There will be a second cross-promotional bout at Bellator 222, as Lindsey VanZandt will lock horns with Rizin’s Rena Kubota in New York on June 14.
Bellator President Scott Coker announced the catchweight bout on Wednesday. Kubota vs. Vanzandt will air on the preliminary portion of the card, which is available on Bellator.com and DAZN beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
Bellator 222 takes place at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a light heavyweight scrap between Chael Sonnen and Lyoto Machida. The card will also see Rizin bantamweight champ Kyoji Horiguchi attempt to claim Bellator gold in a rematch with Darrion Caldwell.
Kubota, the reigning Shoot Boxing women’s flyweight champion, is currently Sherdog.com’s No. 5 ranked atomweight. Kubota has been victorious in seven of her nine Rizin appearances, finishing all but one of those victories inside the distance.
VanZandt, meanwhile, is coming off a second-round TKO of Tabitha Ann Watkins in her promotional debut at Bellator 215. The Precision MMA product is 4-1 as a pro, with her lone defeat coming against Kelly D’Angelo at Invicta FC 31.