Another year is in the books for Bellator.
The promotion hosted 17 fight cards to maintain its status among the top dogs in the MMA space. During that time, many records were set and a host of historic moments were produced.
Now that the year has come to a close, here are some of 2022’s most significant fights and individual performances.
Event feats
Bellator held 17 numbered events in 13 different cities across five countries and two continents.
Those events had 212 fights across 11 different weight classes (not including catchweight bouts).
Those 212 fights combined for a total cage time of 38 hours, 36 minutes and 42 seconds.
The longest event of the year was “Bellator 279: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2” at 2 hours, 56 minutes and 15 seconds.
The shortest event of the year was “Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky” at 1 hour, 41 minutes and 25 seconds.
A total of 14 fighters missed weight for their bouts. Those fighters went 3-8, while three bouts were canceled.
Five main or co-main event bouts were canceled, adjusted or postponed due to a variety of reasons.
Betting favorites went 141-63 during Bellator fights. Five bouts ended in a no contest or had even betting odds, while betting odds were unavailable for three fights.
Betting favorites went 9-8 in Bellator headliners. One main event had even odds.
One fight card (Bellator 289) had more underdogs win than favorites.
Championship feats
Patricio Freire became the third three-time champion in history with his featherweight title win at Bellator 277. Michael Chandler and Douglas Lima also accomplished the feat.
Freire, a former lightweight champion, became the first in history with four separate championship reigns when he regained featherweight gold at Bellator 277.
Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson at Bellator 277 marked the first no contest result in a grand prix final.
Liz Carmouche became the third women’s flyweight champion history with her win at Bellator 278.
Johnny Eblen became the 13th undefeated champion in history with his middleweight title win at Bellator 282.
Freire became the first in history with 12 championship fight victories with his win at Bellator 286.
Usman Nurmagomedov became the first Dagestani champion in history with his lightweight title win at Bellator 288.
Individual feats
Andrey Koreshkov became the first to reach 15 welterweight victories with his win at Bellator 274.
Koreshkov became the first in history with multiple spinning back kick finishes with his victory at Bellator 274.
Goiti Yamauchi became the first fighter in history to earn victories in three weight classes with his welterweight win at Bellator 279. He’s also won at lightweight and featherweight.
Yamauchi became the first fighter in history to earn stoppages in three weight classes with his win at Bellator 279.
Yoel Romero’s victory at 4:59 of Round 3 at Bellator 280 marked the latest stoppage in a three-round fight.
Yamauchi became the first fighter in history to earn knockout and submission victories in three weight classes with his win at Bellator 284. He’s the only fighter in a major organization to accomplish the feat.
Romero’s eight stoppage victories in Round 3 of Bellator/UFC competition are the most of any fighter in combined organizational history. He broke the record with his win at Bellator 285.
Enrique Barzola became the only fighter to compete four times in 2022 with his bout at Bellator 286.
Freire became the first with 22 victories in the promotion with his win at Bellator 286.
Ayoub Nacer’s earned a 12-second knockout at Bellator 287, the fastest finish in divisional history.
Danny Sabatello logged the most cage time of any fighter in the company when he competed his 65th minute in the cage at Bellator 289.
