Bellator is placing all of the stress on the UFC after the announcement of the battle card headliners for October’s Bellator 300. The marquee occasion in San Diego is ready to characteristic 4 separate title fights in one of many greatest MMA spectacles in latest reminiscence. On the high of the cardboard is Ryan Bader versus Linton Vassell for the boys’s heavyweight belt. The 40-year-old Bader (31-7, 1 NC) has gained his final three fights, all title defenses. In the meantime, Vassell (23-8, 1 NC) has gained his final 5, 4 by knockout. In one other legendary veteran match, Cris Cyborg (26-2, 1 NC) defends her ladies’s featherweight belt in opposition to Cat Zingano (14-4).

Nonetheless, that’s solely half of the title fights on the occasion. A Bellator Light-weight World Grand Prix semifinal between Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0) and Brent Primus (12-3) will see the Russian fighter put his males’s light-weight title on the road. Elsewhere, Liz Carmouche (19-7) defends her ladies’s flyweight belt in opposition to her teammate Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (13-2).

Bellator Heaps The Strain On Dana White And The UFC

The cardboard for Bellator 300 places immense stress on Dana White to ship at UFC 300, which can doubtless happen in Q1 2024. There are numerous huge fights nonetheless scheduled within the UFC for 2023, which means that numerous marquee fights may very well be out of fee if UFC 300 is simply too early within the 12 months. Moreover, Bellator placing up a card with 4 severe and bonafide title fights provides one other factor of stress to proceedings. Lots of people count on the announcement that Musk v. Zuckerberg can be a part of UFC 300. That may not be an choice. Sure, it would usher in viewers. Nonetheless, Bellator has thrown down the gauntlet by placing up its big-name fighters. The UFC wants to reply in type.

Possibly White has a plan. Maybe Conor McGregor is being saved for UFC 300. Nonetheless, Bellator is as soon as once more proving that parity within the UFC is shortly bettering. UFC isn’t the solely draw anymore. Moreover, the promotion as an entire is in an interesting level of transition. Stars are leaving whereas nonetheless of their prime and there’s a particular generational hole. There’s a group of younger, gifted fighters who’re fairly prepared for primetime. In the meantime, the outdated guard is quietly slipping away. In fact, there are nonetheless the likes of Jon Jones and co. Nonetheless, Bellator 300 ought to definitelyy function a get up name for Dana White.

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