Updates to our upcoming slate of events:
https://t.co/EQYcxbxoaH— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR)
March 26, 2021
Two sections of the Bellator MMA light heavyweight grand prix are being
pushed back, but the pairings are all still intact.
The organization announced via press release on Friday that two of
the four light heavyweight tilts for the quarterfinals of its
tournament had been pushed back. Corey
Anderson (14-5) vs. Dovletdzhan
Yagshimuradov (18-5-1), which was booked for
Bellator 256 on April 9, has now been relocated to
Bellator 257 one week later. Additionally, the highly
anticipated battle between Anthony
Johnson (22-6) and Yoel Romero
(13-5) has been bumped from its previous placement of Bellator 257
to
Bellator 258 on May 7.
The reasons for the changes were explained by Bellator President
Scott Coker. He stated, “Like everyone, we had a few hurdles with
travel issues and had to move some things around, but I’m pleased
that we were able to reschedule these bouts quickly. We now have
three stacked events in a row featuring quarterfinal matchups on
Showtime, while also adding other incredible fights to each of
these cards.”
As a result of the shifts, Anderson vs. Yagshimuradov will serve as
the co-main event of Bellator 257, while “Rumble” vs. Romero finds
itself in the co-headlining slot on Bellator 258. Barring any
additional changes, the semifinals for the tournament will be set
on May 7. Each of these tournament bouts are scheduled for five
rounds, regardless of card placement or title implications. The
Ryan
Bader–Lyoto
Machida rematch kicks off the grand prix on April 9, then two
tourney tilts in Anderson-Yagshimuradov and Vadim
Nemkov vs. Phil Davis 2
will be going down on April 16. The quarterfinals conclude on May 7
with Johnson’s rumble with Romero.
The alterations to Bellator 258 also confirm a few recently
reported or rumored bouts. On the main card, Patrick Mix
(13-1) will be officially taking on James
Gallagher (11-1) at bantamweight. In the preliminary portion of
the event, Alan Omer
(24-5) faces Bryce Logan
(12-5) in the lightweight division. An unconfirmed match from
MMA Fighting that will likely gain main card placement is a
155-pound tilt between Patricky
Freire (23-9) and Peter
Queally (12-5-1). The two were originally planning on meeting
at an event in Ireland in late 2020, but that card was scuttled due
to the coronavirus pandemic.