BELLATOR 297 – SIX NEW BOUTS ADDED TO THE CARD

BELLATOR 297: NEMKOV VS. ROMERO / PETTIS VS. PITBULL CARD COMPLETE WITHTHE ADDITION OF SIX NEW BOUTS INCLUDING FORMER TITLE CHALLENGER AUSTIN VANDERFORD RETURNING TO ACTION AGAINST UNDEFEATED IMAMSHAFI ALIEV

BELLATOR 297 – BELLATOR MMA has added six new bouts to complete the lineup for BELLATOR 297: Nemkov vs. Romero / Pettis vs. Pitbull card.

BELLATOR 297 prelim card features a middleweight fight between No. 5-ranked Austin Vanderford (11-2) and Dagestan’s undefeated Imamshafi Aliev (9-0), who was victorious in his promotional debut at BELLATOR 288. The card will also see undefeated, homegrown prospect Jordan Newman (5-0) try his hand against the second-most famous Matthew Perry (5-3) in a friendly 185-pound affair.

At lightweight, Mike Hamel (10-5) quickly returns to action against “The Chechen Wolf,” Shamil Nikaev (10-0), No. 7-ranked Leandro Higo (21-6) goes to battle against Team Fedor’s Nikita Mikhailov (10-2) at bantamweight, Cody Law (6-2) looks to bounce back from the first losing streak of his young career against Colorado’s Edwin Chavez (6-4), Wladmir Gouvea (1-0) returns for his sophomore appearance in BELLATOR against two-fight veteran Kevin Childs (1-1), and highly-touted Max Metzgar makes his pro debut against David McKinney (1-3).

Additionally, Kyle Crutchmer (9-2), a two-time NCAA All-American and two-time Big 12 champion at Oklahoma State has replaced Roman Faraldo (8-1) and will now face Bobby Nash (12-4) in a welterweight matchup.

These six bouts join a critically acclaimed event headlined by BELLATOR Light Heavyweight World Champion and No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Vadim Nemkov (16-2), defending the throne against No. 3-ranked ageless wonder Yoel Romero (15-6). An equally compelling co-main event will feature BELLATOR’s No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and current BELLATOR Featherweight World Champion, Patricio “Pitbull” (35-5), who looks to make MMA history by becoming a three-division champion as he moves down a weight class to challenge incumbent bantamweight kingpin and No. 8-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Sergio Pettis (22-5) in a BELLATOR “Super Fight” for the ages. Additionally, a battle between the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked light heavyweights between Corey Anderson (16-6) and Phil Davis (24-6) is set, as is a heavyweight slugfest between No. 4-ranked Daniel James (15-6-1) and No.10-ranked Gokhan Saricam (8-2)

BELLATOR 297: NEMKOV VS. ROMERO MAIN CARD:

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)
Heavyweight Bout: #4-Daniel James (15-6-1) vs. #10-Gokhan Saricam (8-2)

BELLATOR 297: NEMKOV VS. ROMERO PRELIMINARY CARD:

Welterweight Bout: Kyle Crutchmer (9-2) vs. Bobby Nash (12-4)
Middleweight Bout: #5-Austin Vanderford (11-2) vs. Imamshafi Aliev (9-0)
Lightweight Bout: #9-Gadzhi Rabadanov (19-4-1) vs. Pieter Buist (17-6)
Bantamweight Bout: #7-Leandro Higo (21-6) vs. Nikita Mikhailov (10-2)
Welterweight Bout: Jaleel Willis (16-4) vs. Ramazan Kuramagomedov (10-0)
Light Heavyweight Bout: #5-Alex Polizzi (10-2) vs. #8-Karl Moore (11-2)
Heavyweight Bout: Wladmir Gouvea (1-0) vs. Kevin Childs (1-1)
Lightweight Bout: #10-Archie Colgan (7-0) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (20-8)
Lightweight Bout: Mike Hamel (10-5) vs. Shamil Nikaev (10-0)
Middleweight Bout: Norbert Novenyi Jr. (6-0) vs. Kamil Oniszczuk (9-2)
Featherweight Bout: #8-Timur Khizriev (12-0) vs. Richie Smullen (10-2-1)
Middleweight Bout: Jordan Newman (5-0) vs. Matthew Perry (5-3)
Featherweight Bout: Cody Law (6-2) vs. Edwin Chavez (6-4)
Lightweight Bout: Max Metzgar (Pro Debut) vs. David McKinney (1-3)