Bellator MMA officially announced the first round of its welterweight tournament, with a Douglas Lima vs. Andrey Koreshkov trilogy fight and a Paul Daley vs. Michael Page grudge match highlighting the the announcement.
Former Bellator welterweight champions Lima (29-7) and Koreshkov will open the tournament in September and are currently 1-1 against each other, with Lima brutally knocking Koreshkov (21-1) out in their 2016 rematch. “The Spartan” has since scored two first round knockouts, while Lima has since gone on to lose the title to current divisional champion Rory MacDonald.
As for MacDonald, after he challenges Gegard Mousasi for the promotion’s 185-pound crown at Bellator 206, he will defend his 170-pound title against former Ultimate Fighting Championship standout Jon Fitch, while “Semtex” and MVP will finally settle their grudge match at a date yet to be determined.
Undefeated welterweight prospects Ed Ruth and Neiman Gracie will fight as a part of the first round bracket of the tournament, and Lorenz Larkin will take on undefeated Yaroslav Amosov (20-0) to round out the first stage of the Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, the promotion’s heavyweight tournament is still very much underway, with semi-finalists Chael Sonnen fighting Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione taking on Ryan Bader.
The only welterweight tournament bout officially scheduled thus far is Lima vs. Koreshkov III at Bellator 206 on Sept. 29. It is being reported that all tournament bouts will be five-round contests.
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