Bellator has announced the fighters who will see action in the welterweight tournament, which will begin on Sept. 29 at Bellator 205 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
No less than Bellator president Scott Coker announced the name of the participants at a press conference for the U.S. launch of its broadcasting partner DAZN. Bellator and DAZN agreed to a $1 billion deal to put events on the digital network.
"We have the best welterweight fighters on the planet," Coker said. "We have the best welterweight division — better than any other league."
Those who will see action in the 170-pound tournament are current champion Rory MacDonald, former champions Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov, undefeated Michael Page, Neiman Gracie, Ed Ruth, and Yaroslav Amosov.
Also seeing action in the 10-man tournament are former UFC standouts Lorenz Larkin and Jon Fitch. The 10th participant will be named later while two play-in matches will be held to set the final eight-man bracket.
MacDonald Leads Elite Welterweight Field
MacDonald has an overall record of 20-4 in the MMA and 2-0 in Bellator, Lima has 29-7 as an MMA fighter and 11-3 with Bellator, while Larkin has 19-7 in MMA and 1-2 in Bellator.
Page is 13-0 as an MMA and 9-0 in Bellator, Koreshkov is 20-2 in the MMA and 11-2 with Bellator, Fitch boasts a 31-7-1 MMA record and 1-0 with Bellator. Gracie is 8-0 as an MMA fighter and 6-0 in Bellator, Ed Ruth is undefeated in six MMA and Bellator fights while Amasov carries a 20-0 MMA record and 1-0 with Bellator.
The first showdown in the welterweight tournament will be the third fight between Lima and Koreshkov at Bellator 205. The two fighters split their first two clashes, with Koreshkov emerging victorious in their first fight via unanimous decision. However, Lima knocked him out in their rematch in November 2016 to regain the welterweight belt.
In the main event of the Sept. 29 card, MacDonald will challenge Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator middleweight title. After his fight with Mousasi, MacDonald will join the 10-man welterweight field in February 2019.
Paul Daley Could Be 10th Man
According to Steven Marrocco of MMAjunkie.com, welterweight Paul Daley is the most notable name missing on the list. However, Daley could be the 10th man in the tournament as he is expected to face Page in a long-awaited grudge match.
Marrocco adds that Daley recently signed a new deal with Bellator, paving the way for his participation in the tournament. The welterweight tournament will add more attraction to the promotion, aside from its Heavyweight World Grand Prix, the semifinals of which will begin on Oct. 12.
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