Bellator 249 marks the return of the Viacom-owned promotion to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, after a successful four-event stint in Europe. A run that included three shows in Milan, Italy, and a successful and historic debut in Paris, France.
The event sees Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg making the first defense of her title, as she takes on longtime Bellator featherweight and former title challenger (against Julia Budd) Arlene Blencowe.
Also on the card, Patricky Pitbull welcomes LFA champ Jaleel Willis back to Bellator, while top bantamweights Ricky Bandejas and Leandro Higo face off.
The event airs live on Thursday, October 15 on CBS Sports Network.
During weigh-ins Friday, both Willis and Higo missed weight by three pounds. Their fights are expected to proceed, with each fighter forfeiting a percentage of their purse.
Bellator 249: Cyborg vs. Blencowe Weigh-In Results
Main Card
Featherweight: Champ Cris Cyborg (145) vs. Arlene Blencowe (144.5) – for the Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship
Lightweight: Patricky Freire (155) vs. Jaleel Willis (159)*
Bantamweight: Ricky Bandejas (136) vs. Leandro Higo (139)**
Lightweight: Saad Awad (155.5) vs. Mandel Nallo (155.9)
Preliminary Card
Heavyweight: Steve Mowry (250.2) vs. Shawn Teed (255.4)
Middleweight: Joseph Creer (183.3) vs. Andrew Kapel (185.8)
Welterweight: Kyle Crutchmer (170.2) vs. Kemran Lachinov (170.2)
Light heavyweight: Christian Edwards (204.5) vs. Hamza Salim (204.2)
Catchweight 140lbs: Da’Mon Blackshear (140) vs. Mike Kimbel (139.2)
Welterweight: Aviv Gozali (168.8) vs. Logan Neal (169.3)
Welterweight: Albert Gonzales (169.5) vs. Kastriot Xhema (169.7)
* Willis missed the non-title lightweight limit by three pounds
** Higo missed the non-title bantamweight limit by three pounds
