Olympic gold meets Rizin royalty in Dublin's most chaotic crossover event.
Bellator 169: King Mo vs Ishii was held on December 16, 2016 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The event aired live in prime time on Spike TV. The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and Rizin Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion Muhammed Lawal and Japanese Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii. Lawal won the two-night, eight-man tournament at Rizin Fighting Federation on New Year's Eve in Japan. A 2008 Olympic gold medalist in judo, Ishii began his MMA career in December 2009 and made his Bellator debut in June 2016 against Quinton Jackson at Bellator 157: Dynamite 2. Bellator 169 is a Bellator MMA and BAMMA co-promoted event with the BAMMA 27 show filling out the rest of the card. Several top Irish prospects including Dylan Tuke, Ryan Curtis, Rhys McKee, and James Gallagher were featured on the card.
Practical Effects
Ishii's Olympic judo versus Lawal's wrestling pedigree clash.
Production
Rare Bellator-BAMMA co-promotion with genuine Irish prospects.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This event marked Bellator's first co-promotion with BAMMA, a UK promotion that would collapse financially within two years.
King Mo's Rizin Grand Prix victory on New Year's Eve 2015 made him one of few Americans to win major Japanese tournaments since Rickson Gracie.
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