Corey Anderson vs. Phil Davis added to Bellator 297
A massive light heavyweight contest between Illinois’ own, No. 1-ranked Corey Anderson (16-6) and former BELLATOR champion Phil Davis (24-6) will take place during the main card of BELLATOR 297: Nemkov vs. Romero on Friday, June 16 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
In addition, the main event will see the BELLATOR Light Heavyweight World Championship contested, when current champion and No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Vadim Nemkov (16-2) attempts to defend his title against No. 3-ranked light heavyweight, the incomparable Yoel Romero (15-6), in a bout that was originally slated for BELLATOR 290.
The co-headliner will feature BELLATOR’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and current BELLATOR Featherweight World Champion, Patricio “Pitbull” (35-5), who will move down a weight class to challenge incumbent 135-pound champion and No. 8-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Sergio Pettis (22-5) in a BELLATOR “Super Fight” for bantamweight gold.
These three bouts anchor the main card of BELLATOR 297: Nemkov vs. Romero, an event that airs LIVE in the U.S. at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME. Tickets for the massive MMA spectacle can be purchased beginning Thursday, March 30 through a special pre-sale beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Ticketmaster.com, while the general on-sale begins one day later on Friday, March 31 beginning at 10 a.m. CT at Ticketmaster.com. Additional bouts, including a full preliminary card will be announced soon.
The two top-ranked light heavyweight contenders, No. 1-ranked BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Grand Prix runner-up Corey “Overtime” Anderson and No. 2-ranked former Light Heavyweight World Champion Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis, collide with a vested interest in the event’s headlining bout. Anderson, 33, will compete for the first time since his Grand Prix finale with champion Vadim Nemkov at BELLATOR 288, keen to reaffirm his claim as the division’s clear-cut No. 1 contender in his quest for a future trilogy with the Russian titleholder or a fresh matchup with the fearsome Yoel Romero. Opposite the Illinois native will be the 38-year-old Davis, the winner of consecutive fights against the main event’s Romero and the sixth-ranked Julius Anglickas. Davis hopes to set up a showdown with whichever man emerges victorious from the main event and hoist the Light Heavyweight World Championship for a second time in what has been a remarkable MMA tenure for the NCAA DI National Champion out of Penn State University.
BELLATOR 297: NEMKOV VS. ROMERO MAIN CARD:
SHOWTIME
Friday, June 16 — 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT
Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: C-Vadim Nemkov (16-2) vs. #3-Yoel Romero (15-6)
Bantamweight World Title Bout: C-Sergio Pettis (22-5) vs. C-Patricio “Pitbull” (35-5)
Light Heavyweight Bout: #1-Corey Anderson (16-6) vs. #2-Phil Davis (24-6)
*Card subject to change
