Welterweight vet Goiti Yamauchi will return to the main event spotlight later this year, facing Neiman Gracie at an August 12th Bellator card.
The five-round welterweight bout is scheduled to headline a card from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA.
Gracie will be fighting for the first time since he lost a title eliminator bout earlier this year. He went five rounds against Logan Storley in that appearance, settling with a unanimous decision loss in the end.
Before then, Gracie secured a first-round finish victory against Mark Lemminger.
Yamauchi, a 17-fight Bellator alum, will be appearing in his first Bellator main event since October 2019.
The experienced fighter is getting the opportunity after beating two rising prospects recently. In July 2021, he handed Chris Gonzalez his sole pro loss with a first-round finish outcome.
Earlier this year, a quick submission win from Yamauchi gave Levan Chokheli his second loss in the Bellator cage.
Undefeated Mowry To Meet Moldavsky
Rising heavyweight prospect Steve Mowry will get a big test on the main card, as he will face former titleholder Valentin Moldavsky in a three-round bout.
Mowry has a flawless record of 10 wins as a pro, with six of those victories coming via finish in Bellator. His last win came against experienced pro Rakim Cleveland, who he submitted early with a kimura.
Moldavsky will be looking to bounce back from a recent loss.
Moldavsky lost his status as interim heavyweight titleholder earlier this year, being on the losing side of a five-round bout to Ryan Bader. He had yet to be defeated in Bellator before then, having earned six wins from 2017 to 2021.
Full Lineup
The main card is also scheduled to include the return of Ilima-Lei Macfarlane against Bruna Ellen. Here’s how the show looks right now:
Main Card (Showtime)
Bout 4: Neiman Gracie (11-3) vs. Goiti Yamauchi (27-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 3: Valentin Moldavsky (11-2) vs. Steve Mowry (10-0) (Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-2) vs. Bruna Ellen (6-3) (Flyweight)
Preliminary Card (Youtube)
Bout 1: Weber Almeida (6-1) vs. Ilias Bulaid (3-0) (Featherweight)
Knockdown News 