Neiman
Gracie and Goiti
Yamauchi will square off in a five-round welterweight clash in
the main event on Bellator 284 on Aug. 12.
Advertisement
The California-based promotion announced the booking on Wednesday.
Bellator 284 takes place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls,
S.D., and will also see former interim heavyweight champion
Valentin
Moldavsky lock horns with Steve Mowry
in another main card bout, while ex-flyweight queen Ilima Lei
Macfarlane faces Bruna
Ellen. The evening’s main draw airs on Showtime beginning at 9
p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
One preliminary bout was also confirmed, as Weber
Almeida will meet Ilias
Bulaid at featherweight. Prelims will air on the Showtime
Sports YouTube channel, the Bellator MMA YouTube channel and Pluto
TV beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Gracie appeared in the first non-title, five-round main even in
promotion history this past February, when he dropped a unanimous
decision to Logan
Storley at Bellator 274. After beginning his professional
tenure with nine straight triumphs, Gracie has lost three of his
last five under the Bellator banner, with other defeats coming at
the hands of Jason
Jackson and Rory
MacDonald.
Yamauchi was successful in his 170-pound debut, as he submitted
Levan
Chokheli with an armbar in the opening round of their Bellator
279 showdown. The 29-year-old has been victorious in five of his
last six Bellator appearances while primarily competing at
lightweight.