A rematch between Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson will serve as the headliner for Bellator 244.
The promotion announced the lightweight booking during a press conference on Monday. Bellator 244 takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on June 6 and will see A.J. McKee lock horns with Darrion Caldwell in a featherweight grand prix semifinal bout.
Chandler and Henderson initially squared off in a lightweight title bout at Bellator 165 in November 2016, with Chandler retaining the belt in a grueling split-decision triumph. Chandler has since lost, regained and lost the 155-pound belt again while winning four of his last six Bellator appearances. Most recently, he scored a first-round knockout of Sidney Outlaw at Bellator 237 on Dec. 29.
Henderson will bring a four-bout winning streak into the rematch with Chandler. In his most recent outing, “Smooth” outpointed UFC veteran Myles Jury at Bellator 227. His current tear also includes wins against Adam Piccolotti, Saad Awad and Roger Huerta.
A knee injury threatened to derail McKee’s run through the grand prix, but it appears that he will be recovered in time to compete by June. The Team Bodyshop representative earned wins over Georgi Karakhanyan and Derek Campos to advance to the semifinals of the bracket.
A former Bellator bantamweight champion, Caldwell outpointed Henry Corrales and submitted Adam Borics to advance in the 145-pound tournament.