The Bellator MMA promotion will return to action on June 19 with their summer four man tournament to set off the second season on Spike TV. The main event will feature Bellator MMA lightweight champion Michael Chandler defending his title against tournament winner Dave Jansen.
The event will broadcast LIVE starting at 6 p.m. CST on Spike. The preliminary card will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 5:30 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the WinStar World Casino Box Office, with tickets starting at just $45 dollars.
Chandler (11-0) defeated Rick Hawn via first round submission at Bellator 85 in January which was his first official title defense since claiming the title from Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 58.
“I’m excited to get back in the cage and defend the belt against a tough guy like Jansen,” Chandler said. “He’s proven to be a very tough and durable competitor. My plan is the same as every fight, which is to show up new and improved and collect another dominant finish for the fans.”
Jansen (19-2) has won six consecutive fights since joining the Bellator promotion in April 2011. He defeated submission ace Marcin Held in the season seven tournament final for the opportunity to face Chandler for the belt.
“I really want this fight to be an absolute grind and make Mike as uncomfortable as possible inside that cage,” Jansen said. “I’ve been known in my career to really be able to weather the storm and I really feel like I get stronger inside the cage as the fight goes on, and I’m really looking forward to having that full 25 minutes to work with and take this fight in deep waters. This is just an incredible opportunity for me and would a huge validation on my career to become a Bellator World Champion.”
The rest of the card will feature some big names returning to action. King Mo Lawal will return to action against Seth Petruzelli and Renato “Babalu’ Sobral will take on Jacob Noe in the four man light heavyweight tournament. Also, War Machine will return to the Bellator cage to take on Blas Avena.
Bellator MMA Main Card:
Bellator Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)
Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)
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