Undefeated prospect Myron Dennis will get his first taste of the big time this weekend when he takes on Raphael Davis on the undercard of Bellator 53. The card, which features the welterweight tournament semifinals, takes place at the Buffalo Run Hotel and Casino in Miami, Olka.. The main card airs live MTV2 and the undercard can be seen on SpikeTV.com
Dennis’ team, the Academy of Martial Arts, announced his fight over the weekend. The current XFL light heavyweight champion carries a perfect 6-0 record with five finishes. In July, he bested Ryan Lopez, a veteran of the 8th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“When my manager called me a told me I had the chance to fight for Bellator, I was speechless,” said Dennis, who trains under head coach Kentrick Coleman. “I was actually with my wife and kids spending quality time with them, then everything just kind of came to a halt. All I could think was, ‘Well, back to work.’”
Davis was one of the favorites in Bellator’s first light heavyweight tournament last season. However, in the first round, D.J. Linderman upset him with a late TKO-inducing barrage of punches. He holds victories over M-1 champion Vinny Magalhaes, former KOTC Tony Lopez and former MFC champion Emanuel Newton.
Also at Bellator 53, Ben Saunders will face Luis Santos and Chris Lozano takes on Douglas Lima in the second round of the welterweight tournament. Former Shark Fights champion Ronnie Mann also meets Kenny Foster.