 in 2014. Warren was coming off a submission win against Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161. A fight between featherweight prospects

A.J. McKee A. J. McKee (born April 7, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Featherweight and Lightweight division, where he is the former Bellator Featherweight Champion. As of February 28, 2023, he is #4 in the Bel ...

and Emmanuel Sanchez was scheduled for the co-main event. However, Sanchez pulled out in late November due to injury and was replaced by Ray Wood. Wood had been scheduled to face Treston Thomison on the preliminary card so Thomison received a new opponent in Dawond Pickney. Results

Bellator 167

Bellator 167: Caldwell vs. Taimanglo 2 was held on December 3, 2016 at the

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background Bellator 167 was originally scheduled to be headlined by a rematch between

and

Derek Campos Francisco Derek Campos (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, Campos has competed for Bellator MMA, Shark Fights and King of ...

. The pair previously fought at Bellator 117 with Freire winning by TKO in the second round. However, on November 25, it was announced that Freire pulled out of the bout due to injury. Bellator 167 was instead headlined by a bantamweight fight pitting

against Joe Taimanglo. Caldwell and Taimanglo previously met in a catchweight bout at Bellator 159. Caldwell did well in the first two rounds, but was caught with a fight-ending guillotine choke nine seconds into the third round. The defeat was the first loss of Caldwell's career and Caldwell was a 14-1 favorite entering the bout, making the upset the fourth biggest in MMA history. Taimanglo was riding a four-fight winning streak into the rematch. Caldwell came into the first bout with Taimanglo off a career-best win over Joe Warren at Bellator 151. A featherweight bout between Pat Curran and

John Teixeira John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

was also scheduled for this card. However, the fight was cancelled in early November due to an injury sustained by Curran. Teixeira instead faced Justin Lawrence. Results

Bellator 168

Bellator 168: Sakara vs Beltran will be held on December 10, 2016 at the Nelson Mandela Forum in

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. The event will air live in prime time on Spike TV. Background In the main event,

Alessio Sakara Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has al ...

faces

. Sakara made his Bellator debut earlier this year at the first Bellator event in Italy and defeated Brian Rogers by knockout in the second round. The event was originally expected to be headlined by a rematch between Rafael Carvalho and

for the Bellator Middleweight Championship. The pair previously fought at Bellator 155 with Carvalho retaining his title due to a controversial split decision. Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith called it one of the worst decisions he had ever seen in the promotion; likewise 5 of 5 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Manhoef. However, on December 2, Carvalho pulled out of the match due to injury. The event will also feature ''Bellator Kickboxing'' bouts including an anticipated female flyweight rematch between Denise Kielholtz and Gloria Peritore, the woman who defeated her this past June. The bout will be for the inaugural Bellator Kickboxing Women's Flyweight World Championship. Results

Bellator 169

Bellator 169: King Mo vs Ishii was held on December 16, 2016 at the

3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008. It was built on the site of the former Point Theatre, a smaller musi ...

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion

and Japanese Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii. Lawal won the two-night, eight-man tournament at

on New Year's Eve in Japan. A 2008 Olympic gold medalist in judo, Ishii began his MMA career in December 2009 and made his Bellator debut in June 2016 against

at Bellator 157: Dynamite 2. Bellator 169 is a Bellator MMA and

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

co-promoted event with the BAMMA 27 show filling out the rest of the card. Several top Irish prospects including Dylan Tuke, Ryan Curtis, Rhys McKee, and James Gallagher were featured on the card. Results

References

External links

Bellator
{{Bellator Tournament Events 2016 in mixed martial arts Bellator MMA events