The first-ever interim champion in Bellator MMA history will be decided Friday night, when heavyweights Tim Johnson and Valentin Moldavsky clash in the main event of Bellator 261. The event will take place live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Johnson enters the fight as the No. 1 ranked heavyweight, powered by three consecutive victories in 2020. Johnson started last year's body of work with a couple of first-round knockouts, as he finished Tyrell Fortune with a clubbing right hand across the jaw for the instant KO in February, before overwhelming Matt Mitrione with a TKO (punches) in August.
Then, in October, Johnson pieced together a split-decision victory over Cheick Kongo.
Meanwhile, Moldavsky will enter the cage as the third-ranked heavyweight on the strength of a five-fight winning streak. Four out of five of those victories have come by the way of unanimous decision for Moldavsky, including a nod from all three judges against Roy Nelson in August.
The Bellator 261 co-main event will pit veteran Liz Carmouche (15-7) against the undefeated third-ranked Kana Watanabe in women's flyweight action.
Will Johnson mow down Moldavsky in punctuating fashion en route to becoming interim heavyweight champion or will the Russian fighter outpoint the American to have his hand raised?
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch Tim Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 261.
Johnson vs. Moldavsky: Bellator 261 date, start time
- Date: Friday, June 25
- Main card: 9 p.m. ET/2 a.m. BST
- Main event: 11 p.m. ET/ 4 a.m. BST
The Johnson vs. Moldavsky interim heavyweight championship Bellator 261 card launches at 9 p.m. ET/2 a.m./BST, with the headliners expected to make their walks into the cage at approximately 11 p.m. ET/4 a.m. BST, although that depends on the length of the earlier fights.
Johnson vs. Moldavsky: Bellator 261 TV channel and live stream
- Showtime in US
- BBC iPlayer in the UK
Johnson vs. Moldavsky: Bellator 261 can be watched live on Showtime in the United States. It can also be live streamed via Showtime's app or website. Over in the United Kingdom, fight fans can live stream the Bellator 261 main card on BBC iPlayer.
Tim Johnson record and bio
- Nationality: American
- Age: 36
- Height: 6-3
- Stance: Southpaw
- Total fights: 21
- Record: 15-6 with 7 KOs
Valentin Moldavsky record and bio
- Nationality: Russian
- Age: 29
- Height: 6-1
- Stance: Orthodox
- Total fights: 11
- Record: 10-1 with 1 KO
Johnson vs. Moldavsky: Bellator 261 main card
- Tim Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky for the Interim Heavyweight World Title
- Liz Carmouche vs. Kana Watanabe; Women's Flyweights
- Daniel Weichel vs. Keoni Diggs; Featherweights
- Myles Jury vs. Sidney Outlaw; Lightweights
- Christian Edwards vs. Simon Biyong; Light Heavyweights