Excited for this one.
Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov will make his @BellatorMMA
debut in a lightweight fight against Mike Hamel during the main
card of
#Bellator255.The event will air live on @SHOsports
on April 2 – pic.twitter.com/Tdl6csfmq5
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker)
February 25, 2021
Editor’s note: The article has been updated at 10 p.m. to
reflect a confirmation from the promotion.
Bellator MMA is building up its 2021 return in
a solid way, with multiple names from famous fighting families on
its first show back.
A trio of
Bellator 255 fight announcements broke on Thursday, with
multiple main card-caliber fights booked for its first show of the
year. Bellator President Scott Coker broke
the first, with Usman
Nurmagomedov (11-0) vs. Mike Hamel
(7-4) at featherweight set for the event.
Bellator 255 will go down on April 2 at the Mohegan Sun Arena
in Uncasville, Conn.
Nurmagomedov, cousin of Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Khabib
Nurmagomedov, will be making his promotional debut on this
card. The Dagestan native is unbeaten as a professional, with 11
wins and 10 finishes. Each of Nurmagomedov’s finishes have taken
place within the first two rounds, with his latest his most recent
performance against Syvatoslav Shabanov at a co-promoted Fight
Nights Global/Gorilla Fighting Championship event in memory of his
uncle, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Hamel made his Bellator debut in 2020, where he took Adam Borics
to a hard-fought split decision. Although unsuccessful, he earned
another crack at the elite of the division, and drew an assignment
up a weight class against Nurmagomedov. Unlike his foe, Hamel’s
finish rate is far lower than 91 percent, but all of his career
stoppages have come by knockout.
Following a report from
MMA Junkie, the promotion is also adding Neiman
Gracie (10-1) vs. Jason
Jackson (13-4), likely also on the main card, which will take
place at welterweight. On Thursday night, an organization official
confirmed the bout to Sherdog.com.
Gracie rebounded from the first loss of his career – a decision to
then-champ Rory
MacDonald in 2019 – with a heel hook finish of Jon Fitch over
a year later. With a 90 percent submission rate and the
second-highest total of submission wins in Bellator history, Gracie
will look to become the first man to ever tap out his foe.
Since making his short-notice debut against Ed Ruth and
taking the former wrestling standout to a split decision, Jackson
has rattled off a trio of impressive decisions wins. Beating
Kiichi
Kunimoto led to Jackson gaining momentum and defeating Jordan Mein.
Welcoming Benson
Henderson back to the welterweight division in his most recent
appearance, “The Ass-Kicking Machine” did just that and advanced
his win streak to three in a row.
Finally, MMA
DNA first announced that Magomed
Magomedov (17-1) would be taking on Jared
Scoggins (10-1) in the bantamweight division on the fight card.
It is unclear where this bout will land on the card, but Magomedov
competed at Bellator 254 in the co-main event slot after a
cancellation for a match that served above it. Magomedov confirmed his
appearance on the April 2 card on social media.
Scoggins, the younger brother of former UFC contender Justin
Scoggins, has won five straight since a 2017 loss to Jesse
Bazzi. The bantamweight last fought at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 84 in
September 2020, where he captured the vacant 135-pound throne
against Thomas
Vasquez in a four-round fight.
Magomedov surprised the masses in his thrilling performance against
Matheus
Mattos in his Bellator debut in December. A former ACB champion
before the league merged with WFCA to create Absolute Championship Akhmat, “Tiger” holds the
lone win over current UFC titleholder Petr Yan.
Bellator 255 will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Conn., on April 2. The first Bellator card of the year
will be capped off by a featherweight grand prix semifinal pitting
Patricio
Freire against Emmanuel
Sanchez in a highly anticipated rematch. The victor will also
take home the belt, and will be in line to win the $1 million prize
against A.J.
McKee.