Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2
The poster for Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2
Information
PromotionBellator MMA
DateFebruary 4, 2023 (2023-February-04)
VenueKia Forum
CityInglewood, California, United States
Event chronology
Bellator MMA vs. Rizin FF Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 Bellator 291: Amosov vs. Storley 2

Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on February 4, 2023, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, United States. The card aired live on CBS and Paramount Plus, the first time the promotion has aired live on the network and the first time MMA has been broadcast live on CBS since 2010.[1]

Background

The event marked the promotion's seventh visit to Inglewood and first since Bellator 263 in July 2021.[1]

The main event of the Bellator 290 featured MMA veteran and former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko's last fight before his retirement. Emelianenko challenged Bellator Heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (also former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir light heavyweight winner) for the title.[2] The fight, which was the first event of 2023 for the promotion, was a rematch of their January 2019 encounter in which Bader defeated his opponent by TKO in the first round to win the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship.[3]

The event was shown live on CBS and Paramount Plus, marking the first time the promotion has done so and the first time MMA has been broadcast live on the network since 2010.[4]

A Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship bout between current champion Vadim Nemkov (also the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Champion) and former UFC Middleweight title contender Yoel Romero was expected to take place at the event.[5] However, Nemkov withdrew for undisclosed reasons and the bout was cancelled.[6]

A Bellator Middleweight World Championship bout between current champion Johnny Eblen and Anatoly Tokov served as the new co-main event.[7]

Neiman Gracie and Michael Lombardo were scheduled to face each other at this event.[8] However, two weeks before the event, Lombardo was forced to withdraw from the bout and he was replaced by Dante Schiro.[9]

At the weigh-ins, Diana Avsaragova missed weight for her bout, coming in at 128.8 pounds, 2.8 pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Avsaragova was fined 25% of her purse which went to Alejandra Lara.[10]

Results

Main Card (CBS/Paramount+)
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight Ryan Bader (c) def. Fedor Emelianenko TKO (punches) 1 2:30 [a]
Middleweight Johnny Eblen (c) def. Anatoly Tokov Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 49–46, 49–46) 5 5:00 [b]
Welterweight Brennan Ward def. Sabah Homasi TKO (head kick and punches) 2 1:34
Preliminary card (Youtube/Pluto TV)
Welterweight Lorenz Larkin def. Mukhamed Berkhamov KO (elbow) 1 1:41
Featherweight Henry Corrales def. Akhmed Magomedov Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Heavyweight Ali Isaev vs. Steve Mowry Draw (unanimous) (28–28, 28–28, 28–28) 3 5:00
Lightweight Chris Gonzalez def. Max Rohskopf TKO (punches) 2 1:22
Light Heavyweight Grant Neal def. Karl Albrektsson Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Catchweight (128.8 lb) Diana Avsaragova def. Alejandra Lara Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) 3 5:00 [c]
Bantamweight Nikita Mikhailov def. Darrion Caldwell Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Postliminary card (Youtube)
Welterweight Yusuf Karakaya def. Ethan Hughes Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Featherweight Isaiah Hokit def. Peter Ishiguro Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
Bantamweight Jaylon Bates def. Jornel Lugo Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Welterweight Neiman Gracie def. Dante Schiro Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
  1. ^ For the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship.
  2. ^ For the Bellator Middleweight World Championship.
  3. ^ Originally a flyweight bout; Avsaragova missed weight

[11]

Reported payout

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the California State Athletic Commission. It is important to note the amounts do not include sponsor money, discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings.[12][13]

Viewership

After the event, it was announced that the event averaged 1.068 million viewers on CBS.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Brian Campbell (February 2, 2023). "Bellator 290 fight card -- Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko: Three storylines to watch for debut on CBS". CBS. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "Fedor Emelianenko to fight Ryan Bader for Bellator title in retirement bout". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  3. ^ "Bellator 290: Fedor Emelianenko set for retirement bout against Ryan Bader in February showdown on CBS". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  4. ^ "Bellator MMA to make CBS debut with Fedor-Bader showdown". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  5. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2022-11-18). "Yoel Romero to fight Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson 2 winner at Bellator 290". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  6. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2022-12-27). "Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero off Bellator 290, Johnny Eblen vs. Anatoly Tokov added as new co-main event". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  7. ^ Brett Okamoto (2022-12-27). "Middleweight Johnny Eblen to defend title at Bellator 290". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  8. ^ Bohn, Mike (2022-12-22). "On two-fight skid, Neiman Gracie draws Michael Lombardo at Bellator 290". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  9. ^ "Neiman Gracie has a new opponent at #Bellator290. Michael Lombardo has been forced to withdraw from the event, and Dante Schiro (9-4) has agreed to step in". Twitter. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Bellator 290 weigh-in results: Entire main card set; only one big miss". MMA Junkie. 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  11. ^ "Bellator MMA | Bellator 290". www.bellator.com.
  12. ^ Nolan King (2023-02-04). "Bellator 290 salaries: Ryan Bader, Johnny Eblen lead disclosed purses". MMA Junkie - USA Today. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  13. ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (2023-02-04). "Bellator 290 salaries: Fedor Emelianenko earns $100,000 purse for retirement fight". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  14. ^ Damon Martin (February 7, 2023). "Bellator 290 draws just over 1 million average viewers on CBS". mmafighting.com.
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