Bellator reveals most fighters in welterweight tournament field

[TheEmperorRises]



Most of the participants in Bellator’s welterweight tournament now have been revealed.

Bellator President Scott Coker today announced a field of nine fighters for the competition, which kicks off Sept. 29 in San Jose, Calif., in connection with the launch of the promotion’s new digital network partner DAZN.

The fighters slated for the tournament include:

• Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald (20-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA)
• ex-champ Douglas Lima (29-7 MMA, 11-3 BMMA)
• Lorenz Larkin (19-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA
• Michael Venom Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA)
• Andrey Koreshkov (20-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA)
• Jon Fitch (31-7-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA)
• Neiman Gracie (8-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA)
• Ed Ruth (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA)
• Aroslav Amasov (20-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

The tournament also is expected to feature a 10th participant, who has not yet been revealed. A Bellator official today told MMAjunkie that the tournament will have a pair of qualifying matchups, and the winners of those two fights will take two of the eight spots in the final tournament field.

The first confirmed matchup for the tournament features a rubber match between ex-champ Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov, Bellator officials confirmed.

“We have the best welterweight fighters on the planet,” Coker said. “We have the best welterweight division – better than any other league.”

Bellator’s tournament was announced following a presentation by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who struck a $1 billion deal with DAZN parent Perform Group to put events on the digital network

Coker said MacDonald will join the field in February 2019 after facing off with middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi in a title fight at the same Sept. 29 event.

Noticeably absent from the announced tournament roster is welterweight Paul Daley, whose participation may have set up a long-awaited grudge match with Page. Daley was initially reported to be set for the tournament and recently signed a new deal with the promotion. The British slugger could be the missing name to be announced later.

Still, the competition assembles a powerhouse of talent at 170 pounds, with four of the nine participants ranked in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings; McDonald is No. 3, Lima is No. 10, Larkin is No. 11 and Koreshkov is No. 14.

The welterweight tournament adds another multi-stage attraction to the promotion’s schedule, with the semifinals of the Heavyweight World Grand Prix set to begin on Oct. 12.

DAZN launches Sept. 10 and will come at a price of $9.99 per month. The platform plans to have 70 live sports events annually, including 55 that will be exclusively live to DAZN. The platform will have no annual subscription option – just monthly – and is planning a 30-day free trial before startup with no cancellation penalty.


Full story here:
Bellator reveals most fighters in welterweight tournament field

 

[TheEmperorRises]

10th as yet revealed participant will be Daley. He posted this on his Facebook the other day-

 

[member 603]

10 guys.... so is one of the fights an "alternate" fight? Or are Rory and maybe Lima getting a first round bye (for being the current and former champ)?

 

[TheEmperorRises]

10 guys.... so is one of the fights an "alternate" fight? Or are Rory and maybe Lima getting a first round bye (for being the current and former champ)?

"A Bellator official today told MMAjunkie that the tournament will have a pair of qualifying matchups, and the winners of those two fights will take two of the eight spots in the final tournament field."

So my guess is that Neiman Gracie, Ed Ruth, Araslov Amosov, and one of the other announced fighters will be the 4 who fight their way in. Just not sure who that 4th guy will be (maybe Fitch, for being so f'n boring..?).

 

[kaladin stormblessed]



Most of the participants in Bellator’s welterweight tournament now have been revealed.

Bellator President Scott Coker today announced a field of nine fighters for the competition, which kicks off Sept. 29 in San Jose, Calif., in connection with the launch of the promotion’s new digital network partner DAZN.

The fighters slated for the tournament include:

• Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald (20-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA)
• ex-champ Douglas Lima (29-7 MMA, 11-3 BMMA)
• Lorenz Larkin (19-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA
• Michael Venom Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA)
• Andrey Koreshkov (20-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA)
• Jon Fitch (31-7-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA)
• Neiman Gracie (8-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA)
• Ed Ruth (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA)
• Aroslav Amasov (20-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

The tournament also is expected to feature a 10th participant, who has not yet been revealed. A Bellator official today told MMAjunkie that the tournament will have a pair of qualifying matchups, and the winners of those two fights will take two of the eight spots in the final tournament field.

The first confirmed matchup for the tournament features a rubber match between ex-champ Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov, Bellator officials confirmed.

“We have the best welterweight fighters on the planet,” Coker said. “We have the best welterweight division – better than any other league.”

Bellator’s tournament was announced following a presentation by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who struck a $1 billion deal with DAZN parent Perform Group to put events on the digital network

Coker said MacDonald will join the field in February 2019 after facing off with middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi in a title fight at the same Sept. 29 event.

Noticeably absent from the announced tournament roster is welterweight Paul Daley, whose participation may have set up a long-awaited grudge match with Page. Daley was initially reported to be set for the tournament and recently signed a new deal with the promotion. The British slugger could be the missing name to be announced later.

Still, the competition assembles a powerhouse of talent at 170 pounds, with four of the nine participants ranked in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings; McDonald is No. 3, Lima is No. 10, Larkin is No. 11 and Koreshkov is No. 14.

The welterweight tournament adds another multi-stage attraction to the promotion’s schedule, with the semifinals of the Heavyweight World Grand Prix set to begin on Oct. 12.

DAZN launches Sept. 10 and will come at a price of $9.99 per month. The platform plans to have 70 live sports events annually, including 55 that will be exclusively live to DAZN. The platform will have no annual subscription option – just monthly – and is planning a 30-day free trial before startup with no cancellation penalty.


Full story here:
Bellator reveals most fighters in welterweight tournament field

this will be fun =))

 

[Sex Chicken]

This is awesome. I can’t wait.

 

[La Paix]

Does this mean MVP will have to fight top guys? This should be good!

 

[nuraknu]

Does this mean MVP will have to fight top guys? This should be good!

I see him and Fitch as opposite extremes, either of which could end up taking it in the end.

 

[La Paix]

I see him and Fitch as opposite extremes, either of which could end up taking it in the end.

Could you imagine if Mvp got Fitched? That would be hard on his stock.

 

[TheEmperorRises]

Could you imagine if Mvp got Fitched? That would be hard on his stock.

Yeah, but I think he'd make Fitch eat a knee and put him out.

If Fitch even makes it in- I think he'll be in one of the qualifying fights

 

[Limpy]

 

[SensoriaUtopia]

I love the tourny, but I am not understanding why Rory is in the tourny. He's not vacating the belt, he's the champ, he's gonna have a super fight at 185 then he comes back to 170.

So why not just have the tourny without Rory and the winner of the tourny faces Rory? Why is the champ fighting in a tourny, he's already the champ? Also, now if the champ loses in the first round, now you have a weird deal that the champ is not even in the tourny any more and the winner could win the belt without even fighting the champ.

Also, if Rory wins his first round or semi final round fight, does that count as a title defense?

Love the tourny just wondering about the logistics

 

[Wild]

Stacked

 

[TheEmperorRises]

I love the tourny, but I am not understanding why Rory is in the tourny. He's not vacating the belt, he's the champ, he's gonna have a super fight at 185 then he comes back to 170.

So why not just have the tourny without Rory and the winner of the tourny faces Rory? Why is the champ fighting in a tourny, he's already the champ? Also, now if the champ loses in the first round, now you have a weird deal that the champ is not even in the tourny any more and the winner could win the belt without even fighting the champ.

Also, if Rory wins his first round or semi final round fight, does that count as a title defense?

Love the tourny just wondering about the logistics

His fights in the tourney won't be title defenses (otherwise they'd be 5 rounders, and a much harder path to victory then whoever makes it to the finals on the other side of the bracket). Winning the tournament will come with its own prestige. Like the Grand Prix tournaments they had in Pride (and still have in Rizin). If

Rory's WW title isn't on the line in this tourney the way the HW title is in their grand prix- that's because that title was vacant.

 

[SensoriaUtopia]

His fights in the tourney won't be title defenses (otherwise they'd be 5 rounders, and a much harder path to victory then whoever makes it to the finals on the other side of the bracket). Winning the tournament will come with its own prestige. Like the Grand Prix tournaments they had in Pride (and still have in Rizin). If

Rory's WW title isn't on the line in this tourney the way the HW title is in their grand prix- that's because that title was vacant.

Oh Wow, I had no idea. So the tourny is not for the WW title? And simply to crown a tourny winner? It's cool but also weird as fuck. Imagine a scenario where Rory get's ko'd in rd 2 by Lima, Lima then goes on and wins the tourny, but then Rory is still champ at WW?

I also know this is nitpicking, but I can't stand that the 2 weakest guys, Daley and Fitch get to fight each other first, if they go that route, while Lima and KOreskhcv, 2 of the best 3 they have, have to force one to eliminate the other right away, thats bugs me. but I still look forward to this

 

[MMAHAWK]

Oh Wow, I had no idea. So the tourny is not for the WW title? And simply to crown a tourny winner? It's cool but also weird as fuck. Imagine a scenario where Rory get's ko'd in rd 2 by Lima, Lima then goes on and wins the tourny, but then Rory is still champ at WW?

I also know this is nitpicking, but I can't stand that the 2 weakest guys, Daley and Fitch get to fight each other first, if they go that route, while Lima and KOreskhcv, 2 of the best 3 they have, have to force one to eliminate the other right away, thats bugs me. but I still look forward to this

Fitch just beat Daley at Bellator 199. No way they replay that disaster.

My concern is if Rory beats Mousasi and wins the 185 belt. Does that mean we will have no title defenses at 170 or 185 for possibly up to a year or more.

 

[TheEmperorRises]

Fitch just beat Daley at Bellator 199. No way they replay that disaster.

My concern is if Rory beats Mousasi and wins the 185 belt. Does that mean we will have no title defenses at 170 or 185 for possibly up to a year or more.

I imagine they'd have an interim title bout at 185 while Rory finishes the tourney.

 

[Haulport]

"A Bellator official today told MMAjunkie that the tournament will have a pair of qualifying matchups, and the winners of those two fights will take two of the eight spots in the final tournament field."

So my guess is that Neiman Gracie, Ed Ruth, Araslov Amosov, and one of the other announced fighters will be the 4 who fight their way in. Just not sure who that 4th guy will be (maybe Fitch, for being so f'n boring..?).

Informative and lol @ Fitch comment. If the 10th is Daley it really should be Fitch who is long past his due date. On a side note: a little surprised that Jake Shields hasn't been picked up by Scott. Maybe his current contract is too solid...

 

[SensoriaUtopia]

Fitch just beat Daley at Bellator 199. No way they replay that disaster.

My concern is if Rory beats Mousasi and wins the 185 belt. Does that mean we will have no title defenses at 170 or 185 for possibly up to a year or more.

All they have to do to alleviate that is have Ed Ruth and Fitch fight, I don't see how Fitch can handle ED Ruth, he wont be able to take him down and Ed Ruth will outstrike him.

Then have Daley and MVP fight against each other off the bat.

Also, I would be stunned if Rory won, but if he did, then that would be a strange scenario with the defenses.

 

[TheEmperorRises]

Also, I would be stunned if Rory won, but if he did, then that would be a strange scenario with the defenses.

It was that way in Pride too- look at Fedor or Wand's records. Their matches in the Grand Prix's didn't count as defenses, because the tournament win was it's own thing (a trophy and a belt; Bellator will probably just be a belt like what Phil Davis got for winning the one night, 4 man tournament they did).

^ that belt isn't the LHW title. McGeary had it at the time. That belt Phil won by winning the tournament.

 

[SensoriaUtopia]

It was that way in Pride too- look at Fedor or Wand's records. Their matches in the Grand Prix's didn't count as defenses, because the tournament win was it's own thing (a trophy and a belt; Bellator will probably just be a belt like what Phil Davis got for winning the one night, 4 man tournament they did).

^ that belt isn't the LHW title. McGeary had it at the time. That belt Phil won by winning the tournament.

That cool in its own way, I can deal with that lol, good stuff

 

[kaladin stormblessed]

I see him and Fitch as opposite extremes, either of which could end up taking it in the end.

For sure. U saw rory is in there too tho, right?

 

[kaladin stormblessed]

Just to be clear. Are you hard? Or soft? Or semi hard?

 

[nuraknu]

For sure. U saw rory is in there too tho, right?

Yeah, but he doesn't have it in the bag because of damage he takes. He could end up out due to injury at some point.

 

[Wild]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPHUHm5lQYw