The fighters have weighed in, they’ve faced off one last time, and all that’s left is the fighting.
For the sixth time in the promotion’s history, Bellator is back in Illinois with Bellator 221 on Saturday and a highly anticipated champion-vs.-champion showdown atop the card.
In the main event, featherweight champion Patricio Freire moves up to lightweight to challenge titleholder Michael Chandler in a bout that’s deeply personal. And in the co-headliner, former champ Douglas Lima fights Michael Page in the semifinals of the promotion’s welterweight grand prix.
Take a look at the Bellator 221 event info, lineup with start times and key storylines below:
What: Bellator 221
When: Saturday
Where: Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
Live stream: DAZN (sign up now), MMA Junkie
Full Fight Card, start times
MAIN CARD (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET)
- Champ Michael Chandler vs. champ Patricio Freire – for Chandler’s lightweight title
- Douglas Lima vs. Michael Page – welterweight grand prix semifinal
- Pat Curran vs. A.J. McKee
- Jake Hager vs. T.J. Jones
- James Bennett vs Tywan Claxton
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7:30 p.m. ET)
- Adil Benjilany vs. Cris Lencioni
- Josh Streacker vs. Scott Writz
- Bryan Bautista vs. Rob Fenicle
- Askar Askar vs. Taylor Moore
- Romero Cotton vs. Matt Paul
- Chris Gonzalez vs. Charlie Radtke
- P.J. Cajigas vs. Craig Fruth
- James Bochnovic vs. Robert Morrow
Key storylines
- 5 burning questions heading into Bellator 221
- Meet the beef plant worker fighting Hager
- Jones goes for it, taunts Hager at weigh-ins
- Breakdown: Chandler vs. Pitbull
- Breakdown: Lima vs. Page
- Page bounces back after father’s death
- Chandler: Freirie showdown is biggest fight in Bellator history
- Freire dismisses historic stakes, only wants to hurt Chandler
- Lima would be pissed if he wasn’t favored to beat Page
For more on Bellator 221, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.