A.J. McKee-Patricio Freire 2, Vadim Nemkov-Corey Anderson Top Bellator 277 on April 15

We return to San Jose with a !

AJ McKee vs Pitbull 2
Vadim Nemkov vs Corey Anderson

Advertisement

’s go on sale This Friday on Ticketmaster. #Bellator277 pic.twitter.com/vinnSdL7RL

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 16, 2022

Bellator 277 will feature a pair of championships fights at the top of the bill, as A.J. McKee will face Patricio Freire in a featherweight title rematch, while Vadim Nemkov will defend his light heavyweight crown in the finals of the light heavyweight grand prix.

The California-based promotion announced the bouts on Wednesday. Bellator 277 takes place on April 15 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and the evening’s main card will air on Showtime.

McKee claimed 145-pound gold last July, when he submitted Patricio Freire 1:57 into the opening round of the Bellator 263 headliner in Los Angeles. The 26-year-old known as “Mercenary” is 18-0 as a professional, with all of his triumphs coming within the California-based promotion.

The 34-year-old Freire will be seeking his third run as featherweight champion in Bellator MMA. “Pitbull”, who recently vacated the promotion’s lightweight crown in order to pursue a rematch with McKee, had a seven-bout winning streak snapped in his loss to the Team Bodyshop standout.

Nemkov initially captured the 205-pound belt when he scored a second-round TKO of Ryan Bader at Bellator 244 in August 2020. He then took a five-round verdict against Phil Davis and submitted Julius Anglickas in the fourth round to advance to the finals of Bellator’s light heavyweight grand prix.

A former UFC light heavyweight contender, Anderson made his promotional debut in November 2020, when he stopped Melvin Manhoef in the second frame at Bellator 251. He then made his way through the 205-pound bracket with stoppages of Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov and Bader.