PARIS, FRANCE (May 11, 2023) – BELLATOR’s star-studded return to Paris, France is official following today’s weigh-ins.
BELLATOR 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards competitors weighed-in today ahead of BELLATOR’s monumental return to the City of Lights, which takes place at the Accor Arena tomorrow, Friday, May 12. BELLATOR 296 will air LIVE on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. CEST/4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
The prelims will begin at an updated time of 6 p.m. CEST/12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, and Pluto TV. A small number of tickets remain and can be purchased at accorarena.com and bellator.fr.
In the main event of BELLATOR 296, former Middleweight World Champion and MMA legend Gegard Mousasi (49-8-2) will look to set up a championship rematch with the cageside titleholder Johnny Eblen in a marquee matchup with surging star Fabian Edwards (11-2), who believes a win over the future Hall of Famer moves him one step closer to joining brother Leon Edwards as world champion.
In the co-main event, the $1,000,000 BELLATOR Lightweight Grand Prix continues when former Lightweight World Champion Brent Primus (11-3) hopes to make good on his late entry to the tournament against BELLATOR’s newest European star, submission ace Mansour Barnaoui (20-4), in the Tunisian-Frenchman’s backyard of Paris.
Elsewhere on the main card, former Welterweight World Champion Douglas Lima (32-11) will make his long-awaited jump to the middleweight division when he takes on talented Dutch standout Costello van Steenis (14-2) in a matchup of hard-kicking contenders. Plus, France’s Thibault Gouti (14-6) will aim to give the Parisian crowd something to cheer for when he battles fellow exciting lightweight Kane Mousah (14-4).
The previously announced welterweight bout that saw Steven Hill (7-0) versus Nicolo Solli (4-1, 1 NC) has been scrapped.
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BELLATOR 296: MOUSASI VS. EDWARDS MAIN CARD:
SHOWTIME | BBC iPlayer (U.K.) | RMC Sport (France)
May 12 — 10 p.m. CEST/9 p.m. BST/4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
Middleweight Main Event: #1-Gegard Mousasi (185.6) vs. #2-Fabian Edwards (184.8)
Lightweight World Grand Prix Co-Main Event: #4-Brent Primus (154.6)vs. #8-Mansour Barnaoui (154.6)
Middleweight Bout: Douglas Lima (185.8) vs. #10-Costello van Steenis (185.8)
Lightweight Bout: Thibault Gouti (155.6) vs. Kane Mousah (155.2)
BELLATOR 296: MOUSASI VS. EDWARDS PRELIMINARY CARD:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | BBC iPlayer (U.K.) | Pluto TV
6 p.m. CEST/5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT
Flyweight Bout: #6-Denise Kielholtz (125.2) vs. Paula Cristina (126)
Welterweight Bout: Oliver Enkamp (170) vs. Luca Poclit (169.6)
Lightweight Bout: Davy Gallon (155.4) vs. Saul Rogers (155.8)
Featherweight Bout: Yves Landu (145.8) vs. Piotr Niedzielski (146.2)
Contract Weight Bout (141 lbs): Sarvarjon Khamidov (140.6) vs. Kevin Petshi (140.4)
Lightweight Bout: Chris Gonzalez (155.4) vs. Tim Wilde (156)
Featherweight Bout: Fabacary Diatta (145.4) vs. Keir Harvie (145.8)
Contract Weight Bout (150 lbs): Asael Adjoudj (150) vs. Georges Sasu (149.6)
Welterweight Bout: Bourama Camara (170.1) vs. Romain Debienne (172.4)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Simon Biyong (205.6) vs. Jose Augusto (205.2)
