NO. 1 RANKED COREY ANDERSON SET TO FACE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION PHIL DAVIS AT BELLATOR 297 ON JUNE 16

LOS ANGELES – A massive light heavyweight contest between Illinois’ own, No. 1-ranked Corey Anderson (16-6) and former BELLATOR champion Phil Davis (24-6) will take place during the main card of BELLATOR 297: Nemkov vs. Romero on Friday, June 16 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

 

In addition, the main event will see the BELLATOR Light Heavyweight World Championship contested, when current champion and No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Vadim Nemkov (16-2) attempts to defend his title against No. 3-ranked light heavyweight, the incomparable Yoel Romero (15-6), in a bout that was originally slated for BELLATOR 290.

 

The co-headliner will feature BELLATOR’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and current BELLATOR Featherweight World Champion, Patricio “Pitbull” (35-5), who will move down a weight class to challenge incumbent 135-pound champion and No. 8-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Sergio Pettis (22-5) in a BELLATOR “Super Fight” for bantamweight gold.

 

These three bouts anchor the main card of BELLATOR 297: Nemkov vs. Romero, an event that airs LIVE in the U.S. at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME. Tickets for the massive MMA spectacle can be purchased beginning Thursday, March 30 through a special pre-sale beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Ticketmaster.com, while the general on-sale begins one day later on Friday, March 31 beginning at 10 a.m. CT at Ticketmaster.com. Additional bouts, including a full preliminary card will be announced soon.

 

The two top-ranked light heavyweight contenders, No. 1-ranked BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Grand Prix runner-up Corey “Overtime” Anderson and No. 2-ranked former Light Heavyweight World Champion Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis, collide with a vested interest in the event’s headlining bout. Anderson, 33, will compete for the first time since his Grand Prix finale with champion Vadim Nemkov at BELLATOR 288, keen to reaffirm his claim as the division’s clear-cut No. 1 contender in his quest for a future trilogy with the Russian titleholder or a fresh matchup with the fearsome Yoel Romero. Opposite the Illinois native will be the 38-year-old Davis, the winner of consecutive fights against the main event’s Romero and the sixth-ranked Julius Anglickas. Davis hopes to set up a showdown with whichever man emerges victorious from the main event and hoist the Light Heavyweight World Championship for a second time in what has been a remarkable MMA tenure for the NCAA DI National Champion out of Penn State University.

 

BELLATOR 297: NEMKOV VS. ROMERO MAIN CARD:

SHOWTIME

Friday, June 16 — 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT

 

Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: C-Vadim Nemkov (16-2) vs. #3-Yoel Romero (15-6)

Bantamweight World Title Bout: C-Sergio Pettis (22-5) vs. C-Patricio “Pitbull” (35-5)

Light Heavyweight Bout: #1-Corey Anderson (16-6) vs. #2-Phil Davis (24-6)

 

*Card subject to change

 

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

 

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For more information on upcoming BELLATOR MMA events, visit BELLATOR.com. 

 

Updated schedule of BELLATOR events - click links for updated fight cards

Fri. Mar. 31 // BELLATOR 293: Golm vs. James // Pechanga Resort Casino // Temecula, CA

Fri. Apr. 21 // BELLATOR: 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2 // Blaisdell Arena // Honolulu, HI

Sat. Apr. 22 // BELLATOR: 295: Stots vs. Mix // Blaisdell Arena // Honolulu, HI

Fri. May 12 // BELLATOR 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards // Accor Arena // Paris, France

Fri. June 16 // BELLATOR 297: Nemkov vs. Romero // Wintrust Arena // Chicago, Ill

 

About BELLATOR:

BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity, and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Paramount, home to the world's premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.

 

About SHOWTIME:

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.