#Bellator290 on @CBS adds four
new fights for Feb. 4 including undefeated heavyweights @TallSteveMMA
and Ali Isaev.Plus Lorenz Larkin (@da_MONSOON)
vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov and former champ Darrion Caldwell (@TheWolfMMA)
vs. Nikita Mikhailov.Advertisement
More here:https://t.co/ArK3pUrGeK
— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR)
January 6, 2023
The first Bellator MMA show of 2023 is shaping up to be one to
remember.
Per a press release on Friday, the organization finalized its
lineup for
Bellator 290 on Feb. 4. While most of the bout listings –
including the three main card tilts of Ryan Bader
vs. Fedor
Emelianenko, Johnny
Eblen vs. Anatoly
Tokov and Sabah
Homasi vs. Brennan
Ward – had already been made official, the preliminary slate is
now fully on the books. Of note, Bellator added a heavyweight clash
of the unbeatens between Steve Mowry
(10-0, 1 NC) and Ali Isaev
(9-0) to its billing.
Bellator 290 will be the promotion’s first jaunt on the CBS
network, as it had previously put on all of its recent cards of
late on Showtime in the U.S. On Saturday, Feb. 4, the three-fight
main card will be airing simulcast on CBS and Paramount+. The
prelims will go up live on Bellator’s YouTube channel as well as
Pluto TV. Headlining the latter is a welterweight contest between
former title challenger Neiman
Gracie (11-4) and Michael
Lombardo (13-3, 1 NC) that had already been announced in the
past.
Mowry will be looking to get back in the win column in 2023, as his
lone 2022 outing ended in 54 seconds by no contest due to an
accidental eye poke against Valentin
Moldavsky. Mowry has never seen a third round as a
professional, with his 10 pro wins coming by stoppage. Isaev also
comes into this match unbeaten, although he has not competed since
he conquered the 2019 season of Professional Fighters League at heavyweight.
While the 39-year-old from Russia has not competed since the final
day in 2019, Mowry has fought four times since then, with three
first-round stoppages to his credit.
Other than Mowry-Isaev, Lorenz
Larkin (24-7, 2 NC) will run it back at 170 pounds against
Mukhamed
Berkhamov (14-0, 1 NC). The two first met at Bellator 283 in
July 2022, and after a few minutes of Berkhamov in top position,
Larkin connected with an illegal elbow to the back of the head to
force a no contest. Additionally, former bantamweight kingpin
Darrion
Caldwell (15-6) will be on the hunt for his first victory in
years, as he tries to break a three-fight skid against Nikita
Mikhailov (8-2). Both men suffered their most recent defeats to
Enrique
Barzola, and in the Russian’s case, Barzola put an end to a
five-fight win streak.
Bellator 290 Lineup:
Ryan
Bader vs. Fedor
Emelianenko – heavyweight championship
Johnny
Eblen vs. Anatoly
Tokov – middleweight championship
Sabah
Homasi vs. Brennan
Ward – welterweight
Neiman
Gracie vs. Michael
Lombardo – welterweight
Lorenz
Larkin vs. Mukhamed
Berkhamov – welterweight
Henry
Corrales vs. Akhmed
Magomedov – featherweight
Steve
Mowry vs. Ali Isaev –
heavyweight
Christopher
Gonzalez vs. Max
Rohskopf – lightweight
Grant
Neal vs. Karl
Albrektsson – light heavyweight
Alejandra
Lara vs. Diana
Avsaragova – women’s flyweight
Darrion
Caldwell vs. Nikita
Mikhailov – bantamweight
Jaylon
Bates vs. Jornel Lugo
– bantamweight
Isaiah
Hokit vs. Peter
Ishiguro – featherweight
Ethan
Hughes vs. Yusuf
Karakaya – welterweight