Sanford Pentagon

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Bellator MMA is coming back to South Dakota for its third appearance on August 12 at the Sanford Pentagon.

In the main event, No. 5-ranked welterweight contender Neiman Gracie (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) takes on the man with the most submission finishes in Bellator MMA history, Goiti Yamauchi (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA), in a five-round, 170-pound matchup. In the preliminary card, several fighters with local ties are scheduled to compete, including Huron native Bailey Schoenfelder, Vermillion native Brett Bye and Minnesota's Mitch McKee. Schoenelder and McKee were both athletes at the University of Minnesota and Bye wrestled at South Dakota State. Pat Downey III, an All-American wrestler at Iowa State, is also set to make his pro debut.

The main card of Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi airs live on Showtime at 8 p.m. The preliminary card begins at 6 p.m. and streams live on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.

The card features 10 fighters ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. 

“This is the third time the Sanford Pentagon is hosting Bellator MMA, and they have always delivered,” said Jesse Smith, vice president of operations for the Sanford Sports. “The athletes who compete in Bellator MMA are some of the best in the entire sport of mixed martial arts, and fans will be in for an entertaining and exciting show.”

Tickets for Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi are on sale at ticketmaster.com and the Sanford Pentagon Box Office. For information on purchasing suites, call 605-312-7900.

Additional ticket packages are available for activities at Great Shots on Aug. 11 and Blue Rock Bar & Grill on Aug. 12 featuring appearances by several pro athletes.

Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi
Main Card

Welterweight Main Event: No. 5 Neiman Gracie (11-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (27-5)

Heavyweight Co-Main Event: No. 1 Valentin Moldavsky (11-2) vs. No. 5 Steve Mowry (10-0)

Flyweight Feature Bout: No. 4 Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-2) vs. Bruna Ellen (6-3)

Heavyweight Bout: No. 9 Said Sowma (8-3) vs. No. 10 Gokhan Saricam (7-1)

Middleweight Bout: No. 2 Austin Vanderford (11-1) vs. Aaron Jeffrey (12-3)

Preliminary Card

Bantamweight Bout: No. 9 Josh Hill (21-4) vs. Marcos Breno (14-2)

Women's Flyweight Bout: No. 6 Deanna Bennett (12-7-1) vs. No. 8 Justine Kish (8-5)

Light Heavyweight Bout: Sullivan Cauley (3-0) vs. Tyson Jeffires (14-11)

Middleweight Bout: Pat Downey III (0-0) vs. Keyes Nelson (0-3)

Featherweight Bout: Isaiah Hokit (1-1) vs. Nick Perez (0-0)

Heavyweight Bout: Bailey Schoenfelder (2-0) vs. Mark Currier (1-1)

Bantamweight Bout: Mitch McKee (2-0) vs. Tony Ortega (5-4)

Contractweight Bout (175): Brett Bye (2-0) vs. M, A, Yah II (8-0)

Fans will have opportunities on Aug. 11-12 to mingle with star athletes. The details:

• Weigh-ins at Great Shots, Aug. 11, 6 p.m.
  • Free to attend and open to the public
  • A fan package will be available to purchase on site for $29.95. This includes 2 hours of golf plus:
    • access to a reserved area with special appearances by championship fighters Logan Storley and Ryan Bader
    • 1 pass through a nacho bar and 1 drink ticket (good for beer or house wine).
• Gray Duck/Kill Cliff Fight Club tailgate party at Blue Rock Bar & Grill, Aug. 12, 3 p.m.
  • Free to attend and open to the public. 
  • Drink specials available for purchase featuring Gray Duck spirits.
  • KRRO will be broadcasting live from 2-6 p.m.
  • A fan package will be available to purchase on site for $24.95. This includes:
    • 1 burger basket and 2 drink tickets (good for beer or house wine)
    • access to a reserved area with special appearances by Storley and Bader plus MMA legend Robbie Lawler, longtime football star Chad Greenway and wrestling star Gable Steveson.