Credit:Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
Credit: Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan
The card for
Bellator 297 is now complete with the addition of seven new
bouts.
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The California-based promotion announced the fights — highlighted
by a preliminary clash between Austin
Vanderford and Imamshafi
Aliev — via release on Wednesday. The other newly-added
matchups are as follows: Jordan
Newman vs. Matthew
Perry at middleweight; Mike Hamel
vs. Shamil
Nikaev at lightweight; Leandro
Higo vs. Nikita
Mikhailov at bantamweight; Cody Law vs.
Edwin
Chavez at featherweight; Wladimir
Gouvea vs. Kevin
Childs at heavyweight and Max Metzgar
vs. David
McKinney at lightweight.
Promotion officials also announced that Kyle
Crutchmer will replace Roman
Faraldo and face Bobby Nash in
a previously-announced welterweight bout.
Bellator 297 takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on June 16
and is headlined by a light heavyweight title tilt between Vadim
Nemkov and Yoel Romero,
while Sergio
Pettis defends his bantamweight crown against Patricio
Freire in the co-main event. The evening’s main card airs on
Showtime.
After winning his first 11 professional appearances, Vanderford is
attempting to return to the win column following back-to-back
defeats at the hands of Gegard
Mousasi and Aaron Jeffrey.
Russia’s Aliev has won his first nine professional outings. He’s
coming off a first-round TKO of Sean
Connor Fallon in his promotional debut at Bellator 288.