Tomorrow afternoon, The Bellator Champions Series heads to Dublin, Ireland with a world title fight headlining the card. Welterweight champion Jason “The Ass-Kicking Machine” Jackson (18-4) returns as he takes on a very tough challenger in undefeated Ramazan Kuramagomedov (12-0).
Starting with Kuramagomedov, he was first introduced on Dana White’s Contender Series a few years ago but didn’t earn a UFC contract after getting a split decision win. From there, he got a couple of regional scene wins before Bellator signed him in 2023. Since being signed by the promotion, he’s fought twice and scored two finishes to earn this title shot.
Jason Jackson also appeared on The Contender Series but lost due to an ankle injury. Him not getting a full chance is proving to be a big miss for the UFC and a huge gain for Bellator and the PFL. After making a successful debut with the promotion before going back to LFA and winning two more fights, Jackson moved to Bellator full time.
He lost his debut by split decision, but then he went on a run that saw him win six straight fights. Included in those wins were Benson Henderson and former champion Douglas Lima. Following that, he got a shot at the unbeaten champion Yaroslav Amosov and outclassed him in their title fight. Jackson knocked him out in the third round.
He competed earlier this year on the champions card featuring PFL and Bellator fighters where he fought former PFL champion Ray Cooper III. It was a brutal beatdown that saw Jackson score a second round finish. He’s the favorite entering tomorrow, but he’s got a real test in his first true title defense.
Bellator Champions Series Dublin
In the co-main event of the Dublin card tomorrow, Irish superstar and former Cage Warriors standout Paul Hughes (11-1) will be making his PFL / Bellator debut. He’ll be taking on Bobby King (12-6). Hughes was very highly touted and signed with the PFL earlier this year. The promotion decided that the Dublin Champions Series card was the perfect place for him to make his debut.
He’s won five fights in a row entering the fight tomorrow. Meanwhile his opponent is heading in the opposite direction. Bobby King won his promotional debut back in 2021 but since then is just 2-3 in his last five fights. He should be a good test for Hughes in his debut, but Hughes is still the big betting favorite.
You can view the full card for tomorrow’s Champions Series event here.