2018 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 23 events in 2018.

Background

In addition to airing cards on the newly-rebranded

Paramount Network 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 located a ...

(formally Spike), Bellator would sign a multi-year deal with streaming service

DAZN DAZN (; pronounced "da zone") is a British Over-the-top media service, over-the-top sports Sports broadcasting, streaming and entertainment platform. Founded in 2007 as Perform Group via the merger of Premium TV Limited and Inform Group, it is o ...

. Their partnership began with Bellator 206, which was broadcast exclusively on DAZN. Bellator would hold its 200th numbered event on May 25, 2018.

Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament

In 2018, Bellator organised the 2018–2019 Heavyweight Grand Prix that will crown the Bellator Heavyweight champion. This belt was vacated in May 2016 by

Vitaly Minakov Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov (; born February 6, 1985) is a Russian mixed martial artist, sambist and judoka who competed in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor from 2010 till 2021, he competed for Bellator MMA, where he is the fo ...

. Minakov had not defended the title since April 2014.

Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Tournament

In 2018, Bellator organised the 2018–2019 Welterweight Grand Prix that will crown the Bellator Welterweight champion. All fights will be five rounds. If Rory MacDonald were to lose, the victor will be declared lineal champion until he loses or wins the tournament and becomes undisputed champion. * Lorenz Larkin versus Ion Pascu took place to determine a tournament alternate, with Larkin winning to stand as the alternate. *Champion Rory MacDonald retained his title in a majority draw. He advanced to fight Neiman Gracie.

Bellator 192

Bellator 192: Rampage vs. Sonnen took place on January 20, 2018 at The Forum in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

. The event aired on

as the first Bellator event to air on the network since its re-branding from Spike. Background This card featured the first bout in the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. Results

Bellator 193

Bellator 193: Larkin vs. Gonzalez took place on January 26, 2018 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Paramount Network. Background A Lightweight bout between Eugene Correa and Joao Paulo Faria was planned for the undercard of this event, but was canceled for undisclosed reasons. Despite a 180-pound catchweight limit installed in the main event, headliner Fernando Gonzalez still missed weight. It was his third consecutive weight cut miss. Results

Bellator 194

Bellator 194: Mitrione vs. Nelson 2 took place on February 16, 2018 at the

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 in prime time on Paramount Network. Background This card featured the second bout in the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament.

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 ...

and Roy Nelson previously fought under the UFC banner in December 2012 with Nelson winning by TKO in the first round. Results

Bellator 195

Bellator 195: Caldwell vs. Higo took place on March 2, 2018 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 Paramount Network. Background The event was headlined by Bantamweight champion

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 ...

making the first defense of his title against Pitbull brothers' protege Leandro Higo. Results

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Atlanta

Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Atlanta was the fifth installment of the series held on March 3, 2018 at the

Georgia World Congress Center The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) is a convention center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Enclosing some 3.9 million ft2 (360,000 m2) in exhibition space and hosting more than a million visitors each year, the GWCC is the world's largest LEED c ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

prior to the

Monster Energy Monster Energy is a brand of energy drink, energy drinks that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. In 2022, Monster Energy had a 30.1% Market share, share of the American energy drink market, th ...

AMA Supercross. Results

Bellator 196

Bellator 196: Henderson vs. Huerta took place on April 6, 2018 at BOK Hall in

Budapest 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 ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. The event aired on tape delay in prime time on Paramount Network. Background Bellator 196 featured a lightweight main event 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

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Ch ...

, returning to the promotion after a 7 year absence. The original main event between

Ádám Borics Ádám Borics (born July 7, 1993) is a Hungarian Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League. He previously competed for Bellator MMA. Early life ...

and James Gallagher was cancelled after a wrist injury was sustained by Gallagher during training. Results

Bellator 197

Bellator 197: Chandler vs. Girtz took place on April 13, 2018 at the

Family Arena The Family Arena is a multi-purpose arena in St. Charles, Missouri, built in 1999. Currently it is home to the St. Louis Ambush of the Major Arena Soccer League. Background The arena seats 9,643 for hockey, 9,755 for football, 10,467 for ...

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Paramount Network. Background

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler Jr. (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chandler previously competed for Bellator MMA from 2010 ...

was scheduled to face

Brent Primus Brent Primus (born April 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing for the PFL. He formerly competed for Bellator MMA, where he was a one-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion. Background Born and raised in Eugene, O ...

in a rematch for the Lightweight title. However, on March 21, Primus pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury. As a result, Brandon Girtz stepped in as a replacement. Results

Bellator 198

Bellator 198: Fedor vs. Mir took place on April 28, 2018 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 Paramount Network. Background

Rafael Lovato Jr. Rafael Lovato Jr. (born June 25, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor. At the time of his original retirement, he was the Bellator MMA Middleweight World Champion and was ranked the no. 4 middlewe ...

was originally scheduled to face

John Salter John Salter (born March 21, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist, he competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), St ...

on this card. However, Salter was pulled by the Illinois Athletic Commission due to an eye issue on April 24 and replaced by Gerald Harris. Due to the lateness of the rebooking, the bout was contested at a catchweight of 188 pounds. Results

Bellator 199

Bellator 199: Bader vs. King Mo took place on May 12, 2018 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 Paramount Network. Background This card featured the fourth and final bout in the opening round of the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament as Light Heavyweight Champion

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 ...

moved up to face

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 ...

. Results

Bellator 200

Bellator 200: Carvalho vs. Mousasi took place on May 25, 2018 at the SSE Arena, Wembley in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The event aired on tape delay in prime time on Paramount Network. Background This card was expected to be headlined by a rematch between

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

and Roy Nelson. The pair previously fought in October 2011 at

UFC 137 ''UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was originally expected to take ...

with Nelson winning by TKO. The bout was also expected to serve as an alternate bout for the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. However, the bout was scrapped during the week leading up to the event as Cro Cop pulled out of the fight citing an injury. Results

Bellator 201

Bellator 201: Macfarlane vs. Lara took place on June 29, 2018 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in

. The event aired live in prime time on Paramount Network. Background Results

Bellator 202

Bellator 202: Budd vs. Nogueira took place on July 13, 2018 at the

. The event aired live in prime time on Paramount Network. Background Originally Stephanie Geltmacher was scheduled to face Deborah Kouzmin. However, on the week of the event Kouzmin announced that she was injured. Bellator could not find a replacement for Geltmacher in time for the event. Results

Bellator 203

Bellator 203: Pitbull vs. Weichel 2 took place on July 14, 2018 at the

Foro Italico Foro Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy, on the slopes of Monte Mario. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini (literally Benito Mussolini, Mussolini's Forum (Roman), Forum) under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, lat ...

Rome, Italy Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The event aired via tape delay in prime time on Paramount Network. Background The main event featured a rematch between Featherweight champion

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 ...

and challenger

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, ...

. The pair previously met at Bellator 138 in June 2015, where Freire won via knockout in the second round. Results

Bellator 204

Bellator 204: Caldwell vs. Lahat took place on August 17, 2018 at the

Sanford Pentagon The Sanford Pentagon (colloquially known as The Pentagon) is an indoor arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Pentagon opened in September 2013 and has a seating capacity of 3,250 spectators. It hosts the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA ...

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

. The event aired live in prime time on Paramount Network. Background The event featured Bellator Bantamweight Champion

moving up to Featherweight as he fought

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 ...

in a non-title bout. James Gallagher competed at Bantamweight for the first time as he fought Bellator newcomer Ricky Bandejas. Results

Bellator 205

Bellator 205: McKee vs. Macapá took place on September 21, 2018 at the

CenturyLink Arena Idaho Central Arena (originally Bank of America Centre, formerly Qwest Arena and CenturyLink Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. Its seating capacity is 5,002 for ice hockey, 5,300 for basketball ...

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

. The event aired live on

and

. Background The event was expected to see a featherweight main event featuring A.J. McKee and former champion Pat Curran, but Curran was pulled due to injury. McKee instead faced

John Macapá John Teixeira da Conceição (; born November 18, 1986), commonly known as John Macapá, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Teixeira h ...

. Goiti Yamaguchi was expected to fight

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 ...

on the card but pulled out before the fight due to injury. Freire instead faced

. Results

Bellator 206

Bellator 206: Mousasi vs. MacDonald took place on September 29, 2018 at the

. The event streamed live on

in the United States and all other regions previously served by the service, including Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Japan, as part of a new agreement giving the service rights to seven exclusive cards per-year. In the United Kingdom, Bellator 206 was televised by Viacom-owned Channel 5, but the telecast ceased transmission at 6:00 a.m. (in favour of preschool programming) before the main event, due to

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

regulations.

Background

The event featured a

Bellator Middleweight Champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") was an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

bout between the champion

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 ...

and current Bellator Welterweight Champion Rory MacDonald. MacDonald was attempting to become the second multi-division champion in Bellator history, after former Bellator bantamweight and featherweight champion Joe Warren. In addition, former UFC light heavyweight champion

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, ...

met rival and former

PRIDE FC PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

middleweight champion

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, ...

for the fourth time in their respective careers. Going into this fight, Silva held a 2–1 advantage in the series. This event featured the start of Bellator's inaugural welterweight grand prix tournament. Fighters expected to participate in the tournament are Rory MacDonald,

Jon Fitch Jon Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League ...

, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov,

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 ...

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 ...

, Neiman Gracie,

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 ...

, Lorenz Larkin, and

Erick Silva Erick Silva (born June 21, 1984) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional from 2005 till 2019, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, and Jungle Fight, where he ...

, who replaced Yaroslav Amosov. Don Mohammed and Salvador Becerra were scheduled to face each other in a Lightweight bout on the undercard. However, the bout was cancelled the week of the fight for undisclosed reasons. At weight-ins, Ricky Abdelaziz weighed in at 147.3 pounds, 1.3 pounds over the featherweight non-title fight upper limit of 146 pounds. As a result, the bout proceeded catchweight. Abdelaziz was fined 20 percent of his purse which 10% went to his opponent, Laird Anderson, and 10% went to

California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the event ...

. The bout between DeMarco Villalona and Abraham Vaesau was cancelled after Villalona did not make weight.

Results

Bellator 207

Bellator 207: Mitrione vs. Bader took place on October 12, 2018 at the

. The event was live on

and

. Background The event saw a semi-final round bout in the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix as

took on current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion

was expected to make his promotional debut at this event facing Lorenz Larkin in a Welterweight World Grand Prix alternate bout, but Silva pulled out due to injury. He was replaced by the Romanian fighter Ion Pascu. Results

Bellator 208

Bellator 208: Fedor vs. Sonnen took place on October 13, 2018 at

Nassau Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated approximately east of the eastern limits of the Borough (New York City), borough of Q ...

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, within the New York metropolitan area. The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census ...

. The event aired live on

and

. Background The event saw a semi-final bout in the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix between

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Robson Gracie Jr. was scheduled to make his professional MMA debut on this card against Jamal Pottinger. However, the bout was cancelled after Pottinger missed weight. A featherweight bout between Frank Buenafuente and James Gonzalez was also cancelled when both fighters came over the weight limit. Results

Bellator 209

Bellator 209: Pitbull vs. Sanchez took place on November 15, 2018 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 ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. The event aired on November 16, 2018 via tape delay on

. Background The event featured a bout for the Bellator Featherweight Championship 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

Emmanuel Sanchez Emmanuel Sanchez (born August 11, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist currently in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Sanchez has formerly competed for Bellator MMA, where he was a contender for the Featherwei ...

. Haim Gozali fought

Ryan Couture Ryan Duane Couture (born August 27, 1982) is a former American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009 ...

at the event. The two met at Bellator 180 where Couture won by a unanimous decision. On August 20, 2018, it was reported that Olga Rubin is scheduled to meet

Cindy Dandois Cindy Dandois (born 26 October 1984) is a Belgian female mixed martial artist. She formerly competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions in Invicta and the Ultimate Fighting Championship and also the Lightweight division in the Pro ...

at this event. The event featured Vadim Nemkov coming off a spectacular win over former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Liam McGeary as he returned to face former Bellator Light Heavyweight champion Phil Davis. Results

Bellator 210

Bellator 210: Njokuani vs. Salter took place on November 30, 2018 at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. The event aired live on

and

. Background The event was to feature a middleweight bout between

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 ...

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 ...

as the main event. However, on November 1, it was announced that Manhoef had withdrawn from the fight due to injury and was replaced by

. It was announced on October 17, 2018, a featherweight matchup between

Jeremy Spoon Jeremy Spoon (born April 1, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Spoon has made a name for himself fighting in various promotions, including King of the Cage and Bellator Fighting Championships. Sp ...

, who makes his Bellator return, and Juan Archuleta. On October 26, 2018, it was reported that David Rickels is scheduled to face Bomba Vasconcelos at the welterweight bout at this event. It was announced on October 29, 2018, a women's flyweight bout is scheduled between Bruna Ellen and Kristina Williams at this event. On October 30, 2018 it was reported that a middleweight bout between

Joe Schilling Joseph Francis Schilling (born January 13, 1984) is an American professional Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist who most recently competed for Bellator Kickboxing in the Middleweight division, and in the Middleweight division for Bell ...

and Jose Alfredo Leija would take place at this event. Leija was later replaced by Will Morris. Results

Bellator 211

Bellator 211: Sakara vs. Kauppinen took place on December 1, 2018 at the RDS Stadium in

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The event aired live on

and

. Background The event featured a light heavyweight bout between

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 als ...

and Kent Kauppinen as the main event. A title fight between current

Bellator Kickboxing Bellator Kickboxing was an American kickboxing promotion company based in Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, an ...

featherweight champion Gabriel Varga and Shan Cangelosi also took place on the card. On October 30, 2018, a welterweight bout between Kiefer Crosbie and Orlando D'Ambrosio was announced for this event. A lightweight bout between Italy's Luca Vitali and SBG Ireland prospect Luka Jelcic was scheduled for the event. However, Jelcic withdrew and was replaced by Pedro Carvalho. Results

Bellator 212

Bellator and USO Present: Primus vs. Chandler 2 took place on December 14, 2018 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

in conjunction with the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

. The event was live on

and

. Background The event featured a Bellator Lightweight Championship bout between the champion

and former champion

. The rematch was scheduled for Bellator 197, but Primus pulled out due to injury. A women's flyweight bout between former title contender

Alejandra Lara Alejandra Lara (born 4 August 1994) is a Colombian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. She had previously most notably competed in Bellator MMA, where she was a title contender. She is also known by the nickname " ...

and Juliana Velasquez was also announced for the card. On November 19, 2018, it was announced Sam Sicilia will face Derek Campos at this event. Results

Bellator 213

Bellator 213: Macfarlane vs. Létourneau took place on December 15, 2018 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in

. The event was live on

. Background The event featured Honolulu native

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Global Fight League (GFL), where she competes in the flyweight division. Macfarlane previously competed in Bellator MMA, where she ...

defending the Bellator Women's Flyweight Championship against

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 ...

veteran Valérie Létourneau. A middleweight bout between former champion Rafael Carvalho and UFC veteran and 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 ...

Lyoto Machida is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as a UFC Middleweight Championship title challenger. He mos ...

took place at the event. A Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix quarterfinal bout between Neiman Gracie and

also took place. Bellator President Scott Coker announced on Monday, September 17, 2018 that King Mo would face former Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary at the event. Results

References

External links

Bellator
{{2018 in mixed martial arts 2018 in mixed martial arts Bellator MMA by year