Austin Vanderford (Credit: Bellator MMA)
Austin Vanderford set to return at Bellator 284, will face Anthony Adams
Recent Bellator MMA middleweight title challenger Austin Vanderford will return to action when he takes on Anthony Adams at Bellator 274.
For the first time since he came up short in his Bellator MMA middleweight title fight against Gegard Mousasi, Austin Vanderford has his return to the cage scheduled. Nolan King of MMA Junkie was first to report that Vanderford has been scheduled to face Anthony Adams at Bellator 284 which takes place on August 12 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
This will be a return fight for Austin Vanderford who most recently fell to Gegard Mousasi in just 1 minute and 25 seconds in the first round of their middleweight title fight at Bellator 275 in February. The loss was the first of Vanderford’s professional career, as he dropped to 11-1 in 12 fights. Until his loss to Mousasi, “The Gentleman” exploded onto the Bellator MMA middleweight scene, picking up five consecutive wins, with the most impressive coming in a bloody and messy unanimous decision win over Fabian Edwards, the victory that secured his title shot.
Anthony Adams will get the chance to face Austin Vanderford in just his second career fight under the Bellator MMA banner. The first fight for Adams with Bellator came at Bellator 266 when he picked up an unanimous decision victory over Khalid Murtazaliev. Adams is also a former Dana White Contender Series alum, which he competed for back in both 2020 and 2018, although he was unable to secure a victory in either of his appearances.
It’s an opportunity for each fighter to make their own respective impacts at different stages in their careers. With a win, Vanderford can show he’s still atop the Bellator MMA middleweight division. Meanwhile, Anthony Adams has a chance to prove he’s worthy of a higher ranking next to his name, potentially even a Top-5 spot.
Here is how the Bellator 284 card currently stands:
- Neiman Gracie vs Goiti Yamauchi
- Valentin Moldavsky vs Steve Mowry
- Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs Bruna Ellen
- Weber Almeida vs Ilias Bulaid
- Said Sowma vs Gokhan Saricam
- DeAnna Bennett vs Justine Kish
- Sarvadzhon Khamidov vs Jared Scoggins
- Mitchell McKee vs Tony Ortega
- Bailey Schoenfelder vs Mark Currier
- Austin Vanderford vs Anthony Adams
- Josh Hill vs Matheus Mattos
- Patrick Downey vs Jeff Souder
