The Bellator brand lives on, and the first event of the brand’s new era as part of the PFL stable sees the Bellator cage head to Northern Ireland for the first of its “Champions Series” events.
Bellator 302 will take place on Friday, March 22, and will feature a battle for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title, as former title challenger Corey Anderson faces off against Belfast’s own Karl Moore in the main event at the SSE Arena.
Anderson, who twice challenged Russian champion Vadim Nemkov for the belt earlier in his Bellator career, will be hoping the third time will be the charm when he crossed the pond in search of championship gold.
But he’ll be facing a man with a city behind him. Moore is a former Cage Warriors light heavyweight champion, and is undefeated under the Bellator banner, with wins over Lee Chadwick, Karl Albrektsson, Maciej Rozanski and Alex Polizzi.
Also booked for the March 22 event is a women’s featherweight rematch between Belfast’s Leah McCourt and Dublin’s Sinead Kavanagh. The first meeting saw Kavanagh take the unanimous decision victory in Dublin’s 3Arena, but the rematch will see McCourt take the home advantage as she looks to underline her status as the next woman in line to challenge for the Bellator women’s featherweight title. Kavanagh, meanwhile, will be looking to earn her second shot, and a potential title rematch with Cris Cyborg.
“After the landmark acquisition of Bellator, the Professional Fighters League is excited to officially announce a new era of MMA with the launch of the ‘Bellator Champions Series’ global franchise,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray.
“The Bellator Champions Series will feature reigning Bellator champion fighters defending their titles against the best fighters in the world from the star-studded Bellator roster. Fans will have access to the best competition and the most innovate formats in MMA distributed by leaders in sport including DAZN.”
PFL’s SVP of International James Frewin added, “The PFL is excited to kick off the new Bellator Champions Series this March in Belfast.
“Along with our great partner DAZN we look forward to giving MMA fans a premium experience through the PFL’s eight Bellator Champions Series events.”
Bellator 302: Confirmed fights
- Corey Anderson vs. Karl Moore – for vacant light heavyweight title
- Leah McCourt vs. Sinead Kavanagh
