MMA Six main card fights, a talent-heavy undercard highlights Bellator 222 inside MSG By the end of this Friday, we could be witnessing the best card in Bellator history. by Daniel Yanofsky June 13, 2019 For the first time since 2017, Bellator MMA returns to Madison Square Garden for UFC 222. Taking place on June 14, Scott Coker and company will look to start off the summer with a bang. That is especially true thanks in part to their partnership with Rizin. In order to make this the best card possible, Bellator has planned out which fighter is placed where on the card. Local talent like Heather Hardy, Mike Kimbel and Lindsey VanZandt are scheduled to kick things off on the undercard. Standout prospect Aaron Pico will main event the prelims against Adam Borics, taking place on DAZN. With one Gracie on the main card, Robson Gracie Jr. will also look to make an impact against Oscar Vera. The main card, also taking place on DAZN, features six bouts. A special bantamweight bout between Ricky Bandejas and Patrick Mix has been moved from the prelims to the main card. Opening up the show will be Darrion Caldwell v. Kyoki Horiguchi for the formers Bellator Bantamweight Title. This is the rematch from their bout at Rizin 14 in December when Horiguchi submitted Caldwell. The co-main event will feature Lyoto Machida v. Chael Sonnen while the main event will be Rory MacDonald defending his Welterweight Title against Neiman Gracie in the semifinals of the Welterweight Grand Prix. Here is the full lineup of matches taking place at Bellator 222: Main Card (DAZN, 10. p.m. ET) – Rory MacDonald (20-5-1) (c) v. Neiman Gracie (9-0) – Welterweight Championship, Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinal – Lyoto Machida (25-8) v. Chael Sonnen (31-16-1) – Dillon Danis (1-0) v. Max Humphrey (3-2) – Ricky Bandejas (11-2) v. Patrick Mix (10-0) – Eduardo Dantas (21-6) v. Juan Archeleta (22-1) – Darrion Caldwell (13-2) (c) v. Kyoji Horiguchi (27-2) – Bantamweight Championship Prelims (DAZN and Bellator App, 6:30 p.m. ET) – Aaron Pico (4-2) v. Ada, Borics (12-0) – Heather Hardy (2-1) v. Taylor Turner (3-5) – Valerie Loureda (1-0) v. Larkyn Dasch (0-1) – Robson Gracie Jr. (1-0) v. Oscar Vera (pro debut) – Mike Kimbel (2-1) v. Sebastian Ruiz (2-2) – Haim Gozali (10-6) Gustavo Wurlitzer (22-22, 1 NC) – Lindsay VanZandt (5-1) v. Rena Kubota (8-2) – Phil Hawes (4-2) v. Michael Wilcox (6-3) – Marcus Surin (5-1) v. Nekruz Mirkhojaev (4-2) – Brandon Medina (pro debut) v. Brandon Polcare (1-2) – Kastriot Xhema (2-3) v. Whitney Jean Francois (2-6-1) – John Beneduce (2-2) v. Kenny Rivera (2-1) Tickets are currently still available for Bellator 222. You can grab them now at the MSG box office and at Ticketmaster.com. Post Views: 1,040 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Daniel Yanofsky Baseball Editor, Misc. Sports Editor. Covers all things combat sports (MMA, Pro Wrestling and Boxing). When he's not writing, Daniel hosts a podcast, The Main Event. Latest posts by Daniel Yanofsky (see all) Mets hire Luis Rojas to replace Carlos Beltran as manager - January 23, 2020 An Outsider’s 2020 Hall of Fame Ballot - January 21, 2020 A Wild Yo Sighting: Yoenis Cespedes participates in running, fielding and hitting drills - January 21, 2020 Following Conor McGregor’s win at UFC 246, is “The King” truly back? - January 20, 2020 Related TopicsAaron PicoBellator 222Bellator MMAChael SonnenDarrion Caldwelldillon danisEduardo DantasHeather HardyJuan ArcheletaKyoji HoriguchiLindsey VanZandtLocal AthletesLyoto MachidaMarcus SurinMax HumphreyMike KimbelmmaNeiman GraciePatrick MixRicky BandejasRizin FFrory macdonaldValerie LouredaWomen in Sports 1 Comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! 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