Bellator mixed martial arts events in 2023
2023 in Bellator MMA |
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Promotion | Bellator MMA |
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First date | February 4, 2023 (2023-02-04) |
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Last date | November 17, 2023 (2023-11-17) |
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Total events | 13 |
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Total fights | 179 |
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Title fights | 15 |
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2023 in Bellator MMA was the fifteenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.
Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Tournament
On September 28, 2022, Bellator president Scott Coker revealed in a The MMA Hour interview that a Lightweight World Grand Prix will take place in 2023.[14] On January 11, 2023, during an appearance on "The MMA Hour," Bellator president Scott Coker revealed the fighters taking part in the tournament. The lineup includes Usman Nurmagomedov, A.J. McKee, Tofiq Musayev, Alexandr Shabliy, Patricky Freire, Mansour Barnaoui, Benson Henderson, and Sidney Outlaw. The tournament kicked off at Bellator 292 on March 10 in San Jose, California.[15]
- ^ Primus replaced Sidney Outlaw after he was suspended for a positive drug test.
- ^ de Souza replaced A. J. McKee after he withdrew due to medical issues. The bout took place at catchweight of 161 pounds.
- ^ Nurmagomedov's win was later overturned to a No Contest after he tested positive for a banned substance in a prescription drug. He was not stripped of the title due to the unintentional ingestion of the substance, but did receive a suspension, and it is currently unclear whether he will continue to the tournament final.
Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Tournament
The eight participants of the tournament were revealed on December 3, 2021. They include current champion Sergio Pettis, the former Rizin and Bellator champion Kyoji Horiguchi, another former Bellator champion in Juan Archuleta, who captured the vacant bantamweight title in 2020 against Patchy Mix, who will also be in the tournament. The final four fighters in the Grand Prix are all ranked in the top six by Bellator at 135 pounds: Magomed Magomedov, James Gallagher, Raufeon Stots and Leandro Higo.[16][17][18] Pettis and Gallagher would eventually pull out due to injuries requiring surgery.[19][20] Due to the pull outs, two wild card qualifier bouts between Josh Hill and Enrique Barzola, with the winner meeting Magomed Magomedov in the opening round, and the second qualifier between Jornel Lugo and Danny Sabatello, which will have the winner face Leandro Higo in the first round of the tournament.[21] Due to Covid, Hill had to pull out of the bout and was replaced by Nikita Mikhailov.[22][23]