What is expected to be the final Bellator MMA event of 2023 goes down Friday in the “Windy City” of Chicago, IL, with Bellator 301 headlined by a pair of title fights.
Questions about the promotion’s future abound, and there is a chance it’s the last time we see a Bellator card unfold. But until that is official, with the promotion confirmed to be on the auction block, it’s business as usual, with welterweight champ Yaroslav Amosov leading the way in Chicago.
The Ukrainian champion will face off with Jason “The Ass-Kicking Machine” Jackson in Friday’s main event at the Wintrust Arena. Jackson, 33, has won six straight fights to land himself a shot at gold, with victories over the likes of Benson Henderson, Douglas Lima, Paul Daley and others.
In the Bellator 301 co-main event, meanwhile, Sergio Pettis and Patchy Mix were set to unify the Bellator MMA bantamweight championship. Given their pedigree, there was an argument to be made that this fight was not just to determine the best bantamweight in Bellator — Pettis holds the proper title, Mix interim gold — but in the world, as either would certainly be competitive against the likes of Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera.
Ahead of Bellator 301 on Friday, November 17, 2023, the promotion hosted a pre-fight press conference in Chicago. The live stream can be found above and kicks off at 2PM ET.
