The event was announced on air during a special pre-Bellator 138 press conference as a three-tier hybrid show with Glory Kickboxing. Similar super-shows have long taken place in Japan. As a tribute to these, the main card fighters were introduced as a group at the top of the TV broadcast by Lenne Hardt, best known for her work as English-language ring announcer for various Japanese MMA and kickboxing promotions. The event was headlined by a Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship fight between current champion Liam McGeary and UFC veteran Tito Ortiz.[1]
The third tier of the show was a one night, four-man light heavyweight tournament featuring Phil Davis, Muhammed Lawal, Emanuel Newton and Linton Vassell. The winner of this tournament will secure a title shot against the winner of the title fight between McGeary and Ortiz. Muhammed Lawal was slated to face-off against Phil Davis in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final. However, Lawal was pulled out of the bout at the last minute due to injury and was replaced by Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Alternate winner Francis Carmont. [1]
Four bouts - Victor Jones vs. David Blanco, Gloria Telles vs. Alysia Cortez, Jose Palacios vs. TJ Arcengal and Brandon Hester vs. DeMarco Villalona - took place simultaneously inside the cage and the ring.[3]
Thus making Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 the largest attended show in Bellator MMA history, until being surpassed by Bellator 149 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX with a live paid crowd attendance of 14,209. Bellator 149 (Shamrock vs. Gracie III) had a double main event featuring a heavyweight battle between Miami, FLDade County street fighters Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000. Along with MMA light heavyweight pioneers Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie facing off for the 3rd time.