Bellator 273 Weigh-in Results: Heavyweight Title Fight Set; 1 Fight Off

Bellator MMA's first event of 2022 is officially set after the Bellator 273 weigh-ins took place.

All fighters but one made weight for the event, which is headlined by a heavyweight unification match between champion Ryan Bader and interim titleholder Valentin Moldavsky. The lone fighter to miss weight is Fabricio Franco (151.2), who came in 5.2 pounds over the featherweight limit, and his bout against Weber Almeida (145.2) was canceled as a result. The card also features two former champions in Benson Henderson (155.8), who goes up against Islam Mamedov (155.6), and Darrion Caldwell (135.8), who looks to correct a two-fight skid at the expense of newcomer Enrique Barzola (136).

This is the first heavyweight bout for Bader (28-7, 1 NC) since 2019 when "Darth" poked Cheick Kongo in the eye to result in a no contest. Since then, Bader lost his light heavyweight belt to Vadim Nemkov, won a unanimous decision over a faded Lyoto Machida and got finished in 51 seconds by Corey Anderson. Bader weighed 232.2 pounds for his return to heavyweight.

Meanwhile, Moldavsky (11-1) is on a six-fight win streak, and is undefeated inside the promotion. The Russian representing FedorTeam defeated Timothy Johnson in his last bout to win the interim title. The 29-year-old has designs on unifying the strap to become the undisputed heavyweight king, and he stepped on the scale weighing 234.4 pounds.

Bellator 273's main card will air live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Meanwhile, its preliminary card will stream live on YouTube at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Bellator 273 Weigh-in Results:

Ryan Bader (232.2) vs. Valentin Moldavsky (234.4)
Benson Henderson (155.8) vs. Islam Mamedov (155.6)
Henry Corrales (145.8) vs. Aiden Lee (145.8)
Sabah Homasi (170.8) vs. Jaleel Willis (170.2)
Enrique Barzola (136) vs. Darrion Caldwell (135.8)
Saad Awad (156) vs. Christopher Gonzalez (155.6)
Duane Johnson (185.6) vs. Dalton Rosta (184.6)
Nikita Mikhailov (135.6) vs. Blaine Shutt (134)
Lucas Brennan (145.4) vs. Ben Lugo (146)
Weber Almeida (145.2) vs. Fabricio Franco (151.2)*
Sullivan Cauley (205.8) vs. Ben Parrish (205.2)

* Franco missed weight by 5.2 pounds and the fight has been canceled.