Day: 27. März 2025

Just like that, the Bader era for Bellator MMA and the Professional Fighters League is over.

On Wednesday, Ariel Helwani reported that Ryan Bader had parted ways with his organization, despite the heavyweight having one more fight on his deal. The departure was amicable, and Bader will now become a free agent. He confirmed this news on social media on Thursday, thanking both organizations for his time with them while pitching his upcoming film “The Smashing Machine.”

“Just an update…officially a free agent,” Bader wrote. “PFL and our team came up with terms we were both happy agreeing on with one fight remaining on contract. The Bellator run was one for the books. What a blast, and being surrounded by great people running that org. I’m still open to different opportunities in the fight game. The Smashing Machine movie will be released somewhat soon and it will be an exciting year for sure. Big thanks to [Bellator matchmaker] Mike Kogan for always treating the fight…

[embedded content] Gilbert Burns plans on digging deep into his bag of tricks to eject Michael Morales from the ranks of the unbeaten.

While Burns (22-8) enters his match with Morales (17-0) on a three-fight skid, the vaunted grappler still remains a ranked welterweight. The two 170ers plan on crossing swords at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, as part of UFC 315 on May 10. The 38-year-old told Sherdog that he has shaken some issues that plagued him in recent camps, and that his training partners have made him a more complete fighter as of late. He also weighed in on the landscape of his division and gave his thoughts on a few key matchups the Ultimate Fighting Championship is planning.

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“I had some problems in the previous camps,” Burns admitted, “but now, I’m doing very well, and there are still six weeks until the fight. He has a [two-meter, or 79-inch] reach, and in my gym, I have a lot of sparring partners helping me with similar characteris…

𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙄𝙎… 𝙒𝙀’𝙍𝙀 𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝘼𝙂𝘼𝙄𝙉! 🇫🇷

The PFL returns to Paris for the fourth time on Saturday 24th May, with a STACKED card planned for the French fans!

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Mansour Barnaoui meets the undefeated American standout Archie Colgan in a high stakes lightweight matchup, with… pic.twitter.com/EqtncKYb1x — PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) March 27, 2025 The Professional Fighters League has officially started populating its return to France this May.

At PFL Europe 2, which will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris on May 24, the organization has announced a pair of non-tournament tilts to take place on the billing. The bout order is still in flux, given that this event will also contain the league’s bantamweight bracket of four fights plus an alternate match at least. A key encounter on the billing sees Paris native Mansour Barnaoui (22-6) take on Archie Colgan (11-0) in a lightweight matchup outside of tournament parameters.

The well-trave…