| Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 | ||||
| Information | ||||
| Promotion | Bellator MMA | |||
| Date | May 21, 2021 | |||
| Venue | Mohegan Sun Arena | |||
| City | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by Bellator MMA at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The event featured a Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the champion Cris Cyborg and Leslie Smith. They previously met at UFC 198, which was Cyborg's UFC debut, where she won by TKO in the first round. [1]
A bantamweight bout between Brett Johns and Matheus Mattos was announced as part of the event. [2] On May 13, it was announced that Mattos had pulled out from the bout after contracting COVID-19 and was replaced by former Titan FC Bantamweight Champion Danny Sabatello. [3]
A middleweight contest between the #3 ranked Austin Vanderford and #4 ranked Fabian Edwards also took place at the event. [4]
Former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Darrion Caldwell made his return to bantamweight against Leandro Higo on the main card. [5]
A women's flyweight bout between Valerie Loureda and Hannah Guy was set for Bellator 258, but was moved to this event. [6]
A lightweight bout between Alfie Davis and Alexandr Shabliy took place at the event as part of the undercard. [7]
Two additional lightweight bouts were added to the preliminary portion of the card, as Saad Awad took on Nate Andrews, [8] while Aviv Gozali faced Sean Felton. [9]
A women's featherweight bout between Leah McCourt and Janay Harding also took place during the preliminary fights. [10]
Two ranked light heavyweights, the #8 ranked Tyree Fortune and #6 ranked Grant Neal, faced off on the prelims. [11]
A lightweight bout between Georgi Karakhanyan and Adam Piccolotti was expected to take place at this event. [12] However, Piccolotti pulled out due to injury and the bout was canceled. [13]
At the weigh-ins, Leandro Higo and Leah McCourt missed weight for their respective bouts. Higo weighed in at 137.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. McCourt weighed in at 149.4 pounds, three and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. Both their bouts proceeded at catchweight and they were fined a percentage of their purses, which went to their respective opponents, Darrion Caldwell and Janay Harding. [14]
A light heavyweight bout between Christian Edwards and Ben Parrish was scrapped after weigh-ins after Edwards wasn't cleared to compete by the Mohegan Sun Athletic Commission. As a result, Valerie Loureda vs. Hannah Guy was promoted to the main card. [15] After being cleared by a commission doctor on May 26, the bout was rebooked for Bellator 261. [16]
| Main Card (Showtime) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Women's Featherweight | Cris Cyborg (c) | def. | Leslie Smith | TKO (punches) | 5 | 4:51 | [lower-alpha 1] |
| Catchweight (137.5 lb) | Leandro Higo | def. | Darrion Caldwell | Decision (split) (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) | 3 | 5:00 | [lower-alpha 2] |
| Middleweight | Austin Vanderford | def. | Fabian Edwards | Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Jaleel Willis | def. | Maycon Mendonça | Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Women's Flyweight | Hannah Guy | def. | Valerie Loureda | Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary card (Youtube/Pluto TV) | |||||||
| Lightweight | Saad Awad | def. | Nate Andrews | TKO (punches) | 1 | 3:16 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Grant Neal | def. | Tyree Fortune | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 4:20 | |
| Women's Flyweight | Sumiko Inaba | def. | Kristina Katsikis | TKO (punches) | 3 | 3:35 | |
| Lightweight | Aviv Gozali | def. | Sean Felton | Submission (heel hook) | 1 | 1:17 | |
| Heavyweight | Davion Franklin | def. | Tyler King | KO (punches) | 1 | 2:02 | |
| Catchweight (149.4 lb) | Leah McCourt | def. | Janay Harding | Submission (triangle choke) | 2 | 2:42 | [lower-alpha 3] |
| Bantamweight | Danny Sabatello | def. | Brett Johns | Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Lightweight | Alexandr Shabliy | def. | Alfie Davis | Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
Darrion Caldwell is an American retired mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who competed in the bantamweight division. He formely competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for Legacy FC. As a folkstyle wrestler, Caldwell was the 2009 NCAA Division I National Champion, and a two-time All-American at 149 pounds out of the North Carolina State University. He was also a four-time ACC Conference champion.
Thomas Brett Johns is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division of PFL. Prior to signing with PFL, Johns competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA at bantamweight. A professional competitor since 2012, he has also formerly competed for Cage Warriors and Titan FC, and was Bantamweight Champion for both promotions.
2018 in Bellator MMA was the tenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2015.
Leandro Higo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed for Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Legacy Fighting Alliance.
2020 in Bellator MMA was the twelfth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 18 events in 2020.
2021 in Bellator MMA was the thirteenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 18 events in 2021.
Janay Harding is a New Zealand mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. She is most notable for her time in Bellator MMA.
Josh Hill is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. Hill competed for such promotions as Bellator MMA, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), Real Xtreme Fighting (RXF), and TKO Major League MMA. Hill also appeared on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Bellator 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 7, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. This fight card is notable for being Anthony Johnson's final fight before his death.
Bellator 261: Johnson vs. Moldavsky was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on June 25, 2021, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bellator 263: Pitbull vs. McKee was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on July 31, 2021, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The event marked Bellator's first outside of the Mohegan Sun bubble and the first Bellator show on the road.
Bellator 264: Mousasi vs. Salter was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on August 13, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Bellator 270: Queally vs. Pitbull 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on November 5, 2021 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The event marked Bellator's first return to Irish soil since February 2020.
2022 in Bellator MMA was the fourteenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.
Bellator 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on April 22, 2022, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.
Dayana Silva is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA.
Bellator 283: Lima vs. Jackson was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on July 22, 2022 at Emerald Queen Casino and Hotel in Tacoma, Washington, United States.
Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on August 12, 2022, at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States.
Danny Sabatello is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA.
2023 in Bellator MMA was the fifteenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.
