Bellator 253 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT on Thursday, November 19 (Friday, November 20 in Australia). MMA event is headlined by Darrion Caldwell up against A.J. McKee, squaring off in the semi-final bout of featherweight World Grand Prix.
Riding the two-win streak, Darrion Caldwell (15-3) was last in action in January when he submitted Adam Borics in the first-round. Unbeaten A.J. McKee (16-0) last fought in December 2019, taking the win over Derek Campos by submission in Round 3.
In the finale the winner of Caldwell vs McKee bout is expected to face either the reigning featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire or Emmanuel Sanchez. The pair is set to meet in another semi-final of Bellator’s 145-pound WGP at the future event.
The Bellator 253 main event follows a pair of welterweight bouts, as Benson Henderson takes on Jason Jackson, and Joey Davis faces Bobby Lee. Kicking off the broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, Keith Lee and Raufeon Stots do battle at bantamweight.
The full Bellator 253 fight card can be found below.
Bellator 253: Caldwell vs. McKee fight card
Main Card
- Darrion Caldwell vs. A.J. McKee
- Benson Henderson vs. Jason Jackson
- Joey Davis vs. Bobby Lee
- Keith Lee vs. Raufeon Stots
Preliminary card
- Jeremy Kennedy vs. Matt Bessette
- Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Shane Kruchten
- Kevin Ferguson Jr. vs. Kaheem Murray
- Gaston Bolanos vs. Johnny Soto
- Jaleel Willis vs. Mark Lemminger
- Marcus Surin vs. Ricardo Seixas
- Jay Jay Wilson vs. Sergio de Bari
- Sullivan Cauley vs. Mark Glover