Former UFC Title Contender Returning, UFC 222 Embedded, Bellator Announces 200th Event
- The UFC has kicked off fight week for UFC 222 by releasing the first installment of "Embedded." The series provides behind-the-scenes access to the fighters scheduled for action.
In this episode, that includes featherweight title challenger Yana Kunitskaya, as she braves the sub-Russian temperatures of the Sandias ahead of her Octagon debut vs. Cris Cyborg from Las Vegas.
Cyborg is also featured, as she attends a church ceremony. Frankie Edgar and Brian Ortega get in on the action ahead of their co-main event fight this Saturday night on pay-per-view.
As a reminder, Wrestling Inc. will have free coverage of Saturday's card.
- Bellator announced plans to head to London for Bellator 200 later this year, as former Strikeforce champion and UFC contender Gegard Mousasi meets Rafael Carvalho for the middleweight title.
Bellator 200 takes place May 25 from The SSE Arena in Wembley, London, England. The main card will air on Paramount Network and also feature Michael Page vs. David Rickels.
"Bellator continues to place a huge emphasis on its expansion into markets around the globe and creating a strong presence in the U.K. is a very important part of that," Bellator president Scott Coker said. "Our fans are going to be excited about the card we put together for this monumental event."
Carvalho is the longest-reigning champion in Bellator and has not lost since 2011. That spans 15 fights, including successful title defenses vs. Melvin Manhoef twice and Alessio Sakara. Mousasi made his promotional debut with a win over former champion Alexander Shlemenko.
- Former two-time UFC title challenger Joseph Beanvidez will return to action this June as he faces Sergio Pettis at UFC 225. The Chicago Tribune first announced the first, which takes place from the United Center.
Benavidez has not fought since 2016 when he topped Henry Cejudo. He suffered a torn ACL that left him sidelined for all of 2017. Twice previously Benavidez has fought Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title, falling both times.
Pettis, the younger brother of former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, had his four-fight win streak snapped with a loss to Cejudo last December.