The main event at Bellator 259 has been set, as Cris Cyborg will face Leslie Smith live on showtime.
Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith at Bellator 259
The main event match-up between Cris Cyborg and Leslie Smith was announced during the Bellator 255 broadcast.
Cyborg (23-2, 1 NC) is 2-0 inside the Bellator cage. In her debut, she defeated Julia Budd via fourth-round TKO to earn the women’s featherweight championship. She defended the belt with a second-round submission victory against Arlene Blencowe.
“I believe in five years she’s going to be a better fighter. More training, more working and fighting. More experience. The first fight was very fast, so I think this one is going to be a longer fight. She’s a warrior. She likes to fight and it’s going to be nice to fight somebody like this,” said Cyborg, who appeared on tonight’s BELLATOR 255 broadcast to confirm the event.
Smith (12-8-1) is 2-1 under the Bellator banner. Most recently, she earned a unanimous decision victory against Amanda Bell at Bellator 245. Her lone blemish in the Bellator cage came against Cyborg’s last opponent, Blencowe.
“Of course, I want this fight. Everyone’s goal is to get a title in the premiere organization, which this is. This is the best organization for my weight class, and the best possible place I can be. I can guarantee it will be an entertaining fight,” added Smith.
In addition to the main event, two matchups are confirmed, as No. 7 lightweight Adam “The Bomb” Piccolotti (12-4) takes on No. 10 Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan (30-11-1, 1 NC), while the undefeated No. 7 Christian “Pain” Edwards (4-0) meets Ben “Big Tuna” Parrish (4-1) in a light heavyweight contest. Additional bouts will be announced at a later date.
Bellator 259 goes down on Friday, May 21, 2021 and airs LIVE in all U.S. markets on the BELLATOR and SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channels, as well as Pluto TV.
