‘Bellator 298: Storley vs. Ward’ fight card finalized ahead of return to Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on August 11

LOS ANGELES – Four weeks away from touching down in the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls for “Bellator 298: Storley vs. Ward” this August 11, Bellator has finalized the talent-rich event lineup with the addition of four new and exciting matchups. Notably, Bellator 298 will now feature the professional MMA debut of two-time NCAA Division I national champion and 2020 U.S. Olympic Team member Jordan Oliver (0-0), Bellator’s newest featherweight talent.

The Bellator 298 main card will air at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime. The preliminary card begins at 6:30 p.m. ET and will air on the Bellator and Showtime Sports YouTube Channels, as well as the 24/7 Bellator MMA channel on Pluto TV.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at Bellator.com, Sanford Pentagon Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.

Headlining the updates to the Bellator 298 card will be the debut of Oliver, who faces South Dakota’s own Andrew Triolo (0-1) at 145 pounds. Plus, veteran Canadian bantamweight Josh Hill (22-5), winner of two of his last three, will welcome surging Russian finisher Kasum Kasumov (14-1) to the Bellator cage for the first time.

In changes to the existing event lineup, the featherweight fight between James Gallagher (11-2) and James Gonzalez (10-6) has been elevated to the Showtime-televised main card. Additionally, light heavyweight prospect Sullivan Cauley (5-1) will now meet American Top Team Portland’s Hamza Salim (7-6) and Brazil’s Jairo Pacheco (7-1) now faces Russia’s Vladimir Tokov (8-2). Lastly, a pair of middleweight bouts between Khalid Murtazaliev (17-3) and Mike Shipman (15-4) and Imamshafi Aliev (9-0) and Anthony Adams (9-4) have both been removed from the card.

Jordan Oliver vs. Andrew Triolo

One of the most decorated American wrestlers to transition to mixed martial arts in recent years, 33-year-old Jordan Oliver will bring a highly decorated resume will him into the Bellator cage this August 11. The former Oklahoma State University Cowboy was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and three-time finalist, adding four Big 12 Tournament championships and a 2019 U.S. National Championship gold medal to his well-adorned trophy case. Impressively, he took gold at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials to join the U.S. Olympic Team. Ahead of his MMA debut, he has trained alongside the talented stable at Kill Cliff FC. Looking to spoil Oliver’s debut will be local pro Triolo, who hopes a homefield advantage will aid him in this exciting matchup. 

Josh Hill vs. Kasum Kasumov

Canadian Hill hopes to build upon the momentum of having won two of his last three in this compelling matchup with highly touted promotional debutant Kasumov. Hill, 36, has been a stellar addition to the bantamweight division since signing with Bellator in 2020, even earning a wild card berth in the $1 million bantamweight world grand prix before being forced to withdraw due to injury. Opposite Hill, Bellator newcomer Kasumov hopes to make his first promotional impression a memorable one at the Sanford Pentagon. The 28-year-old Russian will look to prove himself a player in the talent-stacked 135-pound division on the strength of four straight stoppage victories, including a D’Arce choke submission in the second round of his most recent outing in Eagle FC.

Vladimir Tokov vs. Jairo Pacheco

Following the withdrawal of Max Rohskopf, Brazil’s Pacheco will now take on Russia’s Tokov in this battle of up-and-coming lightweights. The 6-foot Pachecho hopes to make use of his impressive size and length advantages to put his dynamic striking on display in search of his first promotional victory after dominating the Brazilian regional scene. But Tokov, a student of the iconic Fedor Emelianenko, hopes to leave Sioux Falls with a second straight win after stopping Lance Gibson Jr. for the first time in the latter’s career at Bellator 293 in March.

The updated Bellator 298 fight card is now as follows:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)

• Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward
• Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
• Dalton Rosta vs. Aaron Jeffery
• James Gallagher vs. James Gonzalez
• Sidney Outlaw vs. Islam Mamedov

PRELIMINARY CARD (YouTube, 6:30 p.m. ET)

• Lucas Brennan vs. Weber Almeida
• Enrique Barzola vs. Jaylon Bates
• Kai Kamaka vs. Akhmed Magomedov
• Diana Avsaragova vs. Justine Kish
• Vladimir Tokov vs. Jario Pacheco
• Dayana Silva vs. Katerina Shakalova
• Sullivan Cauley vs. Hamza Salim 
• Bryce Meredith vs. Alberto Rodriguez
• Alfie Davis vs. Aalon Cruz
• Leandro Higo vs. Nikita Mikhailov
• Josh Hill vs. Kasum Kasumov 
• Marcirley Alves da Silva vs. Jerrell Hodge
• Jordan Oliver vs. Andrew Triolo
• Michael Blockhus vs. Eli Mefford