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List of Bellator MMA champions

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File:Bellator Championship Belt.jpg
A Bellator World Championship belt

Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class.

At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded Bellator Fighting Championships as a tournament based organization. The inaugural champion for each weight class was determined by the winner of an eight-man tournament. All subsequent title challengers were required to first win an eight-man tournament in a specific weight class in order to earn the right to challenge that division's reigning champion. Dethroned champions were required to re-enter the tournaments in order to attempt to regain their title. Under Bjorn Rebney's sole leadership, Bellator MMA would strictly adhere to these rules during the first four years of its operation.

The first changes to this format would begin to appear not long after Viacom, Inc. purchased a controlling stake in the organization.[1] In November 2012, CEO Bjorn Rebney announced the introduction of a "championship rematch clause". This would allow Bellator to schedule an immediate title-fight rematch if officials deemed the fight necessary.[2] The next major change occurred during Bellator's 2013 Summer Series when it was announced that all three tournaments would be shorter, four-man affairs instead of the standard eight.[3] Though originally stated to return to the eight-man only tournaments afterwards, officials instead decided to add two additional four-man tournaments to the existing tournament lineup in a effort to provide a more consistent flow of title challengers for their champions to face.[4]

Two additional rule changes would be announced. The first was the "tournament champion replacement clause" introduced in August 2013. This allowed officials to grant title shots to replacement fighters when tournament winners were injured, or otherwise unavailable, through a complex voting and points system.[5] Then, in June 2014, CEO Bjorn Rebney made an announcement stating that any fighter who had previously won a Bellator tournament would maintain permanent eligibility to fight for a title without having to re-enter another tournament.[6] Neither of these changes would ever be implemented, however, as one week later Bellator MMA and its founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted ways, bringing about an end to the organization's tournament based model.[7][8]

Current champions

Men[9]
Division Champion Since Defenses
Heavyweight Russia Vitaly Minakov November 15, 2013 1
Light Heavyweight England Liam McGeary February 27, 2015 1
Middleweight Brazil Rafael Carvalho October 23, 2015 0
Welterweight Russia Andrey Koreshkov July 17, 2015 1
Lightweight United States Will Brooks November 15, 2014 2
Featherweight United States Daniel Mason-Straus November 6, 2015 0
Bantamweight Brazil Marcos Galvão March 27, 2015 0

Men's Championship history

Heavyweight Championship

206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Cole Konrad
def. Neil Grove 		Bellator 32
Kansas City, MO, USA 		October 14, 2010 699 days

1. def. Eric Prindle at Bellator 70 on May 25, 2012 in New Orleans, LA, USA

Konrad vacated the title on September 12, 2012 when he retired from MMA competition.[10]
2 Russia Alexander Volkov
def. Rich Hale 		Bellator 84
Hammond, IN, USA 		December 14, 2012 337 days
3 Russia Vitaly Minakov Bellator 108
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		November 15, 2013 4028 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 115 on Apr 4, 2014 in Reno, NV, USA

Light Heavyweight Championship

186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian M'Pumbu
def. Rich Hale 		Bellator 45
Lake Charles, LA, USA 		May 21, 2011 650 days
2 Slovakia Attila Végh Bellator 91
Rio Rancho, NM, USA 		February 28, 2013 387 days
- United States Emanuel Newton
def. Muhammed Lawal for interim title 		Bellator 106
Long Beach, CA, USA 		November 2, 2013 —
3 United States Emanuel Newton Bellator 113
Mulvane, KS, USA 		March 21, 2014 343 days

1. def. Joey Beltran at Bellator 124 on Sep 12, 2014 in Plymouth Township, MI, USA
2. def. Linton Vassell at Bellator 130 on Oct 24, 2014 in Mulvane, KS, USA

4 England Liam McGeary Bellator 134
Uncasville, CT, USA 		February 27, 2015 3559 days
(incumbent)

1. def. Tito Ortiz at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 on Sep 19, 2015 in San Jose, CA, USA

Middleweight Championship

171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Cuba Hector Lombard
def. Jared Hess 		Bellator 12
Hollywood, FL, USA 		June 19, 2009 1,040 days

1. def. Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 34 on Oct 28, 2010 in Hollywood, FL, USA

Lombard vacated the title on April 24, 2012 when he left Bellator for the UFC.[11]
2 Russia Alexander Shlemenko
def. Maiquel Falcão 		Bellator 88
Duluth, GA, USA 		February 7, 2013 597 days

1. def. Brett Cooper at Bellator 98 on Sep 7, 2013 in Uncasville, CT, USA
2. def. Doug Marshall at Bellator 109 on Nov 22, 2013 in Bethlehem, PA, USA
3. def. Brennan Ward at Bellator 114 on Mar 28, 2014 in West Valley City, Utah, USA

3 United States Brandon Halsey Bellator 126
Phoenix, AZ, USA 		September 26, 2014 230 days
Halsey was stripped of the title on May 14, 2015 after failing to make weight for his Bellator 137 title defense.[12]
4 Brazil Rafael Carvalho
def. Brandon Halsey 		Bellator 144
Uncasville, Connecticut 		October 23, 2015 3321 days
(incumbent)

Welterweight Championship

156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Lyman Good
def. Omar de la Cruz 		Bellator 11
Uncasville, CT, USA 		June 12, 2009 485 days
2 United States Ben Askren Bellator 33
Philadelphia, PA, USA 		October 21, 2010 1120 days

1. def. Jay Hieron at Bellator 56 on Oct 29, 2011 in Kansas City, KS, USA
2. def. Douglas Lima at Bellator 64 on Apr 6, 2012 in Windsor, ON, Canada
3. def. Karl Amoussou at Bellator 86 on Jan 24, 2013 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, USA
4. def. Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 97 on Jul 31, 2013 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA

Title vacated on November 14, 2013 when Askren was released from Bellator.[13]
3 Brazil Douglas Lima
def. Rick Hawn 		Bellator 117
Council Bluffs, IA, USA 		April 18, 2014 455 days
4 Russia Andrey Koreshkov Bellator 140
Uncasville, CT, USA 		July 17, 2015 3419 days
(incumbent) 		1. def. Benson Henderson at Bellator 153 on April 22, 2016 in Uncasville, CT, USA

Lightweight Championship

146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Eddie Alvarez
def. Toby Imada 		Bellator 12
Hollywood, FL, USA 		June 19, 2009 883 days

1. def. Pat Curran at Bellator 39 on Apr 2, 2011 in Uncasville, CT, USA

2 United States Michael Chandler Bellator 58
Hollywood, FL, USA 		November 19, 2011 715 days

1. def. Rick Hawn at Bellator 85 on Jan 17, 2013 in Irvine, CA, USA
2. def. David Rickels at Bellator 97 on Jul 31, 2013 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA

3 United States Eddie Alvarez (2) Bellator 106
Long Beach, CA, USA 		November 2, 2013 290 days
(1,173 days)
- United States Will Brooks
def. Michael Chandler for interim title 		Bellator 120
Southaven, MS, USA 		May 17, 2014 —
Title was vacated on August 19, 2014 when Alvarez was granted a release from the promotion.[14]
4 United States Will Brooks
def. Michael Chandler for undisputed title 		Bellator 131
San Diego, CA, USA 		November 15, 2014 3663 days (incumbent)

1. def. Dave Jansen at Bellator 136 on Apr 10, 2015 in Irvine, CA, USA
2. def. Marcin Held at Bellator 145 on Nov 6, 2015 in St. Louis, MO, USA

Featherweight Championship

136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Joe Soto
def. Yahir Reyes 		Bellator 10
Ontario, CA, USA 		June 5, 2009 454 days
2 United States Joe Warren Bellator 27
San Antonio, TX, USA 		September 2, 2010 554 days
3 United States Pat Curran Bellator 60
Hammond, IN, USA 		March 9, 2012 604 days 1. def. Patrício Freire at Bellator 85 on Jan 17, 2013 in Irvine, CA, USA

2. def. Shahbulat Shamhalaev at Bellator 95 on Apr 4, 2013 in Atlantic City, NJ, USA

4 United States Daniel Mason-Straus Bellator 106
Long Beach, CA, USA 		November 2, 2013 133 days
5 United States Pat Curran (2) Bellator 112
Hammond, IN, USA 		March 14, 2014 176 days
(780 days)
6 Brazil Patrício Freire Bellator 123
Uncasville, CT, USA 		September 5, 2014 428 days 1. def. Daniel Mason-Straus at Bellator 132 on Jan 16, 2015 in Temecula, CA, USA

2. def. Daniel Weichel at Bellator 138 on Jun 19, 2015 in St. Louis, MO, USA

7 United States Daniel Mason-Straus (2) Bellator 145
St. Louis, MO, USA 		November 6, 2015 3307 days (incumbent)

Bantamweight Championship

126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Zach Makovsky
def. Ed West 		Bellator 32
Kansas City, MO, USA 		October 14, 2010 547 days
2 Brazil Eduardo Dantas Bellator 65
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		April 13, 2012 911 days 1. def. Marcos Galvão at Bellator 89 on Feb 14, 2013 in Charlotte, NC, USA

2. def. Anthony Leone at Bellator 111 on Mar 8, 2014 in Thackerville, OK, USA

- United States Joe Warren
def. Rafael Silva for interim title 		Bellator 118
Atlantic City, NJ, USA 		May 2, 2014 —
3 United States Joe Warren Bellator 128
Thackerville, OK, USA 		October 10, 2014 169 days
4 Brazil Marcos Galvão Bellator 135
Thackerville, OK, USA 		March 27, 2015 3531 days
(incumbent)

Women's Championship history

Women's Strawweight Championship

106 pounds (48 kg) to 115 pounds (52 kg)

No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 United States Zoila Gurgel
def. Megumi Fujii 		Bellator 34
Hollywood, FL, USA 		October 28, 2010 831 days
Gurgel vacated the title on February 5, 2013 when she left Bellator for Invicta FC.[15]

Tournament Winners

Originally, all title challengers were determined through these tournaments with the winners earning the right to challenge the reigning champion at that weight class or, if necessary, be allowed to compete for an interim or vacant title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season One

(April 3, 2009 - June 19, 2009)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Featherweight[1] United States Joe Soto Mexico Yahir Reyes Bellator 10 June 5, 2009
Welterweight[2] United States Lyman Good Dominican Republic Omar De La Cruz Bellator 11 June 12, 2009
Middleweight[3] Cuba Hector Lombard United States Jared Hess Bellator 12 June 19, 2009
Lightweight[4] United States Eddie Alvarez United States Toby Imada Bellator 12 June 19, 2009

^ 1: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Featherweight Champion.
^ 2: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion.
^ 3: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Middleweight Champion.
^ 4: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Lightweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Two

(April 8, 2010 - June 24, 2010)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Lightweight United States Pat Curran United States Toby Imada Bellator 21 June 10, 2010
Welterweight United States Ben Askren United States Dan Hornbuckle Bellator 22 June 17, 2010
Middleweight Russia Alexander Shlemenko United States Bryan Baker Bellator 23 June 24, 2010
Featherweight United States Joe Warren Brazil Patricio Freire Bellator 23 June 24, 2010

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Three

(August 12, 2010 - October 28, 2010)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight[1] United States Cole Konrad South Africa Neil Grove Bellator 32 October 14, 2010
Bantamweight[2] United States Zach Makovsky United States Ed West Bellator 32 October 14, 2010
Women's Strawweight[3] United States Zoila Gurgel Japan Megumi Fujii Bellator 34 October 28, 2010

^ 1: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Heavyweight Champion.
^ 2: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Bantamweight Champion.
^ 3: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Women's Strawweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four

(March 5, 2011 - May 21, 2011)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Welterweight United States Jay Hieron United States Rick Hawn Bellator 43 May 7, 2011
Lightweight United States Michael Chandler Brazil Patricky Freire Bellator 44 May 14, 2011
Light Heavyweight[1] Democratic Republic of the Congo Christian M'Pumbu United States Richard Hale Bellator 45 May 21, 2011
Featherweight Brazil Patrício Freire United States Daniel Mason-Straus Bellator 45 May 21, 2011

^ 1: Tournament determined the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2011 Summer Series

(June 25, 2011 - August 20, 2011)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Featherweight United States Pat Curran Brazil Marlon Sandro Bellator 48 August 20, 2011

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Five

(September 27, 2011 - November 26, 2011)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Middleweight[1] Russia Alexander Shlemenko Brazil Vitor Vianna Bellator 57 November 12, 2011
Welterweight Brazil Douglas Lima United States Ben Saunders Bellator 57 November 12, 2011
Bantamweight Brazil Eduardo Dantas Cuba Alexis Vila Bellator 59 November 26, 2011
Heavyweight[2] United States Eric Prindle Brazil Thiago Santos Bellator 62 March 23, 2012

^ 1: Shlemenko next faced Season Six tournament winner Maiquel Falcão for the vacant middleweight title.
^ 2: Following a no contest in the finals at Bellator 59, a rematch between Prindle and Santos was cancelled at Bellator 61, and again at Bellator 62 when Santos was unable to make weight. Prindle was awarded the tournament victory.[16]

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six

(March 9, 2012 - May 25, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Featherweight United States Daniel Mason-Straus Brazil Marlon Sandro Bellator 68 May 11, 2012
Middleweight[1] Brazil Maiquel Falcão Sweden Andreas Spang Bellator 69 May 18, 2012
Lightweight United States Rick Hawn United States Brent Weedman Bellator 70 May 25, 2012
Welterweight France Karl Amoussou United States Bryan Baker Bellator 72 July 20, 2012
Bantamweight Brazil Marcos Galvao Brazil Luis Nogueira Bellator 73 August 24, 2012

^ 1: Falcão next faced Season Five tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko for the vacant middleweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series

(June 22, 2012 - July 24, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight Slovakia Attila Vegh United States Travis Wiuff Bellator 73 August 24, 2012

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven

(September 28, 2012 - December 14, 2012)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Welterweight Russia Andrey Koreshkov United States Lyman Good Bellator 82 November 30, 2012
Heavyweight[1] Russia Alexander Volkov United States Richard Hale Bellator 84 December 14, 2012
Featherweight Russia Shahbulat Shamhalaev United States Rad Martinez Bellator 90 February 21, 2013
Lightweight[2] United States Dave Jansen Poland Marcin Held Bellator 93 March 21, 2013

^ 1: Tournament determined the new Bellator Heavyweight champion.
^ 2: After an extended layoff due to injury, Jansen would choose to forfeit his title shot for the opportunity to take an immediate fight upon his return.[17]

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight

(January 17, 2013 - April 4, 2013)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight[1] United States Emanuel Newton Russia Mikhail Zayats Bellator 94 March 28, 2013
Lightweight United States David Rickels United States Saad Awad Bellator 94 March 28, 2013
Middleweight United States Doug Marshall United States Brett Cooper Bellator 95 April 4, 2013
Featherweight[2] Russia Magomedrasul Khasbulaev United States Mike Richman Bellator 95 April 4, 2013
Welterweight[3] Brazil Douglas Lima United States Ben Saunders Bellator 100 September 20, 2013

^ 1: Newton next faced 2013 Summer Series tournament winner Muhammed Lawal for the Interim Light Heavyweight title.
^ 2: After repeated visa issues prevented Khasbulaev from returning to the USA to claim his title shot, the fighter was granted his release from the pomotion in December 2014.[18]
^ 3: Lima next faced Season Nine tournament winner Rick Hawn for the vacant welterweight title.

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2013 Summer Series

(June 19, 2013 - July 31, 2013)
All three tournaments were shortened, four-man tournaments instead of the standard eight.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight Russia Vitaly Minakov United States Ryan Martinez Bellator 97 July 31, 2013
Light Heavyweight[1] United States Muhammed Lawal United States Jacob Noe Bellator 97 July 31, 2013
Bantamweight[2] Brazil Rafael Silva United States Anthony Leone Bellator 102 October 4, 2013

^ 1: Lawal next faced Season Eight tournament winner Emanuel Newton for the Interim Light Heavyweight title.
^ 2: Silva next faced Season Nine tournament winner Joe Warren for the Interim Bantamweight title.

Bellator MMA: Season Nine

(September 7, 2013 - November 22, 2013)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Heavyweight[1] France Cheick Kongo Australia Peter Graham Bellator 107 November 8, 2013
Middleweight United States Brennan Ward Denmark Mikkel Parlo Bellator 107 November 8, 2013
Bantamweight[1][2] United States Joe Warren United States Travis Marx Bellator 107 November 8, 2013
Featherweight Brazil Patrício Freire United States Justin Wilcox Bellator 108 November 15, 2013
Welterweight[3] United States Rick Hawn United States Ron Keslar Bellator 109 November 22, 2013
Lightweight[4] United States Will Brooks Russia Alexander Sarnavskiy Bellator 109 November 22, 2013

^ 1: Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
^ 2: Warren next faced 2013 Summer Series tournament winner Rafael Silva for the Interim Bantamweight title.
^ 3: Hawn next faced Season Eight tournament winner Douglas Lima for the vacant welterweight title.
^ 4: Brooks next faced former champion Michael Chandler for the Interim Lightweight Championship at Bellator 120. Chandler was originally scheduled for an immediate rematch with champion Eddie Alvarez at the event.[19]

Bellator MMA: Season Ten

(February 28, 2014 – May 17, 2014)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Featherweight[3] Germany Daniel Weichel United States Desmond Green Bellator 119 May 9, 2014
Heavyweight[3] Russia Alexander Volkov Bulgaria Blagoy Ivanov Bellator 120 May 17, 2014
Light Heavyweight[1][2] United States Quinton Jackson United States Muhammed Lawal Bellator 120 May 17, 2014
Middleweight[1] United States Brandon Halsey United States Brett Cooper Bellator 122 July 25, 2014
Welterweight Russia Andrey Koreshkov United States Adam McDonough Bellator 122 July 25, 2014
Lightweight[3] Poland Marcin Held Brazil Patricky Freire Bellator 126 September 26, 2014

^ 1: Tournament was a shortened, four-man tournament instead of the standard eight.
^ 2: Jackson would end up leaving Bellator MMA for the UFC and never claim his title shot.[20]
^ 3: Despite initial assurances to the contrary,[21][22] Bellator's new management would not honor the title shots Volkov, Weichel and Held earned while under the tournament format.

Bellator MMA: 2014 Summer Series

(June 6, 2014 – July 25, 2014)

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight England Liam McGeary United States Kelly Anundson Bellator 124 September 14, 2014

Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1

(September 19, 2015)
A one night, four-man light heavyweight tournament.

Weight Division Champion Runner-up Event Date
Light Heavyweight United States Phil Davis United States Francis Carmont Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 September 19, 2015

Champions by nationality

Division champions include title holders and interim title holders. Interim champions who become undisputed champions are listed only once. Tournament runners-up are not included.

Country Division
champions		 Tournament
champions		 Total
United States USA 19 27 46
Brazil Brazil 5 8 13
Russia Russia 4 9 13
Cuba Cuba 1 1 2
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 1 2
England England 1 1 2
France France - 2 2
Slovakia Slovakia 1 1 2
Germany Germany - 1 1
Poland Poland - 1 1

Multi-division Champions

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[23] Tournament champions are not included.

Champion Division Won Lost Defenses Reign Total reign
United States Joe Warren Featherweight Sep 2, 2010
(Bellator 27) 		Mar 9, 2012
(Bellator 60) 		0 554 days 723 days
Bantamweight
(interim champion) 		May 2, 2014
(Bellator 118) 		October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128) 		0 -
Bantamweight October 10, 2014
(Bellator 128) 		March 27, 2015
(Bellator 135) 		0 169 days

Most consecutive title defenses

The following includes all Bellator champions who were able to consecutively defend their title two times or more. Fighters with the same number of title defenses are listed chronologically.

Defenses Champion Weight class Span
4 United States Ben Askren Welterweight Oct 21, 2010 - July 31, 2013
3 Russia Alexander Shlemenko Middleweight Feb 7, 2013 - Sep 26, 2014
2 United States Michael Chandler Lightweight Nov 19, 2011 - Nov 2, 2013
United States Pat Curran Featherweight Mar 9, 2012 - Nov 2, 2013
Brazil Eduardo Dantas Bantamweight Feb 14, 2013 - Oct 10, 2014
United States Emanuel Newton Light Heavyweight Mar 21, 2013 - Feb 27, 2015
Brazil Patrício Freire Featherweight Sep 5, 2014 - Nov 6, 2015
United States Will Brooks Lightweight Nov 15, 2014 - present

Most wins in title bouts

The following includes all fighters with three or more championship and/or interim championship title wins. Fighters with the same number of title wins are arranged in order of most title bouts. Tournament championships are not included.

Title wins

 Champion

 Weight class

 Record in title bouts
(Win-Loss-Draw)
5 United States Ben Askren Welterweight 5 - 0 - 0
4 United States Pat Curran Lightweight
Featherweight
 0 - 1 - 0
4 - 2 - 0
Russia Alexander Shlemenko Middleweight 4 - 2 - 0
United States Emanuel Newton Light Heavyweight 4 - 1 - 0
United States Will Brooks Lightweight 4 - 0 - 0
3 United States Michael Chandler Lightweight 3 - 3 - 0
Brazil Patrício Freire Featherweight 3 - 2 - 0
United States Joe Warren Featherweight
Bantamweight
 1 - 1 - 0
2 - 1 - 0
United States Eddie Alvarez Lightweight 3 - 1 - 0
Brazil Eduardo Dantas Bantamweight 3 - 1 - 0

See also

References

  1. ^ Whitman, Mike. "Viacom Buys Stake in Bellator; Promotion Headed to Spike by 2013". Sherdog.com. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "Bellator announces championship-rematch clause with move to Spike TV". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Bellator's 'Summer Series' returns with three four-man tournaments". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  4. ^ Erickson, Matt. "Rebney open to holding four-man tourneys in Bellator's regular season". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  5. ^ "Bellator institutes 'tournament champion replacement clause' for title fights". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  6. ^ Critchfield, Tristen. "New Bellator Rule Allows Former Tourney Winners to Fight for Title at Any Time". Sherdog.com. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  7. ^ Stupp, Dann. "Bellator announces departure of executives Bjorn Rebney and Tim Danaher". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  8. ^ Marrocco, Steven. "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  9. ^ "Bellator Fighters". bellator.com. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  10. ^ "Bellator confirms retirement of heavyweight champ Cole Konrad; title's future to be decided". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
  11. ^ "Bellator Champ Hector Lombard Jumps to the UFC". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  12. ^ Mike Sloan (2015-05-14). "Bellator 137 Weigh-in Results: Brandon Halsey Misses Weight, Stripped of Title". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  13. ^ "Bellator releases welterweight champion Ben Askren". mmajunkie.com. November 14, 2013.
  14. ^ Alexander, Mookie. "Bellator releases lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez". BloodyElbow.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  15. ^ Whitman, Mike. "Zoila Frausto Gurgel Signs with Invicta FC, Makes April Debut Against Jennifer Maia". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  16. ^ "Bellator 62 weigh-in results: Thiago Santos heavy, Eric Prindle awarded tournament win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  17. ^ Marrocco, Steven. "Sidelined 18 months, tourney champ Dave Jansen returns at Bellator 130 vs. Rick Hawn". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  18. ^ Raimondi, Marc. "'One of the saddest stories in MMA':Where has former Bellator standout Frodo Khasbulaev been?". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  19. ^ Stupp, Dann. "Bellator 120 to remain on PPV, Chandler meets replacement Brooks for interim title". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  20. ^ "After 3-0 Bellator run, 'Rampage' Jackson re-signs with UFC for expected 2015 return". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  21. ^ "Scott Coker: Bellator moving to monthly events in 2015; Spike TV to remain focus". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  22. ^ "Four title fights highlight Bellator's first three events of 2015". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  23. ^ "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated.
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