2016 in Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA in 2016
Genre	Sports
Created by	Bjorn Rebney
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	120 minutes
Original release
Network	Spike
Release	January, 2016 – TBA

2016 will be the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. This year will mark the second time that Bellator MMA has done monthly shows as opposed to a seasonal format.

Background

In June 2014, Bellator MMA underwent significant change in their executive ranks. Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. Former Strikeforce founder Scott Coker was announced as the new President of Bellator MMA. As a result of the changes, it was announced that Bellator MMA would drop the weekly, seasonal format in 2015 and instead focus on larger, individual events per month.

In August 2015, Coker said Bellator MMA would hold 22 to 24 events in 2016 and would look to explore international markets by holding events outside of the United States and Canada.

Events list

Bellator 148

Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich
Date	January 29, 2016
Venue	Save Mart Center
City	Fresno, California
Attendance	5,425
Total gate	$267,809

Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich took place January 29, 2016 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The main event was a Welterweight fight between Paul Daley and Andy Uhrich.

The event was expected to be headlined by a welterweight bout between UFC veteran Josh Koscheck and Matt Secor. However Koscheck pulled out of the bout due to an injury. As a result, Paul Daley vs. Andy Uhrich was elevated to the main event

Also on the card Paul Bradley faced Chris Honeycutt in a rematch. Bradley and Honeycutt first squared off at Bellator 140, where their bout ended in a no contest in the second round due to an accidental clash of heads opening a cut on Bradley that forced a stoppage.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Welterweight	Paul Daley	def.	Andy Uhrich	KO (punch)	1	2:00
Welterweight	Paul Bradley	def.	Chris Honeycutt	TKO (punches)	1	0:40
Lightweight	Patricky Freire	def.	Ryan Couture	KO (punch)	1	3:00
Heavyweight	Tony Johnson	def.	Raphael Butler	TKO (punches)	3	4:24
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Featherweight	Justin Smitley	def.	Art Arcienega	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Women's Flyweight	Ilima MacFarlane	def.	Amber Tackett	Submission (armbar)	1	2:09
Heavyweight	Carl Seumanutafa	def.	Javy Ayala	TKO (punches)	2	3:46
Postliminary card (Dark Bouts)
Bantamweight	Josh San Diego	def.	Paul Ruiz	Decision (unanimous)	3	5:00
Flyweight	Matt Perez	def.	Eugene Cancino	Decision (split)	3	5:00
Featherweight	Te Edwards	def.	Nick Bustamante	KO	1	0:43
Light Heavyweight	Jermaine McDermott	def.	Eric Huggins	Submission (kimura)	1	1:53

Bellator 149

Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie III
Date	February 19, 2016
Venue	Toyota Center
City	Houston, Texas
Attendance	13,209
Total gate	$1,188,951

Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie III took place February 19, 2016 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The main event and co-main event of Bellator 149 were announced on the air during Bellator 145. President Scott Coker announced the main event fight would feature trilogy bout between combat sports legends Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Gracie initially beat Shamrock in fifty-seven seconds via rear-naked choke at their first meeting at UFC 1 in 1993. Subsequent to that bout, the duo fought to a thirty-six minute draw at UFC 5 in 1995.

The co-main event featured a heavyweight bout between former Miami-Dade County street fighters Kevin Ferguson, aka "Kimbo Slice" and Dhafir Harris, aka "Dada 5000"

During intermission after the Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 fight and shortly before the Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie bout, Bellator MMA ring announcer Michael C. Williams announced to the live Toyota Center crowd attendance of 13,209. Thus making Bellator 149 the largest attended show in Bellator MMA history, beating out Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 previous live attendance of 11,732.

Following the event it was announced that both Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice had failed their pre-fight drug tests. Shamrock tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone, the opioid methadone, and an elevated (T/E) ratio of 12.4:1. Meanwhile Slice also tested positive for nandrolone and having an elevated (T/E) ratio of 6.4:1. The maximum allowed (T/E) ratio by both the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the World Anti-Doping Agency is 4:1. On May 2, 2016, it was revealed that Slice had settled with the Texas Athletic Commission with a fine of $2,500 and a revoking of his license in the state of Texas. The result of the bout has also been changed to a no contest.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Light Heavyweight	Royce Gracie	def.	Ken Shamrock	TKO (knee and punches)	1	2:22
Heavyweight	Kimbo Slice	vs.	Dada 5000	No Contest (overturned)	3	1:32
Lightweight	Derek Campos	def.	Melvin Guillard	TKO (punches)	2	0:32
Light Heavyweight	Linton Vassell	def.	Emanuel Newton	Decision (unanimous) (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)	3	5:00
Catchweight (150 lbs)	Emmanuel Sanchez	def.	Daniel Pineda	Decision (split) (28-29, 29-27, 29-28)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Middleweight	Isaac Villanueva	def.	Richard Knepp	TKO (punches)	1	0:42
Bantamweight	Jeremy Mahon	def.	Davis Sylvester	TKO (punches)	2	4:22
Featherweight	Adrian Yanez	def.	Ryan Hollis	Decision (unanimous)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Jason Langellier	def.	Anthony Ivy	Submission (anaconda choke)	1	2:09
Heavyweight	Justin Wren	def.	Juan Torres	Decision (unanimous)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Mike Trinh	def.	Joe Zamora	Submission (armbar)	1	3:49
Middleweight	Clovis Hancock	def.	Ruben Esparza	Submission (rear naked choke)	3	1:26
Bantamweight	Manny Lozoya	def.	Jake Norsworthy	Submission (guillotine choke)	1	2:33
Postliminary card (Dark Bouts)
Bantamweight	Leomana Martinez	def.	Casey Jones	TKO (punches)	1	1:21
Flyweight	Chris Soliz	def.	Alex Macedo	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00
Flyweight	Shawn Solis	def.	Jonathan Davis	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00
Lightweight	Ricardo Deluque	def.	Hunter Scott-Gregg	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	N/A

Bellator 150

Bellator 150: Kongo vs. Spartan
Date	February 26, 2016
Venue	Kansas Star Casino
City	Mulvane, Kansas
Attendance	3,288
Total gate	$215,185

Bellator 150: Kongo vs. Spartan took place February 26, 2016 at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kansas. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The event was expected to be headlined by a rematch between Marcos Galvao and Eduardo Dantas for the Bellator Bantamweight Championship. The bantamweight title rematch was originally scheduled for Bellator 144, but was postponed when Dantas was forced to withdraw after suffering a rib injury in training. Dantas defeated Galvao via second-round knockout in their first meeting at Bellator 89 when “Dudu” was the promotion’s reigning 135-pound champ. However, due to an illness throughout the week leading to the fight, Galvao was pulled from the card the day of the weigh ins.

The co-main event featured local favorite David Rickels facing off against Bobby Cooper.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Heavyweight	Cheick Kongo	def.	Vinicius Queiroz	Decision (split) (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)	3	5:00
Lightweight	David Rickels	def.	Bobby Cooper	TKO (knee and punches)	1	3:49
Middleweight	Kendall Grove	def.	Francisco France	KO (punches)	2	0:35
Featherweight	Chuka Willis	def.	Gaston Reyno	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Women's Flyweight	Rebecca Ruth	def.	Lena Ovchynnikova	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Lightweight	Henry Lindsay	def.	Marcio Navarro	TKO (punches)	1	2:30
Middleweight	Chris Harris	def.	Julian Marquez	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Welterweight	André Fialho	def.	Manny Meraz	KO (punches)	1	0:29
Middleweight	Gregory Babene	def.	Brandon Farran	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	3:37
Featherweight	Thai Clark	def.	Deron Carlis	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Heavyweight	Kyle Noblitt	def.	David Hammons	KO (punches)	1	0:45

Bellator 151

Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell
Date	March 4, 2016
Venue	WinStar World Casino
City	Thackerville, Oklahoma
Attendance	1,152
Total gate	$103,710

Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell took place March 4, 2016 at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The event was headlined by an Bantamweight bout between Joe Warren and undefeated rising star Darrion Caldwell. A former two-division champion, Warren has won six of his last seven fights in Bellator MMA. The 39-year-old last appeared at Bellator 143 on Sept. 25, when he captured a unanimous verdict against L.C. Davis. The 27-year-old Caldwell is 8-0 in his burgeoning career, including five triumphs under the Bellator banner. In his last outing, the former NCAA national champion wrestler choked out Shawn Bunch inside of a round at Bellator 143.

Michael Page was originally scheduled to face Fernando Gonzalez at this event but was pulled out of the bout in early February 2016. He was replaced by Resurrection Fighting Alliance welterweight champion Gilbert Smith.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Bantamweight	Darrion Caldwell	def.	Joe Warren	Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	3:23
Welterweight	Fernando Gonzalez	def.	Gilbert Smith	Decision (split) (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Featherweight	Bubba Jenkins	def.	Goiti Yamauchi	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 29-27)	3	5:00
Bantamweight	Joe Taimanglo	def.	Sirwan Kakai	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Featherweight	Treston Thomison	def.	Aaron Roberson	Submission (guillotine choke)	2	2:20
Middleweight	Jermayne Barnes	def.	Derek Palmer	Submission (punches)	2	1:17
Welterweight	Neiman Gracie	def.	Roger Carroll	Decision (unanimous) (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Bantamweight	Ricky Turcios	def.	Steve Garcia	Decision (split) (29-27, 28-29, 30-27)	3	5:00
Welterweight	Justin Patterson	def.	Chance Rencountre	Decision (split) (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)	3	5:00
Featherweight	Ray Wood	def.	Chris Jones	TKO (strikes)	1	3:10

Bellator 152

Bellator 152: Italy
Date	April 16, 2016
Venue	Pala Alpitour
City	Torino, Italy
Attendance	13,067
Total gate	907,758€ $1,027,536 (USD)

Bellator 152: Italy took place April 16, 2016 at the Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy. The event aired on Spike TV.

Background

The event was announced in Paris by Bellator MMA President Scott Coker joined by Oktagon Kickboxing President Carlo Di Blasi a co-promoted event set to take place on April 16 at the Pala Alpitour in Torino, Italy.

Bellator 152: Italy aired on SPIKE Saturday, April 16, while the debut of “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” was televised Friday, April 22, immediately following the broadcast of Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson on Spike TV.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Lightweight	Patricky Freire	def.	Kevin Souza	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Light Heavyweight	Alessio Sakara	def.	Brian Rogers	KO (punches)	2	2:29
Featherweight	A.J. McKee	def.	Danilo Belluardo	TKO (punches)	1	2:44
Women's Flyweight	Anastasia Yankova	def.	Anjela Pink	Submission (armbar)	1	1:35
Featherweight	Daniele Scatizzi	def.	Daniele Miceli	TKO (punches)	1	3:20
Bellator Kickboxing bouts
Middleweight (Kickboxing)	Alexandru Negrea	def.	Melvin Manhoef	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00
165-Pound (Kickboxing)	Karim Ghajji	def.	Mustapha Haida	Decision (split) (50-45, 50-45, 46-48)	5	3:00
Welterweight (Kickboxing)	Raymond Daniels	def.	Francesco Moricca	TKO (liver kick)	1	0:30
Bantamweight (Kickboxing)	Kevin Ross	def.	Matteo Taccini	Decisión (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)	3	3:00
Women's Flyweight (Kickboxing)	Denise Kieholtz	def.	Veronica Vernocchi	Decision (split) (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)	3	3:00

Bellator 153

Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson
Date	April 22, 2016
Venue	Mohegan Sun Arena
City	Uncasville, Connecticut
Attendance	9,043
Total gate	$687,269

Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson took place April 22, 2016 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The event was headlined by a Welterweight Championship match between current champion Andrey Koreshkov and former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. The 32-year-old Henderson recently ended a 14-fight run with the UFC by signing a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA. A longtime 155-pounder, Henderson recorded back-to-back wins as a welterweight in 2015. Also on the card is the Bellator debut of Evangelista Santos taking on long time contender Brennan Ward.

Former Bellator Featherweight Champion Patrício Freire was originally scheduled to face John Teixeira. who had to pull out of the evening's co-feature bout with a broken rib.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Welterweight	Andrey Koreshkov (c)	def.	Benson Henderson	Decision (unanimous) (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)	5	5:00
Featherweight	Patrício Freire	def.	Henry Corrales	Submission (guillotine choke)	2	4:09
Welterweight	Evangelista Santos	def.	Brennan Ward	Verbal Submission (heel hook)	1	0:30
Lightweight	Brent Primus	def.	Gleristone Santos	Decision (split) (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Welterweight	Michael Page	def.	Jeremie Holloway	Submission (toe hold)	1	2:15
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Featherweight	Matt Bessette	def.	Keith Richardson	TKO (doctor stoppage)	2	3:14
Light Heavyweight	Mike Zichelle	def.	Joe Cronin	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	1:25
Welterweight	Chris Honeycutt	def.	Matt Secor	Decision (unanimous) (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Welterweight	Djamil Chan	def.	Richard Patishnock	KO (punch)	1	3:09
Featherweight	Chris Foster	def.	Vovka Clay	unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Sam Watford	def.	Dean Hancock	submission (armbar)	1	1:44
Middleweight	Tim Caron	def.	Justin Sumter	TKO (strikes)	2	3:38
Bantamweight	Blair Tugman	def.	Jay Perrin	split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)	3	5:00

Bellator 154

Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo
Date	May 14, 2016
Venue	SAP Center
City	San Jose, California
Attendance	11,084
Total gate	$984,552

Bellator 154: Davis vs. King Mo is a mixed martial arts event held on May 14, 2016 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, USA. The event was aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

Davis vs. King Mo was announced during Bellator 149 in Houston. The two men were supposed to face each other in the finals of the Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 light heavyweight one-night tournament back in September, but "King Mo" sustained a hip injury after winning in the first round. Former UFC star Phil Davis won the tournament at Dynamite by submitting Emanuel Newton and knocked out reserve fighter Francis Carmont. Davis was originally scheduled to challenge light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary, but McGeary was injured. Lawal won the two-night, eight-man tournament at Rizin Fighting Federation on New Year's Eve in Japan. He knocked out Brett McDermott in the first round, beat Teodoras Aukstuolis in the semifinals by unanimous decision and knocked out Jiri Prochazka in the final. The winner of the main event will challenge for the title against the current champion.

Former Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler was scheduled to face former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson in a lightweight bout. However, on May 2, it was announced that Thomson pulled out of the bout due to an undisclosed injury. As a result, Chandler was pulled from the card altogether.

Jordan Parsons was scheduled to face Adam Piccolotti in a featherweight bout on this card. That fight was cancelled after Parsons was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left him hospitalized before he died on May 4, 2016.

Sergei Kharitonov was scheduled to make his debut on this card against Josh Appelt. However, on May 11, Kharitonov withdrew from the bout due to illness. As a result, Appelt was also removed from the card.

Darren Uyenoyama was scheduled to fight on this card against Alvin Cacdac but required medical testing revealed a condition that would not allow Darren to compete.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Light Heavyweight	Phil Davis	def.	Muhammed Lawal	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Welterweight	Saad Awad	def.	Evangelista Santos	TKO (punches)	1	4:31
Bantamweight	Josh San Diego	def.	Jeremiah Labiano	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Adam Piccolotti	def.	Ray Wood	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	3:17
Welterweight	André Fialho	def.	Rick Reger	KO (punches)	1	2:11
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Welterweight	Sam Spengler	def.	Doyle Childs	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)	3	5:00
Catchweight (160 lbs)	JD Hardwick	def.	Jorge Acosta	Submission (guillotine choke)	1	1:21
Women's Strawweight	Jamielene Nievara	def.	Stephanie Frausto	TKO (punches)	3	2:43
Featherweight	Mark Dickman	def.	Thomas Diagne	TKO (punches)	3	3:05
Preliminary card (Dark Bouts)
Welterweight	Danasabe Mohammed	def.	Martin Sano	TKO (punches)	1	1:18
Flyweight	Josh Paiva	def.	Steven Gruber	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	2:14
Heavyweight	James Chapman	def.	Sean Tucker	TKO (punches)	2	4:41
Featherweight	Anthony Taylor	def.	Victor Jones	KO (punches)	1	0:27

Bellator 155

Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef
Date	May 20, 2016
Venue	CenturyLink Arena
City	Boise, Idaho
Attendance	6,120
Total gate	$497,778

Bellator 155: Carvalho vs Manhoef took place May 20, 2016 at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The event was headlined by a match between Rafael Carvalho and Melvin Manhoef for the Bellator Middleweight Championship. Carvalho pulled off one of 2015’s biggest upsets when he finished Brandon Halsey with a body kick in the second round to claim the Middleweight title at Bellator 144 last October. The Brazilian has not lost since his MMA debut in 2011 and has stopped 10 of his last 12 opponents. Manhoef earned his shot at the title by knocking out Hisaki Kato in the opening round at Bellator 146.

The co-main event featured former Bellator Featherweight Championship Champion Pat Curran facing off against former World Series of Fighting featherweight champion Georgi Karakhanyan.

This event was scheduled to crown the inaugural Bellator women's featherweight champion in a bout between Marloes Coenen and Julia Budd. However, Budd was injured and replaced by Alexis Dufresne thus changing the fight to a non-title bout.

A preliminary bout between Ricky Steele and Eric Cronkhite was cancelled after Cronkhite missed weight by 9 pounds.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Middleweight	Rafael Carvalho (c)	def.	Melvin Manhoef	Decision (split) (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)	5	5:00
Featherweight	Pat Curran	def.	Georgi Karakhanyan	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Heavyweight	Dan Charles	vs.	Augusto Sakai	Draw (majority) (30-26, 28-28, 28-28)	3	5:00
Women's Featherweight	Alexis Dufresne	def.	Marloes Coenen	Submission (triangle armbar)	1	4:33
Heavyweight	Chase Gormley	def.	Joey Beltran	Decision (split) (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Bantamweight	Jesse Brock	def.	Olly Bradstreet	Submission (rear-naked choke)	3	3:57
Lightweight	Marcin Held	def.	Dave Jansen	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Bantamweight	Casey Johnson	def.	Brendon Raftery	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	1:16
Bantamweight	Joe Hamilton	def.	Tyler Freeland	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	0:22
Featherweight	Vince Morales	def.	Hamilton Ash	TKO (punches)	3	2:32
Postliminary card (Dark Bouts)
Women's Flyweight	Veta Arteaga	def.	Jackie Vandenburgh	Decision (unanimous) (29-27, 30-27, 29-28)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Scott Thometz	def.	Josh Tyler	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-25, 30-25)	3	5:00
Middleweight	Will Noland	def.	Sean Powers	KO (punches)	1	3:29

Bellator 156

Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2
Date	June 17, 2016
Venue	Save Mart Center
City	Fresno, California
Attendance	5,552
Total gate	$451,578

Bellator 156: Galvao vs. Dantas 2 took place on June 17, 2016 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

Marcos Galvao made the first defense of his Bellator Bantamweight Championship title against Eduardo Dantas. The rematch was originally scheduled for Bellator 150, but was scrapped following a last-minute illness suffered by Galvao. Both fighters cut their teeth with Andre Pederneiras’ Nova Uniao squad in Rio de Janeiro, until their paths crossed at Bellator 89. Dantas won the fight via a second-round knockout. Dantas went on to defend the title against Anthony Leone before losing it to Joe Warren at Bellator 128. In turn, Galvao pieced together three consecutive victories and then defeated Warren via second-round technical submission to become the new champion.

Douglas Lima was originally scheduled to face Chidi Njokuani, but was pulled from this bout when he got the call to headline Bellator 158 in London against Paul Daley due to an injury that forced Josh Koscheck out of that match up.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Bantamweight	Eduardo Dantas	def.	Marcos Galvao (c)	Decision (unanimous) (50-45, 50-44, 50-43)	5	5:00
Welterweight	Chidi Njokuani	def.	Thiago Jambo	KO (body kick and punches)	3	2:39
Middleweight	John Salter	def.	Brandon Halsey	Submission (triangle choke)	1	4:03
Middleweight	Chris Honeycutt	def.	Mikkel Parlo	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Middleweight	Ben Reiter	def.	A.J. Matthews	Decision (unanimous) (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Carrington Banks	def.	CJ Keith	Decision (unanimous) (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)	3	5:00
Postliminary card (Dark Bouts)
Light Heavyweight	Jermaine McDermott	def.	Blake Watkins	KO	1	0:20
Catchweight (140 lbs)	Paul Ruiz	def.	Christian Buron-Navarro	Decision (split)	3	5:00
Heavyweight	Javy Ayala	def.	Roy Boughton	TKO (punches)	1	3:02
Lightweight	Nick Bustamante	def.	Antoine Smith	Decision (majority)	3	5:00
Light Heavyweight	Jose Cabesas	def.	John Paul Elias	KO	1	0:25
Heavyweight	Chris Lewis	def.	Myron Smith	TKO (punches)	1	4:48
Lightweight	Luis Jauregui	def.	Ryan Tobar	Decision (unanimous)	3	5:00

Bellator 157

Bellator 157: Dynamite 2
Date	June 24, 2016
Venue	Scottrade Center
City	St.Louis, Missouri
Attendance	11,982
Total gate	$1,033,589

Bellator 157: Dynamite 2 was held on June 24, 2016 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV .

Background

The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson and Japanese Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii. Jackson had a successful three-fight stint with Bellator MMA - two knockouts against Joey Beltran and Christian M'Pumbu plus a unanimous decision won over Muhammed Lawal - before returning to the UFC where he defeated Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision at UFC 186. After facing Maldonado, a contract settlement brought Jackson back to Bellator MMA. A 2008 Olympic gold medalist in judo, Ishii began his MMA career in December 2009 and has competed against fighters such as Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Jerome Le Banner, and Tim Sylvia.

In the co-main event, former Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler took on top contender Patricky Freire for the vacant Bellator Lightweight Championship.

Like the previous Dynamite card, the show combined MMA and kickboxing bouts with a cage and ring set up side-by-side. Bellator Kickboxing: St. Louis - which featured a rematch between Joe Schilling and Hisaki Kato under kickboxing rules - aired immediately following the Dynamite 2 portion on Spike TV.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Heavyweight	Quinton Jackson	def.	Satoshi Ishii	Decision (split) (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Michael Chandler	def.	Patricky Freire	KO (punch)	1	2:14
Featherweight (Kickboxing)	Kevin Ross	def.	Justin Houghton	Decision (unanimous) (29-27, 29-27, 30-26)	3	3:00
Women's Flyweight	Ilima-Lei Macfarlane	def.	Rebecca Ruth	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	3:00
Women's Flyweight (Kickboxing)	Gloria Peritore	def.	Denise Kielholtz	Decision (split) (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)	3	3:00
Heavyweight	Matt Mitrione	def.	Carl Seumanutafa	KO (punch)	1	3:22
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Welterweight	Chel Erwin-Davis	def.	Kevin Engel	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	1:19
Welterweight	Brad Jones	def.	Tyler Clausen	KO (head kick and punches)	1	0:26
Welterweight	Joaquin Buckley	def.	Chris Heatherly	KO (knee and punches)	2	4:14
Welterweight (Kickboxing)	Darryl Cobb	def.	Elmir Kulosman	TKO (strikes)	2	2:28
Women's Flyweight (Kickboxing)	Tara Walker	def.	Mimi Kutzin	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)	3	3:00
Welterweight	Guilherme Vasconcelos	def.	Jordan Dowdy	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	4:59
Featherweight	Justin Lawrence	def.	Isao Kobayashi	KO (punches)	2	2:11
Bantamweight	Matt Murphy	def.	Justin Robbins	TKO (doctor stoppage)	2	2:16
Featherweight	Rashard Lovelace	def.	Garrett Mueller	TKO (doctor stoppage)	2	5:00
Welterweight	Steven Mann	def.	Mike Estus	TKO (knees)	1	0:25
Bellator Kickboxing: St. Louis bouts
Women's Flyweight (Kickboxing)	Keri Melendez	def.	Sarah Howell	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)	3	3:00
Welterweight (Kickboxing)	Raymond Daniels	def.	Stefano Bruno	TKO (liver kick)	1	1:45
Middleweight (Kickboxing)	Hisaki Kato	def.	Joe Schilling	KO (spinning back fist)	2	2:59
Postliminary card (Dark Bouts)
Women's Strawweight	Ashley Cummins	def.	Nicole Smith	Submission (knee choke)	2	1:33
Women's Catchweight (130 lbs)	Katy Collins	def.	Michelle Royer	Submission (armbar)	1	0:48
Middleweight	DeWayne Diggs	def.	Jason Christeson	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1
Heavyweight	Byron Stevens	def.	Lee Burns	TKO (strikes)	2	4:46

Bellator 158

Bellator 158: Daley vs. Lima
Date	July 16, 2016
Venue	O2 Arena (London)
City	London, England
Attendance	12,311
Total gate	875,536£ $1,155,181 (USD)

Bellator 158: Daley vs. Lima (aka Bellator: London) was held on July 16, 2016 at the O2 Arena (London) in London, England. The event had a tape-delayed broadcast on Spike TV and Channel 5 (UK).

Background

Originally, Bellator President Scott Coker announced that Kimbo Slice and James Thompson would compete in the main event of Bellator 158, to take place July 16 at London’s O2 Arena. This was to be a rematch of their infamous 2008 clash under the EliteXC banner which ended in a controversial TKO win for Kimbo. Tragically these plans had to be scrapped, as Slice died suddenly on June 6, 2016 of heart failure.

Josh Koscheck was scheduled to make his debut on this card against Paul Daley. However, Koscheck withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Douglas Lima.

Fernando Gonzalez was supposed to fight Michael Page but visa issues forced him off the card and was replaced by Evangelista Santos.

Contractual issues with ATAK Promotions caused Mark Godbeer and Ben Smith to withdraw from the card.

Linton Vassell was supposed to fight Francis Carmont but a cut over his left eye forced him to withdraw and be replaced by Łukasz Klinger.

The Mohegan Department of Athletic Regulation was responsible for drug testing at this event and marks the first time that Bellator had a US-based athletic commission exercise regulatory powers abroad.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Welterweight	Douglas Lima	def.	Paul Daley	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Heavyweight	Matt Mitrione	def.	Oli Thompson	TKO (punches)	2	4:21
Light Heavyweight	Francis Carmont	def.	Łukasz Klinger	Submission (D'arce Choke)	1	3:54
Welterweight	Michael Page	def.	Evangelista Santos	KO (flying knee)	2	4:31
Featherweight	James Gallagher	def.	Mike Cutting	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Heavyweight	James Mulheron	def.	Neil Grove	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)	3	5:00
Bantamweight	Luiz Henrique Tosta	vs.	Dean Garnett	Draw (majority) (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)	3	5:00
Middleweight	Danny Mitchell	def.	CJ Meeks	Submission (twister)	1	4:25
Featherweight	Nathaniel Wood	def.	Chase Morton	Submission (rear naked choke)	3	3:55
Middleweight	Jason Radcliffe	def.	Jack Mason	KO (knee)	1	0:14
Middleweight	Manuel Garcia	def.	Alex Reid	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)	3	5:00
Flyweight	Pietro Menga	def.	Spencer Hewitt	KO (punch)	1	0:41
Middleweight	Mike Shipman	def.	Dominic Clark	Submission (Anaconda choke)	1

Bellator 159

Bellator 159: Caldwell vs. Taimanglo
Date	July 23, 2016
Venue	Kansas Star Arena
City	Mulvane, Kansas
Attendance	3,124
Total gate	$206,978

Bellator 159: Caldwell vs. Taimanglo was held on July 23, 2016 at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The event was headlined by a bantamweight title eliminator bout between Darrion Caldwell and Joe Taimanglo. The winner is expect to face the current bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas. Originally set at bantamweight, the fight was switched to a catchweight when Taimanglo weighed in at 138 pounds.

In the co-main event, local fighter Dave Rickels met Melvin Guillard. It was originally scheduled to be a lightweight bout, but Guillard missed weight and came in at 157.9 pounds.

Results

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Catchweight (138 lbs)	Joe Taimanglo	def.	Darrion Caldwell	Submission (guillotine choke)	3	0:09
Catchweight (158 lbs)	Melvin Guillard	def.	David Rickels	KO (punches and elbows)	1	2:14
Women's Flyweight	Emily Ducote	def.	Bruna Vargas	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	0:29
Featherweight	Daniel Weichel	def.	Emmanuel Sanchez	Decision (split) (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Light Heavyweight	Philipe Lins	def.	Guilherme Viana	TKO (punches)	2	1:13
Women's Flyweight	Jessica Middleton	def.	Bruna Ellen	Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)	3	5:00
Featherweight	Gaston Reyno	def.	LJ Hermreck	TKO (punches)	3	3:57
Bantamweight	Johnny Marigo	def.	Andy Riley	Verbal Submission (triangle armbar)	1	2:44
Lightweight	Fernando Martinez	def.	Marcio Navarro	Decision (split) (28-29) (29-28) (29-28)	3	5:00
Postliminary Card (Dark Bouts)
Middleweight	Josh Pfeifer	def.	Henry Lindsay	Submission (armbar)	1	3:43
Catchweight (146.2 lbs)	Brandon Phillips	def.	Chuka Willis	Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)	3	5:00
Welterweight	Chris Harris	def.	Matt Foster	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	1:23
Middleweight	Trey Ogden	def.	Manny Meraz	Submission (guillotine choke)	2	2:37

Bellator 160

Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull
Date	August 26, 2016
Venue	Honda Center
City	Anaheim, California

Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull will be held on August 26, 2016 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California . The event will air live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The event is headlined by a Lightweight title eliminator fight between former UFC champion Benson Henderson And former Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire

Henderson, after being upset in his April debut against welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov, returns to the division where he twice defeated Frankie Edgar. He’s also beaten former UFC title challengers Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone.

Freire, seeking to parlay the victory to a title shot against lightweight champion Michael Chandler, who claimed the belt by knocking out Freire’s brother, Patricky, on June 24

The co-main even on the card features NCAA Division I National Champion in Wrestling Bubba Jenkins verse Georgi Karakhanyan. Last time these two met Karakhanyan defeated Jenkins by guillotine choke in the first round. This co-headliner is being touted as "Georgi Karakhanyan vs Bubba Jenkins 2"

Additionally, Four-time NCAA Division II Champion wrestler Joey Davis will make his professional MMA debut at Bellator 160, As an amateur he had a record of 5-0.

Davis, 21, recently graduated from Notre Dame College, where he accumulated an undefeated 131-0 record over the course of four seasons during his collegiate wrestling career. He is the only Division II wrestler in NCAA history to win four consecutive national titles, and is one of three wrestlers ever to complete a four-year college career with an undefeated record, joining Cael Sanderson (Division I) and Marcus LeVesseur (Division III).

Official fight card

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Lightweight	Benson Henderson	vs.	Patricio Freire
Featherweight	Georgi Karakhanyan	vs.	Bubba Jenkins
Featherweight	A.J. McKee	vs.	Henry Corrales
Lightweight	Saad Awad	vs.	Derek Anderson
Preliminary card (Spike.com)
Welterweight	Kevin Ferguson Jr	vs.	Johnny Tomasian
Welterweight	Joey Davis	vs.	Keith Cutrone

Bellator 161

Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson
Date	September 16, 2016
Venue	H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
City	Cedar Park, Texas

Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson will be held on September 16, 2016 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Cedar Park, Texas. The event will air live in prime time on Spike TV.

Background

The event is headlined by a Heavyweight fight between former UFC Veteran Cheick Kongo And Tony Johnson

Kongo (24-10-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) is currently riding a two-fight winning streak over Vinicius Queiroz and Alexander Volkov Kongo also owns wins against Shawn Jordan, Matt Mitrione, Pat Barry and Mirko Filipovic.It’s Kongo’s third consecutive Bellator headliner slot.

Meanwhile, Johnson (10-2 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) boasts a three-fight winning streak, including a pair of victories under the Bellator banner – a January win over Raphael Butler and an April 2015 win over Volkov.

Johnson also owns wins against UFC contender Derrick Lewis and former UFC champion Tim Sylvia.

Official fight card

Fight card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Heavyweight	Cheick Kongo	vs.	Tony Johnson