Breaking: Ex-UFC star set to headline Bellator's first event since PFL takeover in title fight

The Bellator brand will host its first event since being acquired by the PFL on March 22 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that former UFC light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson will feature in the main event. 'Overtime' will go toe-to-toe against Karl Moore for the vacant light heavyweight title.

Vadim Nemkov previously held the title but relinquished it to move up to heavyweight. Anderson has fought Nemkov twice but failed to score a victory on either of those occasions.

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Anderson's UFC career lasted nearly six years. During that period, the 34-year-old had 15 fights in the promotion and managed to win 10 of them. Anderson scored victories over the likes of Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira, Ilir Latifi, and Johnny Walker.

After his last UFC fight in February 2020, he parted ways with the promotion and joined Bellator.

Bellator fighters will return for PFL's champ vs. champ event in February

Before hosting its first standalone event since the takeover, a number of Bellator fighters will be back in action for the PFL vs. Bellator card. The event will take place on Feb. 24 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

MMA fans will get to witness several clashes between the champions of the two promotions that night. The card will be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Ryan Bader and Renan Ferreira.

The event will also feature a light heavyweight scrap between two former UFC stars - Yoel Romero and Thiago Santos.

Apart from that, several prominent names like Impa Kasanganay, Johnny Eblen. Patricio Freire, A.J. McKee, Aaron Pico, and Claressa Shields will also compete on Feb. 24.

Below is a list of all the fights currently scheduled to take place on the card:

Main Card

Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader - heavyweight

Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen - middleweight

Jesus Pinedo vs. Patrício Freire - featherweight

Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson - catchweight (182 pounds)

Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov - heavyweight

Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero - light heavyweight

Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee - lightweight

Preliminary Card

Aaron Pico vs. Gabriel Alves Braga - featherweight

Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio - lightweight

Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis - lightweight

Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao - featherweight

Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira - flyweight

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Puneet has a total of 2.5 years of experience and specializes in reporting on MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication, which aided him in his writing skills.

The iconic interim featherweight title fight between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes at UFC 189 in 2015 ignited Puneet’s passion for the sport. Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira stands out as Puneet’s favorite MMA fighter as he's drawn to 'Do Bronx's' captivating background story and entertaining persona. He is a believer of MMA being the world’s no.1 combat sport as opposed to Boxing.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard