Britain's Vassell earns Bellator world title shot

Linton Vassell has lost his two previous Bellator world title bouts when he was a light heavyweight - to Emanuel Newton in 2014 and Ryan Bader in 2017

Great Britain's mixed martial arts star Linton Vassell will challenge for the Bellator world heavyweight title live on BBC Sport later this year.

The event, which features four title bouts, will be live on BBC iPlayer.

Vassell is aiming to emulate Liam McGeary, who became the first British man to win an MMA world title with his light-heavyweight triumph in 2015.

That statistic could change before the show, however, with Fabian Edwards set to challenge for the Bellator middleweight title in September.

Only three British fighters have ever won world titles in Bellator or the Ultimate Fighting Championship - McGeary and UFC duo Michael Bisping and Leon Edwards, who climbed to the top in 2016 and 2022 respectively.

American Bader, also 40, will be making a fifth defence of his title against fellow veteran Vassell, who moved up to heavyweight from light-heavy in 2019 and is on a five-bout winning streak.

Bader, Bellator's longest-reigning world heavyweight champion after winning his title in 2019, boasts a 31-7 record and beat Vassell (23-8) via technical knockout in their only previous meeting.

Cris Cyborg will defend the women's featherweight crown against Cat Zingano, while Brent Primus challenges undefeated lightweight kingpin Usman Nurmagomedov, cousin of MMA legend Khabib.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, Bellator's inaugural female flyweight champion, will bid to regain that crown when the 33-year-old challenges long-time friend and current title holder Liz Carmouche on the show.