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| (Image Source: Professional Fighters League/BELLATOR MMA) |
The BELLATOR Champions Series will make its 2024 debut in Paris on May 17, 2024 at the Accor Arena, headlined by two BELLATOR World Championship fights. In the main event, Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0, 1 NC) will attempt to remain undefeated and retain his Lightweight title when he locks horns with Alexander Shabliy (23-3) a man who has not been beaten in eight years. The co-main event features Bellator Bantamweight champion Patchy Mix (19-1) returning to action against Magomed Magomedov (16-1). Mix and Magomedov renew a rivalry that began in 2022 at the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Semi Finals, a tournament Mix went on to win.
In addition to the main and co-main events, France’s Gregory Babene (23-11), who has won eight consecutive contests, will compete in a Middleweight no. 1 contender bout against Holland’s Costello van Steenis (14-3) during the main card. Also, former Olympian and French Heavyweight Slim Trabelsi (6-0) returns to Paris where he began his career as Francis Ngannou’s training partner and is set to face Scotland’s Louie Sutherland (6-2) at Heavyweight. The preliminary portion of BELLATOR Champions Series Paris is also beginning to take shape with the news that France’s Mansour Barnaoui (20-6) will compete at Lightweight against Japan’s Bellator and RIZIN veteran Yusuke Yachi (26-13). Additional contests including additional top French athletes will be announced in the coming weeks. The BELLATOR Champions Series Paris can be seen live by fans throughout Europe via DAZN with the action beginning at 5:00 pm CEST (Central European Standard Time) with global broadcast details to be announced in the coming weeks as well. The BELLATOR Champions Series kicks off at SSE Arena Belfast in Belfast, Northern Ireland on March 22, 2024. Following BELLATOR Champions Series Paris, the full slate of 2024 BELLATOR Champions Series events are as follows:
• June 22, 2024 - BELLATOR Champions Series Dublin, 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
• September 7, 2024 - BELLATOR Champions Series San Diego, Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California, USA
• September 14, 2024 - BELLATOR Champions Series London, OVO Wembley, London, England
• October 12, 2024 - BELLATOR Champions Series Chicago, Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
• November 16, 2024 - BELLATOR Champions Series Paris, ADIDAS Arena, Paris, France
• December 31, 2024 - BELLATOR Champions Series (venue to be disclosed soon)
Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Alexander Shabliy
Usman Nurmagomedov has proven to be one of the most dominant champions in the sport at just 25 years of age. In seven fights with BELLATOR, Nurmagomedov has gone undefeated and captured a world title in a division many consider to be the toughest in the sport. Dethroning former lightweight world champion Patricky Pitbull, the Khabib Nurmagomedov protege defended his title against MMA legend Benson Henderson enroute to his matchup on May 17. A striking specialist who has gone 8-0 under the BELLATOR banner, Alexander Shabliy has also defeated the upper echelon of the 155-pound division, including the aforementioned Pitbull and Tofiq Musayev, and impressively scored a second-round knockout against former BELLATOR lightweight champion Brent Primus.
Patchy Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov
Widely regarded as the best bantamweight in MMA, Patchy Mix has been on a rampage since his first title shot in 2020. Currently in the midst of six straight victories, Mix dominated the Bantamweight World Grand Prix where he defeated former interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots with a devastating “Knockout of the Year” nominee in the first round. Most recently, Mix met former bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis in a title unification bout where he submitted Pettis in the second-round. A World Grand Prix semifinalist, Magomedov inserted himself back into the win column when he submitted former title challenger Danny Sabatello in Japan in the opening frame. Now with momentum back on his side, Magomedov enters his first title shot with revenge on his mind in a highly anticipated rematch.
Prior to the Professional Fighters League (PFL)'s industry shaping acquisition in November 2023, BELLATOR held 301 events building a recognized worldwide roster of elite talent. In re-imagining BELLATOR, the PFL will continue the commitment of investing in athletes from underserved regions while continuing to add global stars to the roster. PFL is the only organization in MMA with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and BELLATOR boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight-class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience.
