DUBLIN – Bellator MMA has today confirmed six additional bouts which have been slated for “Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Edwards.” The promotion’s latest blockbuster card in the Irish capital, headlined by a middleweight world championship bout between undefeated champion Johnny “The Human Cheat Code” Eblen and the U.K.’s No. 1 challenger Fabian “The Assassin” Edwards, will take place at the 3Arena on Saturday, September 23.
“Bellator 299: Eblen vs. Edwards” will air live at 4 p.m. ET on Showtime in the U.S. Broadcast details for the preliminary card will be announced soon.
Tickets for the event are on sale now at Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.ie.
Irish fan favorite and No. 4-ranked Sinead Kavanagh (9-5) will look to make it three straight when she squares up with undefeated Aussie Sara Collins (4-0), who is ranked No. 6 in the division. A talented boxing champion, Kavanagh has displayed a well-rounded ground game en route to inspiring back-to-back unanimous decision victories over Leah McCourt and Janay Harding. She’ll be looking to harness the energy from the Irish faithful at 3Arena against Collins, a talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner who made an immediate impact with a skillful submission victory over Pam Sorenson.
Joining Edwards on the card is fellow Brit, Luke “The Gent” Trainer (7-1) who will face promotional newcomer Laurynas “Captain Lithuania” Urbonavicius (14-1) in a potentially explosive light heavyweight bout.
There are high hopes for Trainer, who has won all but one of his five bouts since making his Bellator debut in 2020. He returns to European shores following his first U.S. outing at Bellator 293 in March, where he notched his second first-round rear-naked choke victory. Another win to his record will nudge him closer to a top-10 light heavyweight ranking.
A further four preliminary bouts have been confirmed, including newly-signed Scottish lightweight Mark Ewen (4-0), who faces fellow debutant Noah Gugnon (1-1) of France. Irish representation on the card swells with the addition of Kenny “Black Diamond” Mokhonoana (5-0), who puts his undefeated record on the line in a clash with as-yet-unbeaten Welshman Josh O’Connor (4-0).
In what is expected to be a livewire women’s strawweight bout, Italy’s in-form Chiara “Beasty Barbie” Penco (8-3) will aim to extend her three-fight winning streak against American youngster Mackenzie “Mack Judo” Stiller (1-0). Rounding out the announcements are Italy’s SBG Dublin prospect Nicolo “The Monkey King” Solli (5-1) and Frenchman Romain Debienne (9-4) in a welterweight matchup.
The Bellator 289 lineup currently includes:
- Champ Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards – for middleweight title
- Brian Moore vs. Otto Rodrigues
- Mads Burnell vs. Daniel Weichel
- Sinead Kavanagh vs. Sara Collins
- Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
- Mark Ewen vs. Noah Gugnon
- Kenny Mokhonoana vs. Josh O’Connor
- Chiara Penco vs. Mackenzie Stiller
- Nicolo Solli vs. Romain Debienne
