[1][2][3] After successfully defending his Bellator Heavyweight Title over interim champion Valentin Moldavsky, Ryan Bader made a quick turnaround and faced Cheick Kongo in his second defense in a rematch from their 2019 title bout at Bellator 226.

That bout ended due to an accidental poke to Kongo's left eye in the opening round, resulting in a no contest.

[5] However, due to undisclosed reasons, Askhabov was forced to pull out and was replaced by promotional newcomer Piotr Niedzielski.

[7] However, Manhoef withdrew from the bout due to a hand injury while stopping burglars and was replaced by Alex Polizzi.

However, the French Athletics Federation scrapped the initial bout and Kouadja's replacement, Levy Carriel, tested positive for COVID-19 five days before the event.