The event marked the promotion's 13th visit to Temecula and first since Bellator 229 in October 2019.[4]
The main event of Bellator 293 was a heavyweight match between No. 5-ranked Marcelo Golm and No. 8-ranked Daniel James.[1]
Top-ranked Cat Zingano will face the No. 4-ranked Leah McCourt in the co-main event of the card. The main card will also include a middleweight battle between No. 4-ranked John Salter and No. 6-ranked Aaron Jeffrey and a welterweight matchup between No. 10-ranked Jaleel Willis and Rustam Khabilov, a 13-fight UFC veteran who will be making his Bellator debut.[2]
A lightweight bout between Mandel Nallo and Jay Jay Wilson was scheduled for this event; however Wilson pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Adam Piccolotti.[5]
A welterweight bout between Rustam Khabilov and Jaleel Willis was scheduled for this event.[6] However on the day of weigh-ins, Khabilov pulled out of the bout due to undisclosed reasons.[7]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the California State Athletic Commission. It is important to note the amounts do not include sponsor money, discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings.[9]