Bellator 277 will feature a double header with AJ McKee taking on Patricio Pitbull and Vadim Nemkov taking on Corey Anderson on April 15 in San Jose.
Bellator is returning home this spring with a rare double-header. The promotion announced that the featherweight title rematch between AJ McKee and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire as well as the light heavyweight Grand Prix final between champion Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson would take place at the SAP Center in San Jose on April 15 at what is scheduled to be Bellator 277.
We return to San Jose with a 𝖇𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗💥!
AJ McKee vs Pitbull 2
Vadim Nemkov vs Corey Anderson🎟’s go on sale This Friday on Ticketmaster. #Bellator277 pic.twitter.com/vinnSdL7RL
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 16, 2022
The rematch between McKee (18-0) and Freire (32-5) has been expected since their first meeting last July where “The Mercenary” wrested the title from the dominant Brazilian champion in the finals of the featherweight Grand Prix. While there was talk of McKee possibly moving up to 155 pounds, talk of the rematch at 145 gained momentum last fall when Freire vacated the lightweight title with the intention of rematching McKee. Notably, McKee is set to become a free agent after the bout and has discussed the possibility of exploring options outside of Bellator.
Nemkov (15-2) is riding an impressive nine fight win-streak that has seen him not only win the light heavyweight championship against Ryan Bader but also go through Phil Davis and Julius Anglickas in the tournament. Anderson (16-5) is looking to claim his first major championship after joining Bellator after requesting his UFC release in 2020. “Overtime” is on a 7-1 run since 2018 and is coming off a first round knockout of Bader last October to reach the final.
Bellator returns to the SAP Center in San Jose for the first time since last September. Though based out of the Northern California area, the promotion has held the vast majority of events since 2020 at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena with only eight of their 18 events last year taking place away fro the venue. Tickets for the event are scheduled to go on sale on Friday.
