| Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky | ||||
| Information | ||||
| Promotion | Bellator MMA | |||
| Date | January 29, 2022 | |||
| Venue | Footprint Center | |||
| City | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, it took place on January 29, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. [1] [2] [3] [4]
A winner in eight of his last 11 bouts, Bader will be making his return to the heavyweight division for the first time since 2019, Bader’s last title defense came against the Cheick Kongo at Bellator 226 , a bout Bader was controlling until an accidental eye poke prematurely ended the contest. Since then, Bader lost his 205-pound title against Vadim Nemkov before entering the light heavyweight grand prix where he defeated Lyoto Machida in April before suffering a KO loss to Corey Anderson in October at Bellator 268. Moldavsky, a protege of Fedor Emelianenko, became Bellator’s first-ever interim heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Timothy Johnson at Bellator 261. [2]
A middleweight bout between Romero Cotton and Dalton Rosta was scheduled for this event. [5] However, two weeks before the event Cotton pulled out of the bout due to illness and was replaced by Duane Johnson. [6]
A featherweight bout between Weber Almeida and Josh Wright was scheduled for this event, however it was scrapped due to unknown reasons. [7] Fabricio Franco was instead booked against Weber. [8] At weigh ins, Franco came in 151.2 lb - 5.2 pounds over the featherweight weight limit, leading to the bout being scrapped. [9]
| Main Card (Showtime) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Heavyweight | Ryan Bader (c) | def. | Valentin Moldavsky (ic) | Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 48–47, 48–47) | 5 | 5:00 | [lower-alpha 1] |
| Lightweight | Benson Henderson | def. | Islam Mamedov | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Henry Corrales | def. | Aiden Lee | Technical Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 0:41 | [lower-alpha 2] |
| Welterweight | Sabah Homasi | def. | Jaleel Willis | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | 1 | 1:42 | |
| Preliminary card (Youtube/Pluto TV) | |||||||
| Bantamweight | Enrique Barzola | def. | Darrion Caldwell | TKO (elbows and punches) | 3 | 3:01 | |
| Lightweight | Chris Gonzalez | def. | Saad Awad | KO (head kick and punches) | 1 | 0:36 | |
| Middleweight | Dalton Rosta | def. | Duane Johnson | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Bantamweight | Nikita Mikhailov | def. | Blaine Shutt | TKO (punches) | 3 | 3:23 | |
| Featherweight | Lucas Brennan | def. | Ben Lugo | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | 1 | 2:27 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Sullivan Cauley | def. | Ben Parrish | TKO (punches) | 1 | 4:35 | |
Ryan DuWayne Bader is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion in a continuous streak that is the longest of any Bellator Champion. He is also the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, and the winner of the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. At Bellator 214, Bader became the first fighter in Bellator history to become champion in two weight divisions simultaneously. Prior to signing with Bellator, Bader competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Light Heavyweight division and he was a cast member and winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.
Ali Isaevich Isaev is a Russian and Azerbaijani professional mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of Bellator MMA. He has also formerly competed for Fight Nights Global and Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he was the 2019 Heavyweight Tournament Champion. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in men's freestyle wrestling at 125 kilos where Isaev placed 17th.
Patrício Freire, known professionally as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in Bellator MMA where he is the current three-time Bellator Featherweight Champion and former Bellator Lightweight Champion. He is the younger brother of lightweight fighter Patricky Pitbull. He is the second-ever simultaneous two-weight champion in Bellator MMA history, and is widely considered to be the best Bellator fighter of all-time. He is also considered one of the best ever, pound-for-pound, to have never fought in the UFC.
Linton Vassell is an English mixed martial artist, who competes in the Heavyweight division of Bellator. A professional since 2008, he has also competed for UCMMA and Cage Warriors. He is the former UCMMA Light Heavyweight Champion.
Timothy Johnson is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has also competed for the UFC and Bellator MMA.
Vadim Aleksandrovich Nemkov is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and a four-time Combat Sambo World Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of Bellator, where he is the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion. Nemkov is the younger brother of Viktor Nemkov and is a protégé of the MMA Heavyweight and Sambo master Fedor Emelianenko. He is ranked #1 in the 205 division by sherdog.
Valentin Igorevich Moldavsky is a Russian mixed martial artist and combat sambo practitioner. He is currently signed to Bellator MMA, where he is a former interim Bellator Heavyweight Champion. He is also a two-time world and one-time European Sambo Champion in the +100 kg division.
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.
Matthew Christopher Gonzalez is an American mixed martial artist and former Greco–Roman wrestler who currently competes in the lightweight division. He has previously had a 10 bout stint in Bellator MMA. As a wrestler, Gonzalez won the 2016 senior Greco-Roman World Team Trials and went on to represent the United States at the 2016 World Championships at 71 kilograms and placed second at the 2017 US Open.
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 268: Nemkov vs. Anglickas was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on October 16, 2021, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
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 276: Borics vs. Burnell was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on March 12, 2022, at the Family Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.
Bellator 280: Bader vs. Kongo 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 6, 2022, at AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France.
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.
Lucas Brennan is an American mixed martial artist and jiujitsu practitioner. He is a five-time finalist in the Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu world championships and a two-time world champion who is currently signed to Bellator MMA.
Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on March 10, 2023, at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, United States.
Daniel James is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Bellator MMA.
