When Bellator 284 rolls around on August 12, it will bring with it some familiar names, including former middleweight title challenger Austin Vanderford and bantamweight standout Josh Hill.
Promotion officials announced a half-dozen new match-ups on Tuesday, including Austin Vanderford (11-1) vs. Anthony Adams (9-2), and Josh Hill (21-4) vs. Matheus Mattos (13-2-1).
Vanderford has not competed since losing a title bid — and seeing his undefeated record snapped — against Gegard Mousasi earlier this year. Mousasi was subsequently dethroned by Vanderford’s teammate, Johnny Eblen, just last month.
Adams is a two-time veteran of Dana White’s Contender Series who made his Bellator MMA debut last September, winning a unanimous decision opposite the highly-touted Khalid Murtazaliev.
MMA Junkie previously reported the Vanderford vs. Adams match-up.
Canadian Josh Hill had been expected to take part in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, which launched back in April. An injury forced him out of the tournament, but he’ll enter the fight with a 3-1 record inside the Bellator MMA cage.
Brazil’s Matheus Mattos is 1-1 under the promotion’s banner himself, and will enter the fight off a win over Cee Jay Hamilton.
Also expected for the Bellator 284 card next month, Pat Downey III will finally make his pro MMA debut, with the collegiate wrestling standout facing Jeff Souder, also 0-0 (and 2-2 as an amateur). Downey had been expected to debut earlier this year, but was forced out Bellator 277 due to red skin syndrome.
Bailey Schoenfelder (2-0) vs. Mark “The Jackhammer” Currier (1-1) at heavyweight, Said Sowma (8-3) vs. Gokhan Saricam (7-1), also at heavyweight, and Mitchell “Merciless” McKee (2-0) vs. Tony Ortega (5-4) at bantamweight also join the card.
Bellator 284 takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 12, 2022. The event currently features the following reported fights:
- Neiman Gracie vs. Goiti Yamauchi
- Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
- Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Bruna Ellen
- Austin Vanderford vs. Anthony Adams
- Said Sowma vs. Gokham Saricam
- Josh Hill vs. Matheus Mattos
- DeAnna Bennett vs. Justine Kish
- Jared Scoggins vs. Sarvadzhon Khamidov
- Pat Downey III vs. Jeff Souder
- Bailey Schoenfelder vs. Mark Currier
- Mitchell McKee vs. Tony Ortega
