Aaron Jeffery steps in to face #2-ranked Austin Vanderford on short notice
FRESH OFF DEBUT KNOCKOUT WIN, AARON JEFFERY STEPS IN TO FACE #2-RANKED AUSTIN VANDERFORD ON SHORT NOTICE
FULL FIGHT CARD ANNOUNCED FOR BELLATOR 284: GRACIE VS. YAMAUCHI FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 ON SHOWTIME
The full event lineup for BELLATOR 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 12 from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been rounded out with a total of five exhilarating main card matchups and ten preliminary bouts.
The main card, which airs live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET is headlined by a 5-round welterweight main event between Neiman Gracie (11-3) and fellow submission ace Goiti Yamauchi (27-5). Top heavyweights clash in the co-main event when former interim champion #1-Valentin Moldavsky (11-2) faces off with undefeated #5-ranked contender Steve Mowry (10-0), and former flyweight champion and #4-ranked Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-2) takes on Brazil’s Bruna Ellen (6-3) in a feature bout. The return of #2-ranked middleweight Austin Vanderford against late notice replacement Aaron Jeffery (12-3) and a battle between #9- and #10-ranked heavyweights Said Sowma (8-3) and Gokhan Saricam (7-1) complete the main card portion of the event.
Canada’s Jeffery, 29, wowed BELLATOR fans with a second-round TKO of Brazil’s Fabio Aguiar (18-3) in his promotional debut at June’s BELLATOR 282. Jeffery steps in to face Vanderford on short notice after the withdrawal of originally-scheduled foe #9-ranked Anthony Adams (9-2). Jeffery, a former CFFC middleweight champion, has won six of his last seven fights and will leap at a massive opportunity against Vanderford, the division’s #2-ranked contender and a recent title challenger.
In other updates to the event, a featherweight bout between Fresno State wrestling alumnus Isaiah Hokit (1-1) and nine-fight amateur Nick Perez (0-0) has been changed to a lightweight bout. Additionally, M, A, Yah II (4-0) steps in to face South Dakota State wrestler amateur Brett Bye (1-0) in a 175-pound contract weight amateur fight. A middleweight bout between Jordan Newman (4-0) and Lance Wright (5-2) has been canceled.
The preliminary portion of the card kicks off at 6:00 PM ET and features a bevy of compelling fights. #9-ranked bantamweight Josh Hill (21-4) seeks to repel Brazilian finisher Marcos Breno (14-2) in his first fight since withdrawing from the BELLATOR Bantamweight World Grand Prix, wrestling star Patrick Downey III (0-0) makes his MMA debut, plus additional undefeated prospects Sullivan Cauley (3-0) and Bailey Schoenfelder (2-0) are both set for action on the talent-stacked preliminary show.
BELLATOR 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi will be broadcast on SHOWTIME at 9:00 PM ET on Friday, August 12, live from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The preliminary portion of the card will air free-to-watch beginning at 6:00 PM ET on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, and Pluto TV.
