2017 in Bellator MMA was the tenth year in the history of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

, a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 26 events in 2017.

Background

This year, Bellator announced their first MMA event to be held in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

: Bellator NYC. The event would also mark the Bellator debuts of former

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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

commentator

Mike Goldberg Mike Goldberg (born November 24, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, play-by-play commentator currently working with BYB Extreme Fighting Series and ProBox TV, both alongside color commentator Paulie Malignaggi. He is mainly known for his ...

, calling his first card on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...

since 2011 (which was the televised portion of Bellator NYC, referred to as Bellator 180), and former

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

commentator

Mauro Ranallo Mauro Domenico Ranallo (born December 21, 1969) is a Canadian sports announcer, commentator and mental health advocate. He is currently signed as a play-by-play announcer with MMA organization Bellator, and also performs play-by-play duties for ...

Bellator 170

Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen took place on January 21, 2017, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV, drawing 1.4 million viewers. Background On October 18, 2016, it was announced that former

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz () is an American politican and retired mixed martial artist and Submission grappling, submission grappler. Ortiz is best known for his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC ...

and

veteran

Chael Sonnen Chael Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

would headline this event. Sonnen owns career wins over the likes of

Yushin Okami is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Okami has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Pancrase, M-1 Global, World Series of Fighting, DEEP, Professional Fighters League, and ONE Championship. He is regarded as one o ...

Nate Marquardt Nathan Joel Marquardt (born April 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the middleweight and welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 1999, he is a former Strikeforce W ...

Brian Stann Brian Michael Stann (born September 24, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist and U.S. Marine who competed in the middleweight and light Heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He also competed in the light h ...

, former

Maurício Rua Maurício Milani Rua (; born 25 November 1981), also known as Shogun, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light H ...

and former UFC Middleweight Champion

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

. Ortiz is a

Hall of Famer and one of the most decorated champions in UFC history. "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" signed with Bellator in 2013 and has gone 2–1 with the promotion. He has wins over the likes of

Alexander Shlemenko Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko (, born 20 May 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships, where he is the former Bellator Middlew ...

Stephan Bonnar Stephan Patrick Bonnar (April 4, 1977 – December 22, 2022) was an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. Bonnar competed as a Light Heavyweight in the UFC for most of his career. Bonnar was the runner-up on The Ultimate Fig ...

Wanderlei Silva Wanderlei César da Silva ( , , ; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for the most wins, knockouts, ...

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock ( né Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock. He is best known ...

and

Forrest Griffin Forrest Griffin (born July 1, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013 and is the Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performan ...

. A women's bout between Rebecca Ruth and

Colleen Schneider Colleen Schneider (born March 12, 1982, in Syracuse, New York) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. Colleen was a contestant in season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition television show. Early life She attended C ...

was initially announced for this card. However, the bout never came to fruition for undisclosed reasons and Ruth was replaced by Chrissie Daniels Results

Bellator 171

Bellator 171: Guillard vs. Njokuani was held on January 27, 2017, at the

Kansas Star Casino The Kansas Star Casino is a casino and hotel in western Mulvane, Kansas, United States, owned and managed by Boyd Gaming. It is located on the west side of the I-35 ( Kansas Turnpike). The resort includes the Kansas Star Arena, a multipurpose ...

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 ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The event was headlined by catchweight at 179 pounds bout between

veteran

Melvin Guillard Melvin Guillard (born March 30, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. Guillard most notably competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA and World S ...

and

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

. The co-main event featured a lightweight bout between 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 Bellat ...

and Aaron Derrow. Additionally, prospects and former collegiate heavyweight wrestling stars Jarod Trice and Tyrell Fortune were featured on the undercard. Trice, a three-time All-American wrestler at Central Michigan University, faced Kevin Woltkamp. Fortune, a former NCAA Division 2 champion, faced Will Johnson. Results

Bellator 172

Bellator 172: Thomson vs. Pitbull aired on Saturday, February 18, 2017, at the

SAP Center SAP Center at San Jose (originally known as San Jose Arena and 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 earned ...

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

. The event aired live in prime time on

. Background The event was scheduled to be headlined by heavyweight legend

Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko; (born 28 September 1976) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist (MMA), sambist, judoka and politician. Emelianenko was the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion from 2003 to th ...

against former

veteran

Matt Mitrione Matt Mitrione (born July 15, 1978) is an American retired 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 MMA c ...

. Emelianenko retired in 2012, but ultimately returned to the sport in 2015. This was to be Emelianenko's first fight in the U.S. since 2011. Mitrione, a 38-year-old former NFL player has scored back-to-back knockout victories since joining Bellator over Carl Seumanutafa and

Oli Thompson Oliver Thompson (born 2 January 1980) is an English mixed martial artist and retired strongman. Thompson currently competes in MMA’s heavyweight division. He has previously competed for major organisations such as UFC, Bell ...

. Hours before the event, the fight was cancelled due to Mitrione becoming ill. As a result,

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1978) 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, U ...

vs.

Patricky Pitbull Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally as Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Lightweight division. He most notably competed for Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Lightwei ...

was moved up to the main event. Results

Bellator 173

Bellator 173: McGeary vs. McDermott was held on February 24, 2017, at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The event was originally scheduled to be headlined by a bout between Liam McGeary and Chris Fields. However, on February 20, it was announced that Fields had to withdraw from the match due to injury. The initial replacement for Fields was announced as Bellator newcomer Vladimir Filipovic. However, Filipovic also was pulled from the bout due to visa issues. McGeary eventually faced Bellator newcomer Brett McDermott. The event was a dual promotion event as Bellator's card was co-promoted with BAMMA 28. Results

Bellator 174

Bellator 174: Coenen vs. Budd was held on March 3, 2017, 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, ...

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located near the Texas state border. The population was 400 at the 2020 census. Geography Thackerville is situated near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and State High ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The main event featured

Marloes Coenen Marloes Coenen (born March 31, 1981) is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist. She competed professionally from 2000 to 2017 and is a former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. Early life Coenen's brothers and grandfather were both invo ...

versus

Julia Budd Julia Budd (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Kickboxing, kickboxer competing in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight division. She was the first List of Bellator MMA champions#Women's Featherweight ...

for the inaugural Bellator women's featherweight title. This was the first time a woman's bout has headlined a Bellator card.

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 ...

was originally scheduled to face

Chris Honeycutt Chris Honeycutt (born July 25, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). Background Born in Brook Park, Ohio, Honeycutt began wrestling at the age of four. Hon ...

at this event. However, Honeycutt was removed from the bout on February 28 and replaced by three-time UFC veteran and Bellator newcomer Mike Rhodes. Rhodes then failed to make weight and the fight was cancelled.

Joe Taimanglo Joe Taimanglo (born June 27, 1984) is a Guamanian professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist of Chamorro people, Chamorro ethnicity who competes in Bellator MMA, Bellator's Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division. A professional comp ...

was scheduled to face Steve Garcia on this card. However, the fight was removed from the card after Taimanglo missed weight. Results

Bellator 175

Bellator 175: Rampage vs. King Mo 2 was held on March 31, 2017, at the

Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, northwest of Chicago, located at the corner of Mannheim Road and Lunt Avenue, just north of Mannheim Road's interchange with the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway ( I-90) ...

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located immediately northwest of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 3,952. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The event was headlined by Heavyweight bout between former

Quinton Jackson Quinton Ramone Jackson (born June 20, 1978), known by his ring name of Rampage Jackson, is an American rapper, former mixed martial artist, actor, kickboxer, and professional wrestler. During the course of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, ...

against former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion

Muhammed Lawal Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former Strikeforc ...

. At the weigh ins, Emmanuel Sanchez missed the 146-pound featherweight limit, coming in at 149.5 pounds. The fight was changed to a catchweight. Results

Bellator 176

Bellator 176: Carvalho vs. Manhoef 2 took place on April 8, 2017, at the Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy. The event aired on

. Background A Middleweight world title fight rematch pitting Rafael Carvalho against

Melvin Manhoef Melvin Manhoef (born 11 May 1976) is a retired Surinamese people, Surinamese-born Dutch people, Dutch mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Kickboxing, kickboxer. In kickboxing, he is a former It's Showtime (kickboxing), It's Showtime Middl ...

served as the main event of Bellator 176. The event was announced by the company in February 2017. It was the second time Bellator MMA held an event at the

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

Torino, Italy Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 city is main ...

. Like the previous card, this event featured both MMA and kickboxing bouts. Results

Bellator 177

Bellator 177: Dantas vs. Higo took place on April 14, 2017, at

Budapest Sports Arena Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the tenth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the river Danube. The estimated population of the city in 2025 ...

Budapest, Hungary Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. The event aired on

. Background This event marked Bellator's second event in Hungary. The event featured both MMA and kickboxing bouts. The main event was originally scheduled to feature Eduardo Dantas against

Darrion Caldwell Darrion Caldwell (born December 19, 1987) is an American retired mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who competed in the bantamweight division. He formerly competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamwei ...

, but Caldwell withdrew due to injury. Leandro Higo stepped in as a replacement. Due to the short notice, the fight was changed from a Bantamweight title bout to a non-title contest at a catchweight of 139 pounds. Bellator Kickboxing 6 was headlined by a Welterweight world title rematch featuring Zoltán Laszák against

Karim Ghajji Karim Ghajji (born January 16, 1981), is a French-Moroccan kickboxer and B-boy. He is a former Glory Welterweight Championship challenger. Combat Press ranked him in the welterweight top ten between September 2014 and April 2018. Biography an ...

. Additionally, two-time Glory Featherweight Champion

Gabriel Varga Gabriel Varga (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian kickboxer who competed in the lightweight division of Karate Combat. He is a former Bellator KB Featherweight champion, former two time Glory Featherweight champion, and former WKN lightweight ch ...

made his Bellator Kickboxing debut. Results

Bellator 178

Bellator 178: Straus vs. Pitbull 4 took place on April 21, 2017, at

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in the Uncasville, Connecticut, Uncasville area of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurab ...

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located 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 on

. Background A Bellator Featherweight Championship tetralogy bout between current champion Daniel Straus and former champion

Patrício Pitbull Patrício Andre de Sousa Freire (born July 7, 1987), known professionally as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

took place at the event. The pairing first met in a non-title bout at

Bellator 45 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

on May 11, 2011, where Pitbull won by unanimous decision. Their second meeting took place at

Bellator 132 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

on January 16, 2015, where Pitbull defended the title by submission in the fourth round. Their third meeting took place at Bellator 145 on November 6, 2015, where Straus captured the title by unanimous decision. A middleweight bout between

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 ...

and Aaron Goodwine was originally scheduled for this card, but failed to materialize. Ruth instead faced David Mundell. Results

Bellator 179

Bellator 179: MacDonald vs. Daley took place on May 19, 2017, at the SSE Arena in London, England. The event aired on

. Background Bellator returned to London with a welterweight fight pitting

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bella ...

against Rory MacDonald serving as the main event of Bellator 179. Stav Economou was originally scheduled to face Karl Etherington in heavyweight bout. However, the bout was cancelled and Economous faced Dan Konecke.

Neil Grove Neil Grove (born 18 January 1971) is a South African-English Heavyweight professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Grove has competed for the UFC, Bellator Cage Rage, UCMMA, and the SFL. Background Originall ...

and Łukasz Parobiec were expected to fight in a Heavyweight bout. However, the fight was cancelled for undisclosed reasons.

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987), known as Michael "Venom" Page or MVP, is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divi ...

was scheduled to face Derek Anderson as the co-main event. However, the fight was removed from the card after Page suffered a knee injury and neck injury. Results

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Charlotte

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Charlotte took place on May 20, 2017, at the

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...

Concord, North Carolina Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 105,240 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Concord is the second-most populous city in the Cha ...

Background On May 1, 2017, Bellator announced a special four-fight card that took place at the

Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race All-star game, All-Star events are annually held in the NASCAR Cup Series at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Beginning in 2008, NASCAR began the practice of using Roman numerals to identify each race, but ended one ...

XXXIII. The goal of the event was to scout new talent for a prospective contract. Unlike all previous Bellator events, this event was not televised, as this event took place at a NASCAR race, where

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

, which holds rights to a rival MMA promotion, holds video rights for events at the Charlotte Motor Speedway during the event. Results

Bellator NYC/Bellator 180

Bellator NYC: Sonnen vs. Silva and Bellator 180 took place on June 24, 2017, at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

in New York City. The event aired both Spike TV and on PPV. Background A grudge match between rivals

and

served as the main event. The co-main event was a heavyweight bout between

vs.

. The pairing were supposed to meet at Bellator 172 but Mitrione had to be hospitalized due to kidney stones. Debuting former UFC fighter

Ryan Bader Ryan Bader ( ; born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of RIZIN. He previously competed for Bellator MMA where he was the Bellator Heavyweight Champion, and still holds the record for th ...

was initially scheduled to face

on this card. However, Lawal pulled out of the fight due to an injury and Bader instead faced Light Heavyweight champion Phil Davis in a rematch. Bader and Davis first met at UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson on January 24, 2015, with Bader winning by split decision. A fight between Keri Anne Melendez and Sadee Monseratte Williams was scheduled but cancelled after Melendez pulled out due to injury. The PPV portion of the MSG card was referred to as Bellator NYC. The undercard, airing on Spike, was Bellator 180. Results

Bellator 181

Bellator 181: Girtz vs. Campos 3 took place on July 14, 2017, at the

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The main event featured Brandon Girtz against

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 t ...

in a rubber match. Campos won the pair's initial meeting in June 2013 at

Bellator 96 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

by unanimous decision. Girtz avenged the loss in November 2015 at

Bellator 146 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

, where he won by knockout in the first round. Former UFC fighter

Valérie Létourneau Valérie Létourneau (born April 29, 1983) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Flyweight and Strawweight divisions for Bellator MMA and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) . Mixed martial arts career Létourn ...

was expected to make her Bellator debut on this card against Emily Ducote. However, on July 10, Létourneau withdrew from the bout due to injury and was replaced by Jessica Middleton. Results

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Bristol

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Bristol was the second installment of the series and took place on August 19, 2017, at the

Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Bristol International Raceway from 1978 to 1996 and as the Bristol International Speedway from 1961 to 1978) is a oval Oval track racing#Short track, short track in Bristol, Tennessee. The track ha ...

, in

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary be ...

. Again, the fights were not televised because of television conflicts with NASCAR's rights holder (NBC, which airs the

Professional Fighters League 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) promot ...

, aired a PFL contest June 30). Results

Bellator 182

Bellator 182: Koreshkov vs. Njokuani took place on August 25, 2017, at the

Turning Stone Resort & Casino Turning Stone Resort Casino is a Native American resort casino owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York (OIN) in Verona, New York. The facility opened on July 20, 1993, and offers golf amenities (on- and off-site golf course ...

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenos ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The main event featured former Bellator Welterweight 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 ...

versus

. It was originally scheduled as a welterweight bout, but Njokuani missed weight so the bout was contested at a catchweight of 175 pounds. The co-main event of

Brennan Ward Brennan Ward (born June 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist and Bare Knuckle Boxer who most recently competed in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Ward formerly competed for CES MMA ...

against Fernando Gonzalez was set to be a catchweight bout of 178 pounds. However, Gonzalez weighed in at 180 pounds. Gabby Holloway was originally scheduled to face

Talita Nogueira Talita Nogueira (born October 13, 1985) is a female Brazilian practitioner and mixed martial artist competing in the Featherweight division. Talita Nogueira is most notable for being the 2011 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship winner and competing in ...

on this card. However, on August 1, Holloway withdrew from the bout and was replaced by

Amanda Bell Amanda Bell (born August 3, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. She previously competed in the Bellator MMA and Invicta FC. Mixed martial arts career Early career A well rounded athlete, Bell cur ...

. Results

Bellator 183

Bellator 183: Henderson vs. Pitbull took place on September 23, 2017, at the

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background The main event featured a Lightweight bout between

Benson Henderson Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Lightweight division for Bellator MMA. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. H ...

and

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally as Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Lightweight division. He most notably competed for Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Lightwe ...

. Also occurring on the show was Bellator Kickboxing 7 headlined by featherweight title bout between Kevin Ross and Domenico Lomurno. Results

Bellator 184

Bellator 184: Dantas vs. Caldwell took place on October 6, 2017, at the

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Results

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Talladega

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Talladega was the third installment of the series held on October 13, 2017, at the

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway (Alabama International Motor Speedway from 1969 to 1989) is a tri-oval superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Built in 1969, the track has hosted a variety of racing events, primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The track is ...

, in

Lincoln, Alabama Lincoln is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1911. At the 2020 census, the population was 6,845. It was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the American army during the Revolutionar ...

. Again, the fights were not televised because of television conflicts with NASCAR's rights holder (NBC, which airs the

, aired a PFL contest June 30 during the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 at Daytona). Results

Bellator 185

Bellator 185: Mousasi vs. Shlemenko took place on October 20, 2017, at

. The event aired live on

. Background Bellator 185 marked the debut of heralded middleweight fighter

Gegard Mousasi Gegard Mousasi (born 1 August 1985) is a Dutch mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. Mousasi most recently competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former two-time Bellator Middleweight Champion. He is also the former DREAM Light Heavywe ...

. Having competed for the

for the last four years, Mousasi opted to sign with Bellator MMA when his contract came up.

was scheduled to face

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 McGe ...

in a Light Heavyweight bout in the co-main event. However, on October 2, he pulled out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by

Bubba McDaniel Robert "Bubba" McDaniel (born May 3, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly fought as a Middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he went (1–2). He was a member of FX's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team ...

. The following week, McGeary pulled out of the fight due to a thumb injury.

was scheduled to face

in a welterweight bout on the main card. However, on October 16, Ward was removed from the card due to injury and Rickels was pulled from the card as a result. Javier Torres was scheduled to face

Neiman Gracie Neiman Gracie (born Neiman Gracie Stambowsky December 12, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. A two-time Pan-American champion in coloured belts, Gracie medalled at the 2013 black belt World No-Gi ...

on this card, but pulled out due to injury. He was replaced with welterweight

Zak Bucia Zak Bucia is a professional American mixed martial artist fighting out of San Francisco, California. A professional competitor since 2007, he has fought in Strikeforce, Titan FC, and King of the Cage. Mixed martial arts career Strikeforce Bu ...

. Results

Bellator 186

Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell took place on November 3, 2017, at the Bryce Jordan Center in

University Park, Pennsylvania Penn State University Park, also referred to as University Park, is the main campus of Pennsylvania State University, located in both State College and College Township, both in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post off ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background In the Bellator 186 main event

made the first defense of his Light Heavyweight title against

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

. The co-main event featured Ilima-Lei Macfarlane against Emily Ducote for the inaugural Bellator Women's Flyweight title. Results

Bellator 187

Bellator 187: McKee vs. Moore took place on November 10, 2017, at the

3Arena 3Arena may refer to the following: * 3Arena (Dublin) 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 and was re-bran ...

in Dublin, Ireland. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background James Gallagher was expected to main event Bellator 187 against Jeremiah Labiano; however, on October 11, Gallagher withdrew from the bout due to injury. Labiano was moved to face Noad Lahat at Bellator 188 on November 16. A featherweight match-up between A.J. McKee and Brian Moore served as the new main event. The event was a co-promotion between 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 ...

with BAMMA 32 taking place the same night. Results

Bellator 188

Bellator 188: Lahat vs. Labiano took place on November 16, 2017, at the

Menora Mivtachim Arena Yad Eliyahu Arena, , known as the Menora Mivtachim Arena () and formerly as the Nokia Arena () for commercial reasons, is a large multi-purpose sports indoor arena that is located in southeast Tel Aviv, Israel. The arena is primarily used to host ...

in Tel Aviv, Israel. The event aired on

. Background The card was originally headlined by a rematch between champion

Patrício 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 ...

and

Daniel Weichel Daniel Weichel (born November 22, 1984) is a German former professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Featherweight division for Bellator MMA. He has also competed in M-1 Global and Shooto. Background Born and raised in Germany, ...

for the Bellator Featherweight Championship. The pair previously met in June 2015 at Bellator 138 with Freire winning by knockout. On November 12, it was announced Freire had to withdraw due to a knee injury. The main event instead featured a match between

Noad Lahat Noadya Lahat (; 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 and has competed for B ...

and Jeremiah Labiano. The card also featured Dutch kickboxing standout Denise Kielholtz's second MMA fight. Results

Bellator: Monster Energy Fight Series: Homestead

Bellator: Monster Energy Fight Series: Homestead was the fourth installment of the series held on November 19, 2017, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, in Homestead, Florida. Again, the fights were not televised because of television conflicts with NASCAR's rights holder (NBC, which airs the

, aired a PFL contest June 30 during the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 at Daytona). Results

Bellator 189

Bellator 189: Budd vs. Blencowe 2 took place December 1, 2017 at the

. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. Background In the Bellator 189 main event, women's featherweight champion Julia Budd faced Arlene Blencowe in a rematch. The pair originally fought at Bellator MMA in 2016, Bellator 162 with Budd winning via majority decision. The co-main event was a middleweight bout between Rafael Lovato Jr. and Chris Honeycutt. Results

Bellator 190

Bellator 190: Carvalho vs. Sakara took place on December 9, 2017, at the Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence, Italy. The event aired on

. Background A Middleweight world title fight match pitting Rafael Carvalho against Alessio Sakara served as the main event of Bellator 190. Occurring also on this card is Bellator Kickboxing 8 headlined by Lightweight title bout pitting Giorgio Petrosyan against Youdwicha. Results

Bellator 191

Bellator 191: McDonald vs. Ligier took place on December 15, 2017, at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle, England. The event aired on tape delay in prime time on Spike TV. Background The main event featured the Bellator debut of former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight contender Michael McDonald (fighter), Michael McDonald. The event was a co-promotion between Bellator MMA and BAMMA Events#BAMMA 33: Scope vs. Lebout, BAMMA 33. Results

References

External links

Bellator
{{2017 in mixed martial arts 2017 in mixed martial arts Bellator MMA by year