How to Watch Bellator 244

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Ryan Bader will soon find out whether or not he can effectively manage fights on two fronts.

The reigning Bellator MMA heavyweight champion will put his light heavyweight title on the line for the first time in nearly three years when he meets Vadim Nemkov in the Bellator 244 main event on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The 205-pound championship has remained idle since Bader defended it with a second-round stoppage of Linton Vassell on Nov. 3, 2017, then left the division to pursue heavyweight gold.

Nemkov enters the cage on the strength of a career-best six-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old sambo practitioner last competed at Bellator 230, where he submitted former middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho with a second-round rear-naked choke in October. Nemkov has delivered 10 of his 11 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Bellator 244 “Bader vs. Nemkov”—which airs on Paramount Network and streams live to Dazn at 10 p.m. ET—will also feature a women’s featherweight battle matching Julia Budd with Jessy Miele, a heavyweight clash pitting Roy Nelson against Valentin Moldavsky and a middleweight scrap pairing John Salter with Andrew Kapel. Dazn will also stream the seven-fight undercard at 7:15 p.m. ET.

A closer look at the Bellator 244 “Bader vs. Nemkov” particulars:

THE LINEUP

205: Ryan Bader vs. Vadim Nemkov
145: Julia Budd vs. Jessy Miele
265: Roy Nelson vs. Valentin Moldavsky
185: John Salter vs. Andrew Kapel
170: Yaroslav Amosov vs. Mark Lemminger
155: Adam Piccolotti vs. Sidney Outlaw
135: Erik Perez vs. Josh Hill
145: Weber Almeida vs. Salim Mukhidinov
145: John de Jesus vs. Vladislav Parubchenko
155: Vladimir Tokov vs. Christopher Gonzalez
145: Lucas Brennan vs. Will Smith

THE RUNDOWN

• Weigh-in Report
• Virtual Media Day Interview: Ryan Bader
• Virtual Media Day Interview: Vadim Nemkov
• Virtual Media Day Interview: Roy Nelson
• Virtual Media Day Interview: Julia Budd
• The Bottom Line: Bellator’s Uncertain Future
• By The Numbers: Bader vs. Nemkov

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