LOS ANGELES – All the pre-fight activities are in the books for Bellator 290, the first Bellator event of 2023, following Friday’s official and ceremonial weigh-ins.
A rematch between heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) and Fedor Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who meet for Bader’s title in what also is Emelianenko’s retirement bout, serves as the event headliner. In the co-main event, middleweight champ Johnny Eblen (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line for the first time against challenger Anatoly Tokov (31-3 MMA, 7-0 BMMA).
At the ceremonial weigh-ins Friday, the fighters came face to face for final staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and a photo gallery below.
Bellator 290 takes place Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card marks the promotion’s debut on CBS, which follows prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.
