Bellator LXIII took place on March 30, 2012 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event hosted the opening round of Bellator's Season Six Welterweight Tournament. War Machine was expected to fight Karl Amoussou in the opening round of the welterweight tournament. However, War Machine was sentenced to a year in prison and was forced out of the bout and the tournament.

Bellator 53 was a mixed martial arts event held by Bellator Fighting Championships. The event took place on October 8, 2011 at the Buffalo Run Hotel & Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. The event was distributed live in prime time by MTV2.