The second co-promotion between Bellator MMA and BAMMA to have taken place in Ireland in the space of just over two months takes place on Friday evening inside Belfast’s SSE Arena in Northern Ireland, showcasing a wide berth of Irish, UK and European mixed martial arts talent.
In the Bellator portion of the evening, former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary will square off with UK MMA veteran Brett McDermott after both Chris Fields (injury) and Vladimir Filipovic (visa issues) were scratched from the bout. In the co-main event (or ‘People’s Main Event’ as some might refer to it as), SBG Ireland’s James Gallagher looks to extend his unbeaten streak to 6-0 with a win over Israeli grappler Kirill Medvedovsky. Another SBG prospect, Sinead ‘KO’ Kavanagh faces Iony Razafiarison.
There was confusion on the Bellator undercard at the weigh-ins on Thursday. Shay Walsh weighed in successfully at the bantamweight limit as per the terms of his bout agreement. Opponent James McErlean, on the other hand, mistakenly thought the bout was being contested at featherweight and weighed in accordingly. The bout is still scheduled to take place, so long as McErlean doesn’t weigh in excess of 155-pounds in advance.
Colin ‘Freak Show’ Fletcher and Alex Lohore will kick off the Bellator card in a welterweight contest.
As for BAMMA 28, there was some weigh-in drama when main event fighters Paul Redmond and Norman Parke stepped on the scales. As this is for the BAMMA lightweight title, championship weight of 155-pounds must be met. Parke weighed in at 0.8 pounds over the limit meaning that only Redmond (who weighed in successfully) is eligible to win the title.
Elsewhere on the BAMMA card, a host of intriguing bouts are on the agenda including Andy Young vs. Dominique Wooding, Ronnie Mann vs. Damien Lapilus, Rhys McKee vs. Tim Barnett and Decky Dalton vs. Jonathan Brookins.
How To Watch
The BAMMA 28 card, beginning at 5pm GMT, will be steamed on the UNILAD Facebook page while Bellator 173, which gets underway at 10pm GMT, will be available on Spike (Sky 160, Freeview 31 or FreeSat 141)
