Bellator’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix is set to continue on October 16th, as the promotion will host their semi-finals at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, per an announcement made Saturday.
The main event of the show will see Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Vadim Nemkov face former UFC title challenger Anthony Johnson.
Johnson won his Bellator debut in the opening round of the tournament earlier this year, finishing short-notice opponent Jose Augusto in the second round.
The fight was Johnson’s return to MMA, with his previous bout dating back to 2017 when he challenged then-UFC Champion Daniel Cormier.
Nemkov will get the chance to defend his 205-pound belt for the second time in the upcoming tournament fight. He advanced past the opening round in April with a unanimous decision victory over Phil Davis.
Nemkov earned his belt just a year ago, stopping Ryan Bader in the second round of a fight with strikes.
Bader will continue his quest towards another title reign in the co-main event of the card, facing Corey Anderson in the other semi-final fight.
Bader, who is still the promotion’s heavyweight champion, bounced back from his loss with a decision win over Lyoto Machida in April. The victory put him through to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Anderson defeated promotional newcomer Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov to kick of his bracket run. The former UFC fighter has scored two wins since moving to Bellator last year.
Knockdown News 