Former Bellator 205-pound champion -- and the promotion's current heavyweight king -- Ryan Bader squares off with former UFC titleholder Lyoto Machida in a rematch that is nine years in the making. April 9, 2021 8:56 AM 2 min read. Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida 2: Bellator 256 date, fight time, TV channel and live stream . The former champion Davis, meanwhile, headlines that same card in a rematch of his split-decision loss to the current titleholder Nemkov. On February 9, 2021, it was announced that Davis would be participating in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA, which debuts live on SHOWTIME® next Friday, April 2 with BELLATOR MMA 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 at 9 p.m. The event aired live on Paramount Network and DAZN. ET, announced today changes to upcoming events including rescheduling of two Light Heavyweight … Bader has subsequently explained away his loss to Nemkov as a lack of focus given a mounting level of unexplained personal issues threatening him outside the cage at the time. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news. It has been almost a decade since Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida faced off in the cage. The above statement isn't hyperbole. Both fighters possess the athleticism and motor to take anyone in the tournament to the ground and control long periods of time with their grappling. Now, both men are under the Bellator umbrella and Bader, the promotion's current heavyweight champion and a former 'champ-champ', will view revenge over the Brazilian as the perfect way to begin his path back to the light-heavy belt he lost last summer to Vadim Nemkov. Minakov had not defended the title since April 2014. Machida, meanwhile, is now 42 years of age and must repeat his 2012 feat over the American if he is to embark on an Indian summer in the light-heavy Grand Prix tournament. Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament (April 9, 2021 - TBD) Year long, eight-man Light Heavyweightt tournament. A long-anticipated rematch kicks off the light-heavyweight Grand Prix in Bellator. For sure. The Bellator cage returns to Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut for Bellator 256 on Friday night. Fresh off a dominant win in his Bellator debut, Anderson begins his title quest in an April 16 quarterfinal bout against newcomer Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov. On Tuesday afternoon, Bellator MMA announced a big TV deal with Showtime Sports in the US. Nearly a decade, in fact. Now, they will finally run it back. Johnson, at 37, hasn't fought since a self-imposed retirement which began in 2017 following his passive UFC title loss to Daniel Cormier in their rematch. On August 4, 2012, Machida defeated Bader via knockout in round two of their UFC battle on FOX television. Liam Happe . Machida could very well be fighting for his job in this grand prix as he is 42-years-old and on a two-fight losing skid and hasn’t been putting on the most exciting fights lately. Bellator MMA restarted its live event business on April 2 and continues with another show on April 9. The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. local time on the American East coast, which is 11 p.m. for British fans and midnight Saturday Apr. Both enter with plenty of questions surrounding their futures along with equal potential for outright fireworks once they touch gloves given their histories as violent finishers. Let's face it, the best part about any tournament is the potential for upsets and interesting matchups to organically develop. The latest Bellator event takes place today (Friday Apr. The question surrounding both, however, is whether we will see them perform up to the image fans have in their heads. © 2004-2021 CBS Interactive. 6-keys: media/spln/mma/reg/free/stories, at As ever, the main event cagewalks will depend on how long the rest of the card runs. The reigning Bellator MMA light heavyweight king came out of nowhere in recent years to become one of the brightest young future stars in the sport. Then the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix happened, and things changed. Whether it plays out up to expectations or falls short, there's little debate that the fight will be tense throughout as Johnson and Romero circle one another ready to strike. The weigh-ins for Bellator 256: “Bader vs. Machida 2” tomorrow night (Fri., Apr. All Rights Reserved. It all begins at Bellator 256 on April 9, when former Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (who’s still currently the Bellator heavyweight champion) … 5:58 pm ET, Vettori grinds out Holland for decision win, UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Holland odds, picks, bets, Sterling to miss time due to neck surgery, 135-pound champ Sterling to undergo neck surgery, Bellator Rankings: Pitbull holds firm with win, Vettori believes he'd beat Adesanya in rematch, Fighter appears to lose finger during a fight, Nate Diaz vs. Leon Edwards booked for UFC 262, Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson fight set for UFC 249 in April. One week after the launch of Bellator MMA's new era as it debuted on its exclusive broadcasting home of Showtime in the U.S., the promotion will kick off a much-anticipated light heavyweight tournament this weekend. Click “Agree” to accept our use of cookies or you can choose to opt out of our use of cookies by following the instructions in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice. Here's how you can watch Bellator 256: Bader vs. Machida 2. Heavyweight champion Ryan Bader is looking to bounce back from a title defeat last time out by producing a "statement" win as the Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix begins at Bellator 256. UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Ryan Bader was headed to heavyweight to defend his title. Prelims Live Stream: Bellator YouTube. Romero is 43, technically riding a three-fight losing streak and is moving back up to 205 pounds, where he hasn't competed since 2011. Covering the impact of coronavirus on the sports world. A long-anticipated rematch kicks off the light-heavyweight Grand Prix in Bellator. Given his age at 37 and his newfound identity as a viable heavyweight fighter. The light heavyweight tournament will showcase some of best 205-pound fighters in mixed martial arts. BELLATOR MMA™ ANNOUNCES UPDATED FIGHT CARDS FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX ON SHOWTIME®. On Friday, the company's highly-anticipated … On Friday, promotion officials announced via press release that the light heavyweight quarterfinal between Corey Anderson and Dovletdzhan “Wolfhound” Yagshimuradv would be bumped from Bellator 256 to the following event, Bellator 257, on April 16. They’ll meet again this Friday at Bellator 256, with heavyweight champ Bader looking to begin the journey back to light heavyweight gold. Can't get enough boxing and MMA? The Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix will begin on April 9 and, although names have yet to be confirmed, will likely feature the following fighters. Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. DAZN uses cookies to help us deliver our services and improve your user experience. With defeats in his last two outings against Gegard Mousasi and Phil Davis, this could be his last crack at the big time. 9, 2021) on Showtime go down today (Thurs., Apr. Two sections of the Bellator MMA light heavyweight grand prix are being pushed back, but the pairings are all still intact. Topping Bellator 253 on Nov. 19, which also takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena, is a battle pitting former bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell (15-3) against undefeated sensation AJ McKee (16-0). Instead, Bader doubled down by quickly offering his name to the bracket when Bellator president Scott Coker shared plans for a tournament. Bader could've easily left his 205-pound dreams in the past while focusing on defending his Bellator heavyweight title. The promotion also announced four dates for upcoming events, and launched a light-heavyweight tournament which is set to start in April. The main card is then expected to commence from 9 p.m. Eastern, which is 2 a.m. in the UK and 3 a.m. Central European Time. Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. The event will be headlined by a Quarterfinal of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. Recent big-name Bellator signings Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson are set to fight on April 16 in the opening round of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Davis is scheduled to face Vadim Nemkov for the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship in the quarterfinal round. One fight removed from losing his 205-pound title to Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244 in August, Bader (27-6 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) will return to action Friday at Bellator 256 against Lyoto Machida. On Jan. 26, 2019, Bader, who at the time reigned at light heavyweight, knocked out Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko in just 35 seconds in the final of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix … Things changed his seventh straight win the title since April 2014 via knockout in round two of way. Interesting of any bout the tournament before it gets underway at Bellator 256 Friday... 2: Bellator 256: Bader vs. Lyoto Machida 2: Bellator 256 “! Round two of the deck for Bellator MMA announced a big TV with! 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