Arguably the biggest non-title light heavyweight bout for
Bellator MMA is on the books for June.
On Thursday, the organization
announced
that
Corey
Anderson (16-6, 1 NC) and
Phil Davis
(24-6, 1 NC) will square off at
Bellator 297 on June 16. The top-ranked light heavyweights will
meet on the main card that will be held inside the Wintrust Arena
in Chicago. While the two 205ers formerly swam in the same pond in
the
Ultimate Fighting Championship from 2014 to
early 2015, they never ended up meeting.
“Overtime” Anderson came up short in his rematch with
Vadim
Nemkov in November 2022 for the light heavyweight strap. The
title challenger competed for the first time beyond the third round
as a pro against the Russian, in a bout run back after they clash
heads in their first encounter that April. The loss snapped a
four-fight unbeaten streak since joining the roster in late 2020,
with the ex-UFC vet most notably smashing
Ryan Bader in
2021 for a shot at the throne.
Dating back to his joining the roster in 2015, Davis has only lost
to Bader and Nemkov, dropping two decision to the latter in 2018
and 2021. “Mr. Wonderful” has rattled off 11 victories under its
banner, or two more than he notched as a UFC fighter from 2010 to
2015. David claimed the 205-pound belt in 2016, wresting it from
Liam
McGeary, but his first defense against Bader did not go his
way. The finish rates of the two contenders are almost the same,
with Anderson holding a 50% stoppage rate compared to Davis’
54%.
Bellator 297 will go down at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, with a
pair of championship matches on the double-billed show. The main
attraction will see Nemkov take on
Yoel Romero
for the light heavyweight crown – Anderson and Davis are a combined
0-3, 1 NC against Nemkov, so its status as a no. 1 contender match
is not guaranteed. The co-headliner will feature
Sergio
Pettis back in action as he puts his bantamweight strap up for
grabs against former two-division champ
Patricio
Freire. If the latter succeeds in claiming gold at 135 pounds,
he will become the first three-division champion in major MMA
history.