Bellator 274: The Line Up

Bellator MMA makes a triumphant return to Uncasville, Connecticut as the Mohegan Sun Arena will play host to Bellator 274: Gracie vs Storley. This is a welterweight non-title fight between the fourth and fifth best ranked fighters that Bellator has to offer within their 170 pound division; featuring a highly decorated Brazilian Jiu-jitsu player from a fabled family, and a former four time All-American at the highest level of collegiate wrestling. No championships are on the line, but Bellator 274 is looking to be an entertaining card, here’s the line up:

Main Card

#4 Neiman Gracie (11-2) vs. #5 Logan Storley (12-1)

Neiman Gracie will take on Logan Storley in the main event of the evening. Neiman is a highly decorated submission specialist, laying claim to a 2nd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu under Renzo and Royce Gracie. Neiman’s father also happens to be Marcio Stambowsky, who you may remember as one of the “Famous Five” Rolls Gracie Black Belts. This will be Neiman’s second opportunity to headline a Bellator card, as his first attempt against Rory McDonald in 2019 resulted in the first loss of Neiman’s career. His adversary is none other than Logan Storley, who is a highly credentialed amateur wrestler. Logan is a former four time NCAA Division one All-American for the University of Minnesota. Storley’s only loss came at Bellator 252 by way of split decision in a close battle with the current Bellator Welterweight Champion, Yaroslov Amosov.

#9 Andrey Koreshkov (24-4) vs. Chance Rencountre (16-4)

Chance Rencountre will step in on just twelve days notice to replace Mukhamed Berkhamov in Saturday’s welterweight comain event against Andrey Koreshkov. Andrey has been with Bellator for nearly a decade, going 14-4 and capturing the Bellator Welterweight Championship within that stretch. The 9th ranked contender has faced some of the game’s best including Ben Askren, Douglas Lima, and Benson Henderson. Short-notice replacement Chance Rencountre has the pleasure of making his return to the Bellator cage for the first time since 2017. You may remember Chance from his 4 fight run in the UFC where he ended up amassing a 2-2 record with the promotion.

Georgi Karakhanyan (31-12-1) vs. Adam Piccolotti (12-4)

Georgi Karakhanyan will take on Adam Piccolotti in a lightweight bout. Georgi is an incredibly talented submission specialist with 16 wins by submission on his record while also having never been finished. He has gone just 3-4 with Bellator since making his return to the promotion in 2019. Although his most recent victory is a submission win over Kiefer Crosbie, he’s perhaps more recently well known for his 8 second KO loss to AJ Mckee. Adam Piccolotti has also been with Bellator for a while and he is also 3-4 in his last 7 Bellator fights. “The Bomb” trains out of the American Kickboxing Academy and has a 50% win rate by submission.

#8 Davion Franklin (4-0) vs. #9 Said Sowma (8-2)

The main card will open up with a heavyweight bout between Davion Franklin and Said Sowma. The undefeated Davion Franklin has fought all four of his professional fights with Bellator, with 3 of those victories coming by KO. He began his MMA career a bit late but he is making up for lost time and then some with the momentum he has generated. Said Sowma is returning to action for the first time since we saw him earn a victory over Vitaly Minakov at Bellator 269. The American Top Team product is 2-1 with Bellator, earning stoppage victories in his two most recent fights. Bellator 274 will mark the second shortest layoff between fights of Said’s career, although he is enjoying some great momentum currently.

Preliminary Card

Mandel Nallo (8-1-1) vs. Nick Browne (12-1)

The featured prelim of Bellator 274 will pit lightweights Mandel Nallo and Nick Browne against one another. Mandel is 1-1-1 in his last 3 outings for Bellator, including a KO via Superman Punch in his most recent fight against Ricardo Seixas. As the lone Canadian on this card, Mandel is representing TriStar Gym under the teachings of legendary MMA coach, Firas Zahabi. None of Mandel’s 10 professional fights have gone to the judge’s scorecards. Across the cage, Nick Browne will look to improve his Bellator record to 2-0. After recording a first round heel hook submission victory in his promotional debut, Browne was awarded with this featured preliminary card spot in only his second fight. 

Jaylon Bates (4-0) vs. Chris Disonell (6-4)

Undefeated prospect Jaylon Bates will put his perfect record on the line when he faces off against Chris Disonell. “New Breed” Bates is just 25 years old and has only fought professionally under the Bellator banner. The Las Vegas talent is rolling with three straight submission victories, with the latter two coming by way of Armbar. Chris Disonell will be making his return to Bellator for the first time since his initial introduction to the promotion in 2019. Since then he is 3-1 across four different promotions.

Aviv Gozali (6-0) vs. Bobby King (10-4)

Aviv Gozali will take on Bobby King in a lightweight bout. Undefeated fighter Aviv “The King” is an Israeli born submission specialist. All 6 of the 21 year old’s wins have come by submission. He has spent his entire career with Bellator, and is most known for having the fastest submission victory in Bellator history (0:11). His opponent, Bobby King, is 17 years his senior and is just 1-1 with Bellator. Bobby most recently lost a unanimous decision to Alexandr Shabily at Bellator 272 in the same exact arena as he will be competing in on Saturday.

#7 DeAnna Bennett (11-7-1) vs. Justine Kish (7-4)

DeAnna Bennett will face off against Justine Kish in a flyweight bout this represents the only female fight on this card. DeAnna “Vitamin D” has been fighting professionally for 10 years now. You may remember her from her TUF 26 run which saw her end the finale in a draw with Melinda Fabian. She did not earn a contract from the UFC and returned to Invicta FC afterwards. Her opponent, Justine Kish, has also been fighting professionally for over 10 years. However, Justine actually made it to the UFC and was subsequently not re-signed after she dropped four of her last five fights with the promotion.

Brennan Ward (14-6) vs. Brandon Bell (10-10)

Brennan Ward will meet Brandon Bell in a  175 pound (79.38 kg) catchweight fight. New England fan-favorite Brennan Ward is making his long awaited Bellator return after a near 5 year hiatus from the sport. Brennan has dealt with addiction throughout his career, but is now over a year sober and aiming to be an inspiration for others. He will surely receive a warm ovation, as he is used to in Connecticut. His adversary is Brandon Bell, who will be making his Bellator return for the first time since 2017 as well. Brandon went 1-3 during his four fight run in 2021, including a 3 fight streak that saw him get finished each time.

Jordan Newman (3-0) vs. Cody Herbert (1-1)

Jordan Newman will take on Cody Herbert in a battle of middleweight prospects. Jordan Newman currently is riding the momentum of a two fight TKO streak, most recently at Bellator 255. Newman is a Roufusport athlete, which is conveniently situated in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Cody Herbert has fought for Jorge Masvidal’s promotion, Gamebred FC twice in 2021. Herbert has both submitted an opponent and been submitted by an opponent in that two fight run.

Justin Montalvo (4-0) vs. Corey Samuels (3-2)

Justin Montalvo will put his undefeated record on the line when he takes on Corey Samuels. Justin is a 25 year old New York native and a member of the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Much like Bobby King, this will be Montalvo’s second consecutive fight at the Mohegan Sun Arena. In that last fight, which was his promotional debut, Montalvo went to a decision for the first time in his career. His remaining three wins are all by KO. Corey “Lightning Wolf” Samuels is fresh off of a 10 second KO victory in his Bellator debut over Isaiah Hokit. You may also remember Corey Samuels from his fight with Dean Barry in Titan FC. All of Corey’s fights have ended in a finish.

Isaiah Hokit (0-1) vs. Theodore Macuka (1-2)

Isaiah Hokit will take on Theodore Macuka in a featherweight fight. Isaiah is a highly respected former NCAA Division One wrestler for Fresno state. The 25 year old’s only fight was his debut at Bellator 261, where he lost via KO in ten seconds. His opponent, Theodore Macuka, is a 22 year old Connecticut native making his Bellator debut. Theodore has only had his fights stopped via TKO thus far into his career, and is currently on a two fight skid. You may remember Theodore from his performance at Cage Warriors 130, where he was stopped in eleven seconds. Isaiah and Theodore’s last performances add up to a total of 21 seconds of cage time.

Orlando Mendoza (0-1) vs. Jonathan Di Lorenzo (1-0)

Orlando Mendoza and Jonathan Di Lorenzo will open up the Bellator 274 preliminary card with a welterweight bout. After going undefeated as an amateur (3-0) Orlando made his professional debut at Bellator 264 last August and was subsequently finished in the third round. Now half a year removed from that loss, Orlando will look to return to his winning ways and earn his first professional win. Across the cage, Jonathan Di Lorenzo has a big time opportunity in front of him, in the form of his Bellator debut. Much like Orlando, Jonathan was 3-0 as an amateur. However, Jonathan managed to win his professional debut last November with a decision win in Premier FC.