| Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson | ||||
| Promotion | Bellator MMA | |||
| Date | March 10, 2023 (2023-03-10) | |||
| Venue | SAP Center | |||
| City | San Jose, California, United States | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bellator 292: Nurmagomedov vs. Henderson was amixed martial arts event produced byBellator MMA that took place on March 10, 2023, at theSAP Center inSan Jose, California, United States.[1][2][3]
The event marked the promotion's 13th visit to San Jose and first sinceBellator 277 in April 2022.[2]
As part of the $1 millionBellator Lightweight World Grand Prix, aBellator Lightweight World Championship bout between current championUsman Nurmagomedov andBenson Henderson (formerWEC andUFC Lightweight Champion) headlined the event. In the co-main event,Tofiq Musayev faced off againstAlexandr Shabliy in a quarterfinal match.[1] After the main event bout, Henderson announced his retirement from professional mixed martial arts.[4][5]
A bantamweight bout between former title challengerLeandro Higo (also formerLFA Bantamweight Champion) and James Gallagher was scheduled for this event.[6] However, in Mid February, Gallagher pulled out of the bout due to undisclosed reasons and the bout was scrapped.[7]
A women's flyweight bout between Keri Taylor-Melendez and Bruna Ellen was scheduled for this event.[8] However, at the end of February, Taylor-Melendez pulled out of the bout and it was scrapped.[9]
At the weigh-ins, Cass Bell weighed in at 145.2 pounds, 9.2 pounds over the non-title bantamweight fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight with Bell being fined 50% of his purse, which went to his opponentJosh Hill.[10]
| Main Card (Showtime) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Lightweight | Usman Nurmagomedov (c) | def. | Benson Henderson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 2:37 | [a] |
| Lightweight | Alexandr Shabliy | def. | Tofiq Musayev | TKO (body kick) | 3 | 0:29 | [b] |
| Heavyweight | Linton Vassell | def. | Valentin Moldavsky | KO (punches and elbows) | 1 | 3:03 | |
| Welterweight | Michael Page | def. | Goiti Yamauchi | TKO (leg kick) | 1 | 0:26 | |
| Preliminary card (Youtube/Pluto TV) | |||||||
| Featherweight | Enrique Barzola | def. | Érik Pérez | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Catchweight (146 lb) | Josh Hill | def. | Cass Bell | Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | [c] |
| Middleweight | Khalid Murtazaliev | def. | Tony Johnson | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov | def. | Julius Anglickas | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Laird Anderson | def. | Rogelio Luna | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 2:41 | |
| Middleweight | Theo Haig | def. | Adam Wamsley | Submission (guillotine choke) | 1 | 3:01 | |
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to theCalifornia State Athletic Commission. It is important to note the amounts do not include sponsor money, discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings.[12][13]
