''Bellator 277: McKee vs. Pitbull 2'' was a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event produced by
Bellator MMA
Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...
that took place on April 15, 2022, at the
SAP Center
The SAP Center at San Jose (originally known as San Jose Arena and the HP Pavilion at San Jose) is an indoor arena located in San Jose, California. Its primary tenant is the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, for which the arena has ...
in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, United States.
Background
The event was headlined by a rematch between Bellator Featherweight Champion
A. J. McKee and
Patrício Pitbull
Patrício Freire (born July 7, 1987, in Natal, Brazil), known professionally by his ring name Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA where he is the current three-time Bellator Featherweight ...
. The duo previously fought in the
Bellator 263
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 B ...
main event, where McKee took Pitbull's title in the
Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix final via a first-round guillotine choke submission.
The co-main event featured the final of the
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament as Bellator Light Heavyweight champion
Vadim Nemkov
Vadim Aleksandrovich Nemkov (russian: Вадим Александрович Немков; born 20 June 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and a four-time Combat Sambo World Champion. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweig ...
and
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn light heavyweight winner
Corey Anderson for the
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship
Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class.
At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...
as well as the $1 million prize. Nemkov, on the way to the final, defeated
Phil Davis via a unanimous decision and secured a fourth-round kimura stoppage against Julius Anglickas. On the other side of the bracket, Anderson defeated both Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and
Ryan Bader
Arizona State Sun Devils
Ryan DuWayne Bader (born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, an ...
by TKO.
A heavyweight bout between former interim
Bellator Heavyweight World Championship
Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class.
At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...
challenger
Timothy Johnson and Tyrell Fortune was scheduled for the event. However, on March 1, 2022, it was announced by Bellator that Johnson was expected to face
Linton Vassell
Linton Vassell (born 3 June 1983) 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 Heavyweigh ...
and Fortune was set to meet Steve Mowry in the event. In turn, Mowry pulled out of the bout in late March and was replaced by Rakim Cleveland.
A middleweight bout between
Pat Downey and Daniel Compton was scheduled for this event. However, after developing
Red skin syndrome, Downey was forced to pull out of the bout.
A light heavyweight bout between Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and Tony Johnson was scheduled for the event. However, due to an injury, Johnson was forced to pull out and was replaced by former
Bellator Middleweight Champion
Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class.
At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...
Rafael Carvalho.
A featherweight bout between
Aaron Pico
Aaron Pico (born September 23, 1996) is an American mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler who currently competes in the featherweight division of Bellator MMA. As a freestyle wrestler, Pico competed at 65 kilograms, where he placed ...
and
Jeremy Kennedy
Jeremy Michael Fitz-Kennedy (born September 16, 1992) is a Canadian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. In addition to competing for Bellator, Kennedy has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting ...
was expected to take place at the event. However, Kennedy withdrew 8 days before the event and Adli Edwards replaced him.
Results
Aftermath
After the Grand Prix Final ended in a no contest and no winner was declared, Bellator frontman Scott Coker announced that the final between Nemkov and Anderson will be rebooked later in 2022.
Reported payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the
California State Athletic Commission
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the events. ...
. It is important to note the amounts do not include sponsor money, discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings.
*Patrício Freire: $250,000 def. A.J. McKee: $250,000
*Vadim Nemkov: $80,000 vs. Corey Anderson: $250,000
*Aaron Pico: $75,000 def. Adli Edwards: $50,000
*Linton Vassell: $138,000 (includes $69,000 win bonus) def. Timothy Johnson: $75,000
*Tyrell Fortune: $75,000 def. Rakim Cleveland: $30,000
*Tyson Miller: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Rhalen Gracie: $5,000
*Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov: $70,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus) def. Rafael Carvalho: $30,000
*Gaston Bolanos: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) def. Daniel Carey: $12,000
*Bobby Seronio III: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Calob Ramirez: $2,000
*Kyle Crutchmer: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) def. Michael Lombardo: $20,000
*Edwin De Los Santos: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Alberto Mendez: $2,000
*Rogelio Luna: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Socrates Hernandez: $2,000
*Laird Anderson: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. JT Donaldson: $2,000
*Theo Haig: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Alan Benson: $2,000
See also
*
2022 in Bellator MMA
*
List of Bellator MMA events
This is a list of events held and scheduled by Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships"), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. The first event, Bellator 1, took place on April 3, 2009. Upcoming fi ...
*
List of current Bellator fighters
List of current Bellator MMA fighters records current Bellator MMA (Bellator) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. Unlike the UFC, Bellator do ...
*
Bellator MMA Rankings
The Bellator MMA rankings, which was introduced in March 2021, is generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members are asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the Bellator MMA by weight class and pound-for-p ...
References
{{2022 in mixed martial arts
Events in San Jose, California
Bellator MMA events
2022 in mixed martial arts
April 2022 sports events in the United States
2022 in sports in California
Mixed martial arts in California
Sports competitions in California