Bellator Books Pair Of September Championship Matches

Bellator Champions Series will feature back-to-back championship matches to kick-start September.

The promotion announced plans for events in San Diego and London with the cards airing live on MAX in the United States and DAZN in the United Kingdom.

Up first on September 7, Usman Nurmagomedov puts his lightweight title and unbeaten record on the line vs. Alexander Shabily.

That card takes place from Pechanga Resort Arena in San Diego.

A week later from the OVO Arena Wembley in London, unbeaten Johnny Eblen defends his middleweight title in a rematch with Fabian Edwards.

“September is set to be a huge month for Bellator Champions Series,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said. “We’re continuing to step up our game to deliver incredible cards that we know the MMA community across the globe will love.”

Bellator Bringing Action To ‘Massive Markets’

Nurmagomedov and Shabily were originally scheduled to square off in May. A pupil of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman has bested Patricky Pitbull and Benson Henderson.

Shabily has wins over Pitbull, Tofiq Musayev and Brent Primus during his recent run to the role of top contender.

Eblen scored a successful title defense over Edwards back in 2023 from Dublin. He finished the fight in the third round and added a win over Impa Kasanganay in recent months.

Edwards, the brother of Leon Edwards, topped Aaron Jeffery to rebound earlier this year and secure his rematch.

“Both San Diego and London are massive markets for us,” Murray said. “We’re confident we’ll put on a show that the fans in attendance and those watching around the world on Max and DAZN deserve.

“Our world-class roster has allowed us to hold two cards in two weeks, and you’re going to see that as we announce more fights and events, the future is incredibly bright for PFL and Bellator.

“It’s going to be a September to remember, see you there.”