First look: This one-of-a-kind belt and Super Bowl-like ring awaits the winners of PFL vs. Bellator's champ-champ showdowns
PFL vs. Bellator is set to take place this weekend following the former promotion acquiring the latter in November 2023. The card will feature two champion versus champion bouts as PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira will face Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, while PFL middleweight champion Impa Kasanganay will face Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen.
PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov was set to face Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson. However, the former withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed injury. Meanwhile, PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo was also forced to withdraw from his matchup with Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull due to a back injury.
The winner of the two title bouts will receive a custom belt and ring, both of which were revealed on Monday. The PFL shared a video of the belt on X, captioning the post:
"πΎπ―π¨π» π°π»βπΊ π¨π³π³ π¨π©πΆπΌπ» on February 24th Who will stand victorious with the throne on Saturday? π π [ #PFLvsBellator | Saturday, Feb 24th | 3pm EST | πhttp://pfl.info/PFLvBellator ]"
Check out the footage of the PFL vs. Bellator belt below:
Combat Sports Today also shared a photo of the ring that the winners will receive, captioning the post:
"FIRST LOOK at the custom PFL vs. Bellator ring π #PFLvsBellator | @BellatorMMA | @PFLMMA"
Check out the photo of the PFL vs. Bellator ring below:
Who else will compete on the PFL vs. Bellator card?
In addition to the title bouts, the PFL vs. Bellator card will feature plenty of talent from both promotions. While Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson's champion versus champion bout was scrapped, he will remain on the card, facing Ray Cooper III in a catchweight bout at 182 pounds.
Vadim Nemkov, who held the Bellator light heavyweight title, will face Bruno Cappelozza in a heavyweight bout. Meanwhile, former UFC title challengers Yoel Romero and Thiago Santos will clash in a highly-anticipated light heavyweight bout. Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee will face Clay Collard to open the main card in a lightweight bout.
The preliminary card will feature a featherweight bout between Aaron Pico and Gabriel Alves Braga. Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, will make his professional mixed martial arts debut when he faces Emmanuel Palacio in a lightweight bout.
Meanwhile, two-time undisputed boxing champion Claressa Shields will make her return to mixed martial arts as she faces Kelsey DeSantis in a women's super lightweight bout. Featherweights Abdullah Al-Qahtani and Edukondala Rao, while flyweights Malik Basahel and Vinicius Pereira will open the card in an amateur bout.