Usman
Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight crown against Alexandr
Shabliy in the main event of
Bellator Champions Series San Diego on Sept. 7.
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The promotion announced the bout in a release on Tuesday. The event
takes place at Pechanga Arena and will air on Max in the United
States. It is part of a Bellator itinerary for September that
includes events on back-to-back weekends. One week after Bellator
San Diego, Johnny
Eblen will defend his middleweight belt in a rematch with
Fabian
Edwards at
Bellator Champions Series London.
“September is set to be a huge month for Bellator Champions Series,
and we’re continuing to step up our game to deliver incredible
cards that we know the MMA community across the globe will love.
Both San Diego and London are massive markets for us, and we’re
confident we’ll put on a show that the fans in attendance and those
watching around the world on Max and Dazn deserve,” PFL CEO Peter
Murray said in a release. “Our world-class roster has allowed us to
hold two cards in two weeks, and you’re going to see that as we
announce more fights and events, the future is incredibly bright
for PFL and Bellator.”
Nurmagomedov was originally slated to face Shabliy at Bellator
Champions Series Paris on May 14, but he was forced to pull out of
the event due to an undisclosed injury. Nurmagomedov is undefeated
in 18 professional outings. His last bout, which was initially a
unanimous decision win against Brent
Primus at Bellator 300, was overturned to a no contest after
the Dagestani
tested positive for an undisclosed banned substance.
Nurmagomedov was not stripped of his belt, however.
Shabliy, meanwhile, is in the midst of an undefeated run that dates
back to 2017. Most recently, the undefeated Russian took a
five-round verdict over Patricky
Freire at Bellator 301 this past November.