Promotion officials announced the news on Thursday, just weeks after their most recent trip to Paris — and in advance of rival UFC’s French debut this September. All seven signings revealed Thursday hail from France, and join talents like Cheick Kongo and Lucie Bertaud on the Bellator MMA roster.

Barnaoui is the coup de grace, however. The 19-4 lightweight has not competed since prior to the pandemic, and is undefeated in his last seven fights. Among his losses are Kevin Lee and Mateusz Gamrot, with the Lee loss in particular coming very early in Barnaoui’s career.

Quoted in a press release on Thursday, Barnaoui stated that “I have been very impressed by the two Bellator events in my home country, France. They were truly a success, and Bellator was the first high-ranking promotion coming in France, so that counts to me.”

The other signings announced on Thursday all competed on the recent Bellator 280 card in Paris, France. Those include lightweights Davy Gallon (21-7-2) and Yves Landu (17-9), welterweights Thibault Gouti (16-5) and Bourama Camara (5-1), and middleweights Gregory “Blade” Babene (22-11) and Youcef Ouabbas (3-0).

Gallon in particular has stood out through three appearances with the promotion. The lightweight has won his last five fights, including a knockout of Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson via rolling thunder kick that went viral. In his most recent outing, Gallon stopped Benjamin Brander with ground n’ pound from the crucifix.

Babene, who defeated Mike Shipman at the Paris event, has won seven straight — and holds a win over former PFL champion Emiliano Sordi.

No debut date has been set for any of the names signed, but it’s a safe bet that Bellator’s next trip to Paris will be loaded with local talent.

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The French middleweight put away Mike Shipman, his seventh consecutive win. The six prior? All submissions. The Paris fight was Babene’s first for Bellator MMA since 2017, and he certainly made it a memorable one.

“I’m very proud to [get] a KO tonight after a lot of submissions,” Babene (22-11) told Cageside Press following the fight, at the AccorHotels Arena. “I was sure to win tonight. I viewed myself winning, even if the bookmakers bet the opposite way, and bet on my defeat, I was sure of myself here tonight.”

The most recent in a string of successes, Babene, pushing 40, remains as motivated as ever. “I was very galvanized and motivated for this fight. I’m 38 years old, and I’ve got 20 years of career. Even if I’m in front of someone that has 10 years [behind them], I can go for it, and I’m very motivated for it.”

As to what’s next for the French fighter, he isn’t sure, coming off yet another big win. “I don’t have any names, we’ll see what happens in the future.”

Watch the full Bellator 280 post-fight press conference with Gregory Babene above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Gallon (21-7-2) picked up a TKO win from the crucifix position over Benjamin Brander, securing his fifth straight victory overall, and third in Bellator MMA.

It happened to be the first time Gallon has competed at home in France, which only legalized MMA a couple of years back.

“It was a wonderful night, and it was a wonderful feeling to fight in front of my crowd,” Gallon told Cageside Press following the fight. “There was a lot of my family, come to see me, and a lot of my friends. I have a lot of friends in Paris, and to fight in front of them, it’s crazy. It was a good fight, and Benjamin Brander was a true warrior, and it was crazy to get the win tonight, so I’m really happy.”

Gallon hit the spotlight with a viral rolling thunder kick KO of former UFC star and Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson, a knockout that landed him in Bellator. That remains his top memory in his fighting career to date, but “in terms of feeling,” Gallon said, Bellator 280, “it’s second. Everyone’s screaming your name, and giving me much love. I can put it on top of my list too. Maybe in my top five.”

The secret to Gallon’s recent success, he later told us, is that he loves his job. “I love to fight, and Bellator put me in a good place. I have always good training, when you go to the hotel everybody’s kind, you just have to concentrate, and make weight, and get ready and be well-prepared for the crazy fight.”

As for what comes next for Gallon, who told us previously that he’s living the dream, it’s to continue fighting the best. “I want to train more, I want to get better, and I want to fight the best guy in this cage.”

“No matter if I win or lose, I want to fight against the best men in the world, and I want to beat the best men in the world.”

Watch the full Bellator 280 post-fight press conference with Davy Gallon above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Ahead of Bellator 280 on Friday, Larkin (24-7, 1NC) took issue with his #6 spot in the middleweight division, noting that he’d only fought in the weight class once — against a fighter no longer with the company.

After defeating former UFC fighter Kyle Stewart in Paris, via a first-round TKO, Larkin joked that they’d probably have him ranked #4 now, despite just having fought his second fight in Bellator’s 185 pound weight class. As for climbing the ladder? He could care less.

“I don’t care about that ladder, man. That ladder means nothing to me,” Larkin told Cageside Press following his win at the AccorHotels Arena. “I think number seven, eight, nine and ten, should be pissed off. I need to look at who they are, but the middleweight division, you guys should be pissed off. Because I’ve got no business being in front of you guys,” said Larkin.

Lucky for the rest of the weight class, Larkin doesn’t plan to stick around. “I’m going back to 70. I know I said this, this is deja vu, I said this last fight. I’m ready to get right back in there. I’m not hurt, I’m 100%, I’m ready to get another fight, and make my way back to welterweight.”

As for a shot at the champ at 185, Gegard Mousasi, Larkin will pass. “Gegard, I don’t want sh*t to do with Gegard.”

Earlier, Larkin explained that his fight against Stewart was potentially the most dangerous kind there was: against a fighter with nothing to lose. That was the case with Stewart, who had stepped into the bout on short notice.

“This is the most dangerous type of fighter. When somebody has nothing to lose and everything to gain, that is the most dangerous fighter. Because there are no regrets. As long as you just go in there and fight your ass off, there’s no losing about it. For me, it’s the worst type of fight to fight. But I’m not going to pull out of a fight because my opponent pulled out of a fight. This is my second fight like this. Like I keep saying, as long as I have a great camp, it doesn’t matter who it is.”

Watch the full Bellator 280 post-fight press conference with Lorenz Larkin above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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After a grueling, grinding five-round decision, Bader (30-7, 1NC) won a unanimous decision against Cheick Kongo, in the latter’s backyard in Paris, France. But early on, Bader knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“I knew in the first round, I’m going to have to gut this one out. Didn’t feel like I should, ate something, whatever it was. My stomach was on fire, all crazy, and after that first round I was like alright, gotta grind this one out, get that win,” the heavyweight champion told Cageside Press following the fight. “I did, it wasn’t the prettiest win. Kongo’s a great striker, he impressed me on the cage.”

The French fighter’s wrist control and body awareness in particular stood out to Bader. Less impressive, some blatant fence grabs by Kongo, which at least at one point early in the fight appeared to prevent a takedown.

Fouls such as that are no doubt frustrating for any fighter, especially one with a wrestling background like Bader’s. Even more so because the fighters had been warned not to do it just prior to the fight.

“We’d just had a conversation with the ref in the back,” Bader recalled, adding that the ref warned that if either fighter were to grab the cage in a way that looked like it was going to change the outcome of the fight, or the outcome of a specific sequence, the ref would take away a point. “And it was twice. He said he’d give him a warning, then [Kongo] grabbed it again when he had his knees in the air, and he was hanging on the fence. I was talking to the ref a little bit during that. But it didn’t mess with the outcome, so whatever.”

After the victory, Bader brought up Linton Vassell as a possible next challenger for his his heavyweight belt. The pair have met once before, when Bader was light heavyweight champ. Bader won that night, but sees the heavyweight version of Vassell as a different challenge.

“Yeah I really do. He was a tough guy at 205, I know he was a little big for 205, cut a lot of weight, and he was scrappy. He’s one of those heavyweights that’s kind of like me, he isn’t really a smaller heavyweight but he moves like a smaller heavyweight. He’s very dangerous, I was very impressed with his last four wins or whatever it was, and the guys he has beat. He’s been on my radar for a while at heavyweight, there’s been a lot of talk, and so it seems like the viable next fight.”

Watch the full Bellator 280 post-fight press conference with Ryan Bader above. More coverage can be found below.

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Among them, former multi-time UFC title challenger Yoel Romero, who snapped a losing streak dating back to 2018 when he finished ranked light heavyweight Alex Polizzi with just a second left in their co-main event fight.

“There’s a couple fighters that stood out, and one was Yoel Romero. I thought he did an amazing job,” Bellator President Scott Coker told Cageside Press following the event. “He did what he had to do at the end, he took the guy out, but he dominated the fight from start to finish. Just having that scene, the kind of, let’s say crowd interaction with the fighter, basically cheering on the crowd and getting the crowd behind him, he did an amazing job.”

Romero certainly did play to the crowd, and his performance Friday bodes well for the 45-year old’s fighting future. Following the bout, Romero was faced off with Melvin Manhoef inside the cage; that fight is planned for Dublin in the fall. But “The Soldier of God” is already looking past that, as he said afterwards that he wants a fight at middleweight following the Manhoef fight.

That’s something Coker remains open to. “Yeah, absolutely. One of the reasons why we brought Yoel here is to fight Gegard Mousasi. If Gegard keeps winning and Yoel keeps winning, I think you’ll see a collision at some point, at 185 or 205.”

Coker was also impressed with Normandy’s Davy Gallon. “I thought he did a great job,” the Bellator President stated, noting that six of eleven French fighters won on the card. “A lot of good, good talent here, and we’re going to be looking forward to putting these guys into some different fights around the world.”

He also noted that the French talent pool has had to play catch-up in comparison to their U.S. counterparts. “This is just the beginning for them. You have to remember, MMA in America has had a 30 year head start, and we came here, did the very first show 18 months ago.”

Another big fight on the horizon is the light heavyweight grand prix finale; that one appears to be on hold till Autumn. Corey Anderson and Vadim Nemkov originally met last month, but an accidental clash of heads resulted in an unsatisfying no contest.

“We’re waiting for Nemkov to heal up. Corey, I think he could have fought the next week, he was fine,” Coker told Cageside Press. “I saw him at a restaurant the next day, and he was ready to go then and he wants to fight right away. But I think Nemkov, I think his cut is going to stop him from really training and competing and getting back in there until probably the fall season, so I think the earliest you’ll see Nemkov back is going to be around September.”

Watch the full Bellator 280 post-fight press conference with Scott Coker above. More coverage can be found below.

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Romero (14-6) put on a smart performance Friday in Paris at Bellator 280, landing his left hand on Alex Polizzi again and again while hampering his mobility with well-placed kicks. Several knockdowns ensued, and the end came with just one second remaining in the fight.

Having snapped a four-fight skid dating back to 2018, the Cuban standout, 45, is now looking ahead. Following the win, Bellator officials brought Melvin Manhoef into the cage at the AccorHotels Arena; that fight is now set for Dublin, Ireland in September.

Manhoef was Romero’s original opponent, until an injury forced him off the card. Romero, meanwhile, addressed his fighting future following the win.

“As you guys saw, they brought in Melvin Manhoef to the stage, but my future, I see farther than that. I feel like I’m going to do another fight at 185, and then continue on that route, and get in line for that belt,” Romero said during his post-fight media appearance, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press.

It’s a real possibility, according to Romero. “Me and my managers, the scope of the landscape is, with Bellator we’re agreed that we’re fighting at both weight classes, 205 and 185. What I personally want is to fight a top-ranked opponent at 185, [then] to hopefully fight the winner of [Gegard] Mousasi and his opponent for the 185 pound belt. That’s what I want.”

Middleweight champ Mousasi is currently lined up for a title fight in June, against Johnny Eblen.

Asked by Cageside Press if the end of the year would make sense for a middleweight fight, after the fight with Manhoef, Romero replied by saying that “if everything goes well in the fight against Manhoef, then I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to contend for a title belt, 185, for the next fight.  I have spent almost my entire career at 185, I didn’t get the belt in the UFC at 185 but I am the best in the world. I’m here now in Bellator, and I’m going to take the belt in Bellator at 185.”

Watch the full Bellator 280 post-fight press conference with Yoel Romero above.

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At Bellator 280 on Friday, Kongo got a second chance at Bader — and a third opportunity to claim heavyweight gold in Bellator MMA.

Both men were light on their feet early, but about a minute in, Bader had the fight where he wanted it, putting Kongo against the fence and taking his legs out from under him. Kongo was right back up, but Bader stayed on him, throwing knees and looking to sweep a leg. He finally just dragged Kongo down, but Kongo defended with a blatant fence grab — blatantly illegal, clear as day, but unpunished by the ref. A grazing knee strike by Bader then landed low, leading to a brief pause.

Back underway, Bader was back on Cheick Kongo, riding out the end of the round controlling the back.

In the second, Bader worked his way forward, backing the challenger up to the fence. But a Kongo uppercut grazed Bader; a moment later, he was in on a takedown, landing it. Kongo was quickly up to one knee, but Bader put his weight on the French fighter. Nearly the entire round would play out in this fashion, with Kongo having to carry the champion’s mass in addition to his own.

Round three opened with a Bader jab to the body. Kongo fanned on a kick, but he already had his back to the fence. Bader ensured there wasn’t enough room between them for Kongo to work, and tied him up seconds later. From there, it was plenty of wrestling, with Bader in the driver’s seat, though Kongo would free himself with about 90 seconds left in the round, getting a bit of space in which to work. Kongo landed a leg kick, then another, but Bader closed the distance.

The championship rounds started out the same. Bader implemented his game plan, putting Kongo against the fence and getting him down. Kongo sat with his back to the fence as Bader controlled the wrists. Kongo wound up searching for answers, including how to get off the ground, for essentially the entire round. Leading to the final five minutes, and an obvious need for a Kongo finish.

With that in mind, Kongo came out in the fifth, looking to land a knockout blow — but before he could get much off, it was a Bader blast double-leg that took the fight to the mat. Kongo had his back to the fence, got to a knee, powered up, but Bader was right back on a leg. Kongo fired a few short elbows at the champ, but didn’t have space to put anything behind them.

Instead, it was Bader dragging Kongo back down. He’d get up again, only to be dragged back down again — the story of the fight. A stand-up by the ref late in the round gave Kongo the faintest glimmer of hope, as he chased the champ, landing a couple of punches — but Bader tied him up again.  Kongo simply did not have an answer for Bader’s wrestling prowess, and as they went to the judges, Bader’s win was secure.

Official Result: Ryan Bader def. Cheick Kongo by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

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Romero, a multi-time UFC title challenger, was in search of his first win in Bellator MMA. Polizzi was looking to score the big upset — but it wasn’t meant to be.

From the outset, Polizzi looked to test the wrestling of Romero, shooting for a takedown that was easily stuffed. In the stand-up department, it was mostly single strikes early, with Polizzi utilizing the odd leg kick. Romero’s power remained a threat, as he looked to catch the younger fighter on the way in. Polizzi worked his jab, going to the body; Romero mixed in a low kick of his own, in what was a slow build through the opening five minutes. Romero would land a late takedown, and they’d head to the second.

In the second, Romero caught Polizzi with a left hand early, forcing him back. Polizzi had definitely felt it, but he didn’t go down, and escaped relatively easily when Romero looked to follow up. Then it was back to center, the chess match once again underway. Another left hand for Romero, at least partially blocked, followed; Polizzi was showing a bit of damage by his right eye however. An oblique kick by Romero wobbled Polizzi later in the round, and he continued to load up on his left. Polizzi was standing toe-to-toe, but eating more strikes than he was landing.

Then, later in the round, Romero dropped Polizzi! It was another left, and Polizzi’s compromised leg probably didn’t help matters. Rather than pounce, Romero waited patiently. When Polizzi got back up, he chopped at his opponent’s leg some more. Polizzi was wobbled, but stayed upright.

Round three had Polizzi likely in need of a finish. Romero immediately went after his lead leg again, which buckled. Polizzi changed levels to shoot a takedown, but Romero easily fought it off. Yoel fanned on a front kick. They locked up at center, with Romero missing on a smoking uppercut off the break. Every second that ticked away was a second closer to Yoel Romero’s first Bellator win. With just over two minutes remaining, another Romero left dropped Polizzi! This time he went after the finish; Polizzi escaped, but was rocked by a left moments later.

It wasn’t long after that when Yoel Romero found the finish. He rocked Polizzi again; Polizzi shot for a desperation takedown, only to eat a massive punch on the way up! With Polizzi battered by Romero, and eating that thunderous blow, the ref waved it off — with just one second remaining in the fight!

𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗲𝗿 🤯@YoelRomeroMMA leaves it late to get the stoppage in front of a sold-out @Accor_Arena.#Bellator280 LIVE on @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/NRwzhSB7Bq

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 6, 2022

After the fight, Melvin Manhoef was brought into the cage — with promotion officials announcing that the pairing was back on for Dublin. “See you soon, Boy!” Romero said, breaking out his catchphrase against one of the only fighters on the roster older than himself.

Official Result: Yoel Romero def. Alex Polizzi by TKO, Round 3, 4:59

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Larkin, the #6 ranked middleweight in the promotion despite just one fight in the weight class, held center early against newcomer Stewart, who fired out a number of kicks both low and mid-level. He mixed in a few stance switches, throwing kicks from both sides, but a right hand from Larkin soon had Stewart backpedaling. Larkin would walk Stewart down, they’d exchange for a moment, then separate, fighting at a steady but measured pace through the first half of the opening round.

In the second half of the frame, Stewart began capping off his combinations with kicks upstairs. Larkin fired a front kick at one point, and continued to dictate where the fight went, working his jab and backing Stewart up. Towards the end of the round, Larkin began pouring it on, and Stewart went down, eating a knee to the body and a number of punches. He covered up, but stayed active, moving and getting back to his feet. But before long, he was covering up again, eating some heavy punches from Larkin, and after two or three got through, the ref had seen enough!

For Lorenz Larkin, that is now six straight wins dating back to his welterweight run. And while he questioned his own ranking prior to the fight, it’s clear he’s a threat at 185 pounds.

Official Result: Lorenz Larkin def. Kyle Stewart by TKO, Round 1, 4:44

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