^Primus replaced
Sidney Outlaw after he was suspended for a positive drug test.
^de Souza replaced
A. J. McKee after he withdrew due to medical issues. The bout took place at catchweight of 161 pounds.
^Nurmagomedov's win was later overturned to a No Contest after he tested positive for a banned substance in a prescription drug. He was not stripped of the title due to the unintentional ingestion of the substance, but did receive a suspension, and it is currently unclear whether he will continue to the tournament final.
Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Tournament
The eight participants of the tournament were revealed on December 3, 2021. They include current champion
Sergio Pettis, the former
Rizin and Bellator champion
Kyoji Horiguchi, another former Bellator champion in
Juan Archuleta, who captured the vacant bantamweight title in 2020 against
Patchy Mix, who will also be in the tournament. The final four fighters in the Grand Prix are all ranked in the top six by Bellator at 135 pounds:
Magomed Magomedov, James Gallagher,
Raufeon Stots and
Leandro Higo.[16][17][18] Pettis and Gallagher would eventually pull out due to injuries requiring surgery.[19][20] Due to the pull outs, two wild card qualifier bouts between
Josh Hill and
Enrique Barzola, with the winner meeting
Magomed Magomedov in the opening round, and the second qualifier between Jornel Lugo and
Danny Sabatello, which will have the winner face
Leandro Higo in the first round of the tournament.[21] Due to Covid, Hill had to pull out of the bout and was replaced by Nikita Mikhailov.[22][23]
^For the
Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Originally a unanimous decision win for Nurmagomedov; overturned after he tested positive for a banned substance.