THE FINAL FOUR:
(C) VADIM NEMKOV
(16-2)
Origin: Belgorod, Russia
Age: 28
Rank: C
Height: 6’2
Weight: 205
Reach: 76
Notable Wins: Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, Liam McGreary,
ANTHONY JOHNSON
(23-6)
Origin: Dublin, Georgia
Age: 37
Rank:
Height: 6’2
Weight: 205
Reach: 78
Notable Wins: Ryan Bader, Glover Teixeira, Alexander Gustufsson
COREY ANDERSON
(15-5)
Origin: Rockford, Illinois
Age: 31
Rank:
Height: 6’3
Weight: 205
Reach: 79
Notable Wins: Glover Teixeira, Johnny Walker, Jan Blachowicz
RYAN BADER
(28-6)
Origin: Reno, Nevada
Age: 37
Rank:
Height: 6’2
Weight: 205
Reach: 74
Notable Wins: Fedor, Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis
ROUND 1:
Ryan Bader Defeats Lyoto Machida
Corey Anderson Defeats Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
Vadim Nemkov Defeats Phil Davis
Anthony Johnson Defeats Jose Augusto
ROUND 2:
Ryan Bader Vs. Corey Anderson
Vadim Nemkov Vs. Anthony Johnson
(Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bellator has really ramped up their light heavyweight division in the last 6 months w/ the addition of former UFC Title contenders Corey Anderson, Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson. Throw in former champion Ryan Bader and current champion Vadim Nemkov and you have one hell of an 8 man tournament. The first round will be held from April 9th through April 23rd. Followed by the second round being held in July. In October they will host the final which will crown the undisputed Light Heavyweight champion. Can current champ Vadim Nemkov finish the tournament and retain his title or will someone come along and dethrone the red hot champion??
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT GRAN PRIX CONTENDERS:
Champion: Vadim Nemkov - The champ is on a 7 fight win streak defeating Phil Davis, Liam Mcgreary and Former champion Ryan Bader. He’s the odds on favorite to win the tournament:
Ryan Bader - The former Light heavyweight champion and Current Heavyweight champion of bellator. He was defeating all comers until Nemkov came around. The question is can he regain his championship form and become champ champ again?
Anthony Johnson - Former UFC title contender on two separate occasions and absolute destroyer of the light heavyweight division. He hasn’t fought in over 2 years, can he regain his championship form and capture Gold for the first time in his career??
Jose Augusto - Sitting at 7-2 he was inserted into the tournament when Yoel Romero was forced out a week prior to the Anthony Johnson bout.
Phil Davis - A Former UFC fighter who’s been on a roll in Bellator. He’s only lost to Bader and Nemkov, he holds a 9-2 record in the organization is ready to prove he’s championship calibur….
Lyoto Machida - Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, one of the only men in the tournament to taste gold in the past. Machida is a legend in the sport and always dangerous.
Corey Anderson - another Former UFC fighter who was one fight away from vying for the title, he was KO’ed by current champion Jan Blachowicz. he holds wins over some big names like current champ Blachowicz and Glover Tiexiera and more…
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov - He is a darkhorse in the tournament and trying to make a name for himself by capturing gold…
Yoel Romero - Fought for UFC Middleweight Gold 4 times. He moves up a weight class to what many consider his perfect weight class. Can Romero finally put a gold belt around his waist as a 42 year old man???