Bellator 261 goes down Friday, June 25, from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event is headlined by a rarity in Bellator history, an interim title fight. With current heavyweight champion Ryan Bader preparing for the semifinals of the promotions light heavyweight Grand Prix, Tim Johnson and Valentin Moldavksy will compete for first dibs at “Darth” when he returns to defend his thrown, and a shiny gold interim belt to wear as the division’s championship placeholder.
Johnson, an Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, is on the best run of his 21-fight career. Having won three straight, and scored pivotal victories over Tyrell Fortune, Matt Mitrione, and Cheick Kongo en route to his first opportunity at a major championship. Since joining Bellator in 2017, Moldavsky has been one of the promotion’s top heavyweight prospects. The Team Fedor fighter has gone unbeaten in four fights for the organization. Racking up wins on established names like Linton Vassell, Javy Ayala, and Roy Nelson.
Yesterday, the two title challengers (and many of the other fighters on the card) took part in digital media scrums. Answering questions from mixed martial art beat reporters on their upcoming championship clash, and more.
Bellator 261 media day: Tim Johnson
Valentin Moldavsky
In the co-main event of Bellator 261, former UFC two-division title challenger Liz Carmouche will clash with unbeaten Rizin and DEEP JEWELS veteran Kana Watanabe in a likely flyweight title eliminator booking. “Girl-Rilla” and Watanabe are both notable recent free-agent additions to help bolster their women’s flyweight division. A win Friday night would be payment on Bellator’s investment in seeking out established contenders for the promotion’s 125-pound champion. A position currently held by new titleholder Juliana Velasquez.
Both participants in the event’s co-main event also took part in digital media scrums yesterday to talk their important match-up on June 25.
Liz Carmouche
Kana Watanabe
You can find all the Bellator media day interviews with the competitors on Friday’s Bellator 261 card here.
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