Bellator 214 Live Results

One year after its start, the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix will conclude with the crowning of a new Bellator heavyweight champion tonight at Bellator 214, from The Forum in Inglewood, California.

In the main event, the tournament final, Fedor Emelianenko looks for one more run as an MMA heavyweight champion, while current Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader looks to become the first Bellator fighter to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes.

After starting his career in RINGS from 2000 to 2002, which included winning the 2001 openweight title and absolute classes tournaments, Emelianenko arrived in PRIDE, winning the PRIDE heavyweight title with a unanimous decision win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at PRIDE 25 in March 2003. Emelianenko went on to defend the title against Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop and Mark Hunt before PRIDE’s folding in 2007. Emelianenko vs. Cro Cop, held at PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 that August, has been declared the 2005 Fight of the Year and Fight of the Decade for the 2000s.

After becoming the inaugural WAMMA heavyweight champion and having two defenses between the short-lived Affliction organization and Strikeforce, Emelianenko was submitted by Fabricio Werdum in 2010, suffering his first loss since a controversial doctor’s stoppage in 2000. Emelianenko would lose his next two Strikeforce bouts before returning to Russia and Japan, winning three fights (two for M-1) before a three-year retirement.

Emelianenko returned on New Year’s Eve 2015, defeating Singh Jaideep at the RIZIN World Grand Prix 2015 Finale. After a controversial fight with Fabio Maldonado in 2016, Emelianenko signed with Bellator, losing his promotional debut in 74 seconds, and in bizarre fashion, to Matt Mitrione at Bellator NYC. Emelianenko has since rebounded, however, scoring first-round stoppages of Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen to reach the Bellator tournament final.

Bader’s career may not be as legendary as Emelianenko’s, but the Bellator 205-pound champion has had accomplishments in his own right. Bader started his MMA career 7-0 before winning the light heavyweight tournament of The Ultimate Fighter season eight. After this, Bader won four straight, including wins over Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, before back-to-back losses to Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz in 2011.

While Bader never had a shot at a UFC championship, he earned a Submission of the Night bonus against Vladimir Matyushenko in January 2013 and a performance bonus from a second-round knockout of Ilir Latifi in September 2016. During his stint in the UFC, Bader also scored wins over the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Ovince Saint Preux, Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, and a second win against the younger Nogueira brother. Bader also had UFC bouts with Lyoto Machida, Glover Teixeira, and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Bader signed with Bellator as a free agent in 2017, going on to win the Bellator light heavyweight title in his debut match with the promotion — a rematch with Davis —  at Bellator 180. Bader defended the title against Linton Vassell that November before entering the Grand Prix, where he has scored a quick knockout of Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and easily dominated Matt Mitrione on the ground for a unanimous decision.

Bellator 214 will also top featherweight prospects Aaron Pico and Henry Corrales meeting in the co-main event, as well as the MMA debut of former WWE champion Jake Hager (aka Jack Swagger) against J.W. Kiser.

Watch the Bellator 214 weigh-ins here:

Bellator 214 Live Results:
For the vacant Bellator Heavyweight Championship: Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Final: (light heavyweight champion) Ryan Bader def. Fedor Emelianenko via KO (Rd. 1, 0:35)
Featherweight: Henry Corrales def. Aaron Pico via KO (Rd. 1, 1:07)
Heavyweight: Jake Hager def. J.W. Kiser via submission (arm-triangle choke) (Rd. 1, 2:09)
Bantamweight: Juan Archuleta def. Ricky Bandejas via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Adel Altamimi def. Brandon McMahan via submission (armbar) (Rd. 1, 1:16)