Canada has long been a hotbed of MMA, from pioneers like Carlos Newton to the legendary Georges St-Pierre, considered by many the greatest fighter of all time. Over in the PFL, Olivier Aubin-Mercier put Canada back on the map as a back-to-back champ, while in Bellator, the likes of Rory MacDonald and Julia Budd reigned in years gone by.

During the Bellator Belfast media call this week, Cageside Press asked Kennedy (19-3, 1NC) about what it was like to follow in the footsteps of MacDonald and Budd in Bellator.

“Rory was the next GSP, he kind of followed in those footsteps, he did well over in the UFC, and then he won titles in Bellator. For me to follow in that kind of lineage, GSP, Rory, me, it’s just the different eras I guess,” stated Kennedy. “GSP has come and gone, Rory has kind of come and gone, now it’s my turn. Win this belt, defend it, and hopefully bring Bellator to Canada.”

Kennedy has a tough task ahead, as the man who holds featherweight gold currently is Patricio Pitbull, one of Bellator’s biggest homegrown stars. To complicate matters, the fight essentially comes on short notice, after Pitbull’s planned bout at the PFL vs. Bellator Champions card last month fell through when Jesus Pinedo pulled out due to injury, and Gabriel Braga struggled with weight.

As to how the Bellator Belfast fight came together, “I was following along obviously because I was planning on meeting Pitbull later in the year. So I was following along with his opponents falling through, Pinedo and Braga, and I got a call late Thursday night, so it would have been their weigh-ins Friday, asking if I’m ready for five rounds instead, and for Pitbull,” Kennedy recalled. “And I said ‘of course, don’t even ask me, just say yes, get it done.'”

By the time Kennedy woke up the next morning, it was a “done deal,” he added. “We’re ready to go, to fight for the title now.”

What excites Jeremy Kennedy most about the fight? “Obviously the opponent. When I first got into Bellator, I’d had a career elsewhere, PFL, UFC. And all these guys, the bigger name guys were always on my list, in my mind. And Pitbull’s been at the top for a long time. So I’ve always thought I matched up well with him, and I always wanted to challenge myself with him. So as soon as I got in, that’s why I was asking for the [Adam] Borics, [Emmanuel] Sanchez, [Aaron] Pico, I wanted those staple names. And this is just the biggest staple name to have on my resume.”

Watch the full Bellator Belfast media call with Jeremy Kennedy and others above.

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𝙋𝙄𝙏𝘽𝙐𝙇𝙇 𝙄𝙎 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙊 𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙁𝘼𝙎𝙏! 👀

One of the greatest featherweights to grace the sport, Patricio Pitbull will be defending his Bellator Featherweight Title on short notice against number one contender Jeremy Kennedy at #BellatorBelfast! 🔥… pic.twitter.com/r4PJ3Mi2Vj

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) February 29, 2024

The first Bellator Champions Series card under the PFL umbrella was just given some major star power as it was announced Thursday morning that featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire will now take on top contender Jeremy Kennedy in the co-main event.

Freire gets the booking following his scrapped fight against Gabriel Braga last week.  On the morning of weigh ins, Freire made weight but it was announced later in the afternoon that Braga was “unable to compete”.  Notably, Braga was replacing an injured Jesus Pinedo who was forced to withdraw from the fight a week prior due to suffering an injury.  Freire enters the bout as the most accomplished champion in Bellator history but enters on a two fight skid following an unsuccessful bid to claim the bantamweight title and a short notice bout on the last Bellator x RIZIN event.

Jeremy Kennedy enters as the top contender in the men’s featherweight division for Bellator following victories over Emmanuel Sanchez, Aaron Pico, and Pedro Carvalho.  Holding a 19-3 record, Kennedy is also a PFL veteran and two of the three losses in his career have come to UFC great Alexander Volkanovski and top prospect Adam Borics.  Kennedy last fought in February of last year.

Kennedy was originally scheduled to take on Irish standout James Gallagher on the card.  Per the same release, Gallagher will now fight Brazilian contender Leandro Higo.

The March 22 event is set to be the first event for the promotion under the larger PFL umbrella and will mark Bellator’s return to airing on DAZN.

The post Bellator Adds Patricio Pitbull vs Jeremy Kennedy to March 22 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now owned by the PFL, Bellator will be run as a separate entity for the time being, and Anderson will headline the first show of the new era for the company. He’s been booked opposite Karl More in Belfast on March 22, 2024.

News of the booking was first reported by Ariel Helwani. No other match-ups have been announced or reported for the event.

Anderson (17-6, 1NC) is the #1-ranked fighter in the weight class, which had been helmed by Russia’s Vadim Nemkov until he vacated the belt and announced his move up to heavyweight. Moore is currently ranked #4 in Bellator’s official rankings, which are voted on by members of the media.

Anderson has twice before fought for gold in Bellator, with both fights coming against Nemkov. The first ended early due to an accidental headbutt, while the rematch would see Nemkov retain his title in a five-round decision victory.

That fight doubled as the finale of Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix. Anderson bounced back from the loss by defeating fellow UFC alum and ex-Bellator champ Phil Davis last June.

Moore (11-2), a former Cage Warriors champ, has won his last four fights, all under the Bellator banner. He holds wins over Alex Polizzi and Karl Albrektsson among others.

Bellator Belfast does not yet have a venue or broadcast plan officially announced or reported. The last time the promotion visited the city, in 2017, the event took place at the SSE Arena Belfast, with over 10,000 fans turning out for Bellator 173.

Coincidentally, another Bellator MMA star, Leah McCourt, hails from the city— and depending on which way the promotion wants to go with women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg, McCourt could also be on the Bellator Belfast card.

The post Corey Anderson vs. Karl Moore Booked, Vacant 205lb Title Fight Headlines Bellator Belfast appeared first on Cageside Press.