Corey
Anderson’s Bellator MMA debut is now official, as both he and
Melvin
Manhoef made weight on Wednesday ahead of their light
heavyweight showdown.
Anderson tipped the scales at 205 pounds, while Manhoef weight
204.2 for their bout, which will top the
Bellator 251 card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Connecticut on Thursday. The evening’s main card will be televised
on CBS Sports Network and Dazn at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while the
prelims stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel and Dazn at 4:45 p.m.
ET/1:45 p.m. PT.
A winner on Season 19 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Anderson makes his
first promotional foray following a 15-bout stint in the UFC. The
31-year-old known as “Overtime” was on the verge of a light
heavyweight title shot following a four-bout winning streak before
a first-round KO loss to Jan
Blachowicz ended those dreams at UFC Fight Night 167 this past
February. Anderson signed with Bellator shortly thereafter.
The 44-year-old Manhoef enters the matchup with Anderson on a
modest two-fight winning streak following a unanimous verdict over
Kent
Kauppinen at Bellator 223 and a first-round TKO of Yannick
Bahati at Bellator 230. “No Mercy” is 32-14-1 with two no
contests over the course of a pro career that began in 1995.
Bellator 251 Weigh-in Results:
Corey
Anderson (205) vs. Melvin
Manhoef (204.2)
Tyrell
Fortune (256.7) vs. Said Sowma
(243)
Austin
Vanderford (184.8) vs. Vinicius
de Jesus (185.5)
Derek
Anderson (170) vs. Killys Mota
(169.4)
Bryce
Logan (155.2) vs. Georgi
Karakhanyan (155.8)
Julius
Anglickas (205.8) vs. Alex
Polizzi (203.6)
Janay
Harding (145.7) vs. Jessy Miele
(145.7)
Ali
Zebian (155.7) vs. Piankhi
Zimmerman (155)
Jaylon
Bates (134.8) vs. Joseph
Supino (136)
Sumiko
Inaba (125) vs. Jessica
Ruiz (123.5)