Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, it took place on January 29, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.[1][2][3][4]

Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky
The poster for Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky
PromotionBellator MMA
DateJanuary 29, 2022 (2022-January-29)
VenueFootprint Center
CityPhoenix, Arizona, United States
Event chronology
Bellator 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky Bellator 274: Gracie vs. Storley

Background

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A winner in eight of his last 11 bouts, Bader will be making his return to the heavyweight division for the first time since 2019, Bader’s last title defense came against the Cheick Kongo at Bellator 226, a bout Bader was controlling until an accidental eye poke prematurely ended the contest. Since then, Bader lost his 205-pound title against Vadim Nemkov before entering the light heavyweight grand prix where he defeated Lyoto Machida in April before suffering a KO loss to Corey Anderson in October at Bellator 268. Moldavsky, a protege of Fedor Emelianenko, became Bellator’s first-ever interim heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Timothy Johnson at Bellator 261.[2]

A middleweight bout between Romero Cotton and Dalton Rosta was scheduled for this event.[5] However, two weeks before the event Cotton pulled out of the bout due to illness and was replaced by Duane Johnson.[6]

A featherweight bout between Weber Almeida and Josh Wright was scheduled for this event, however it was scrapped due to unknown reasons.[7] Fabricio Franco was instead booked against Weber.[8] At weigh ins, Franco came in 151.2 lb - 5.2 pounds over the featherweight weight limit, leading to the bout being scrapped.[9]

Results

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Main Card (Showtime)
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Heavyweight Ryan Bader (c) def. Valentin Moldavsky (ic) Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 48–47, 48–47) 5 5:00 [a]
Lightweight Benson Henderson def. Islam Mamedov Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) 3 5:00
Featherweight Henry Corrales def. Aiden Lee Technical Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) 3 0:41 [b]
Welterweight Sabah Homasi def. Jaleel Willis Submission (arm-triangle choke) 1 1:42
Preliminary card (Youtube/Pluto TV)
Bantamweight Enrique Barzola def. Darrion Caldwell TKO (elbows and punches) 3 3:01
Lightweight Chris Gonzalez def. Saad Awad KO (head kick and punches) 1 0:36
Middleweight Dalton Rosta def. Duane Johnson Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
Bantamweight Nikita Mikhailov def. Blaine Shutt TKO (punches) 3 3:23
Featherweight Lucas Brennan def. Ben Lugo Submission (arm-triangle choke) 1 2:27
Light Heavyweight Sullivan Cauley def. Ben Parrish TKO (punches) 1 4:35
  1. ^ For the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship.
  2. ^ Fight ended in the third round after an accidental eyepoke.

[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ryan Bader to defend heavyweight title vs. Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 273". MMA Junkie. 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  2. ^ a b "Bellator MMA | BELLATOR MMA World Heavyweight Unification Bout Pitting Champion Ryan Bader Against Interim Titlist Valentin Moldavsky Set For Saturday, January 29, 2022 in Phoenix". www.bellator.com. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  3. ^ Heck, Mike (2021-12-13). "Ryan Bader vs. Valentin Moldavsky heavyweight title unification bout headlines Bellator 273 next month". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  4. ^ "Bellator's Bader to face Moldavsky for title bout". ESPN.com. 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
  5. ^ "Bellator 273 pins Romero Cotton against Dalton Rosta in prospect showcase". MMA Junkie. 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  6. ^ "Bellator middleweight Dalton Rosta (5-0) will now be facing Sanford MMA's Duane Johnson (6-2) at Bellator 273 on Jan. 29". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  7. ^ "Sources: Weber Almeida vs. Josh Wright is OFF next week's Bellator 273 in Phoenix". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  8. ^ "Weber Almeida (5-1) now faces Fabricio Franco (8-4) at Bellator 273". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  9. ^ "Bellator 273 weigh-in results: Title fight set; one bout scrapped after big miss". MMA Junkie. 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  10. ^ "Bellator MMA | Bellator 273". www.bellator.com. Retrieved 2021-12-13.