Bellator MMA announce returns of Cris Cyborg, Paul Daley and Michael Page
Shows scheduled for Milan, Paris and Connecticut
Saturday 12 September 2020 12:20, UK
Bellator MMA have announced the return of featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, Paul Daley and Michael 'Venom' Page, all in a blockbuster October offering.
Paul Daley (42-17-2) will headline Bellator 247 on October 1, when the veteran faces Dereck Anderson (16-3, 1 NC) in Milan, Italy.
Amassing over 60 career fights, Daley is coming off consecutive wins over Erick Silva and Saad Awad, running his record in Bellator MMA to 8-4. Fighting out of San Diego, Anderson will be making his 11th appearance for Bellator MMA in search of his third consecutive victory.
British star Michael 'Venom' Page will be part of history when Bellator become the first promotion to hold a major MMA event in France on October 10 at the Accor Arena in Paris. The event will also see a limited number of fans allowed to attend.
"This is a monumental moment in the history of the sport, as well as our organisation, and I am honoured that Bellator will promote the very first MMA event in France by a major promotion," said Bellator president Scott Coker.
"Many people have worked tirelessly to bring this to fruition, and it would not have been possible without the support of the Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, as well as the French Kickboxing Federation sanctioning body."
MVP (17-1) will face the debuting undefeated Ross Houston (8-0,1 NC) in the co-main event, with the heavyweight clash between Cheick Kongo (30-10-2, 1 NC) and Tim Johnson (14-6) headlining the show.
Then on October 15 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, Bellator woman's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg makes her return to the cage, where she will take on Australia's Arlene Blencowe (13-7), at Bellator 249.
After winning the Bellator title from Julia Budd in January, Cyborg made history by becoming a world champion in her fourth major promotion, previously holding championships in both the UFC and Strikeforce.
With wins in six of her last seven fights, including five knockouts, Blencowe has put herself in position to challenge for the women's featherweight title.
Coming off a unanimous decision victory over Leslie Smith, the former two-time boxing world champion will look to keep her momentum rolling and claim her first MMA title.
The Bellator action continues Sunday morning as Juan Archuleta and Patchy Mix face off for the vacant Bantamweight title, live from 3am on Sky Sports Mix.
