Bellator MMA Announces London Card For May 16
Bellator returns to London with former rugby star James Haskell on the card.
Bellator MMA has announced a return to London on 16 May 2020.
The event will feature rising star James Gallagher take on prospect Cal Ellenor in the main event at 145lbs.
The pair have been scheduled to fight twice previously at Bellator 227, and Bellator Dublin but injuries to Gallagher and Ellenor respectively forced the fights to be cancelled.
The card will also see former rugby player and reality TV star James Haskell make his long-awaited MMA debut against an as-of-yet unnamed opponent. Haskell announced his plans to compete in MMA last year, but his first fight was delayed as he appeared on the nineteenth series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in November finishing 9th.
After his intention to move into MMA was announced last year, Haskell spoke to BBC Sport about how he wasn't taking the career change lightly:
"I'm dedicating my life to this. I want to make sure I am in the best possible shape and whatever happens at the end of it I am going to put as much dedication into this as I did into rugby. I'm deadly serious about it. I don't want it to be the case where I get into the cage and I look like I've never taken a punch before, it looks like I'm just here for fun. I'm not about that."
Tickets for Bellator London go on sale on 28 February.