Sean Sheehan 
Undefeated Bellator heavyweight prospect Steve Mowry has his next opponent, Severe MMA understands. The American will fight former PFL heavyweight tournament winner Ali Isaev. The bout will take place on the prelim section of Bellator 290 on February 4, 2023, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
Mowry won ten straight fights before an eyepoke last time out against former champion Valentin Moldavsky lead to a no-contest. Currently ranked at #5, Mowry will be looking to secure a win to put his name in the hat to face the winner of Bellator 290’s main event of Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko for the heavyweight title.
Isaev is also undefeated, winning nine fights on the spin. The Russian made his MMA debut on Fight Nights Global in 2016 before debuting in the PFL three years later. Five wins in a massive 2019 saw Isaev take the PFL heavyweight crown but four fights falling through has seen him on the sidelines since.
Bellator 290 will be headlined by the aforementioned heavyweight title bout between Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko and also features middleweight champion Johnny Eblen defending his title for the first time against Anatoly Tokov.
