Advertisement

Bellator reveals most fighters in welterweight tournament field

[jwplayer okC19Jeg-FLu19iir]

Most of the participants in Bellator’s welterweight tournament now have been revealed.

Bellator President Scott Coker today announced a field of nine fighters for the competition, which kicks off Sept. 29 in San Jose, Calif., in connection with the launch of the promotion’s new digital network partner DAZN.

The fighters slated for the tournament include: Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald (20-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), ex-champ Douglas Lima (29-7 MMA, 11-3 BMMA), Lorenz Larkin (19-7 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), Michael Page (13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), Andrey Koreshkov (20-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA), Jon Fitch (31-7-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), Neiman Gracie (8-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), Ed Ruth (6-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and Aroslav Amasov (20-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

The tournament also is expected to feature a 10th participant, who has not yet been revealed. A Bellator official today told MMAjunkie that the tournament will have a pair of qualifying matchups, and the winners of those two fights will take two of the eight spots in the final tournament field.

The first confirmed matchup for the tournament features a rubber match between ex-champ Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov, Bellator officials confirmed.

“We have the best welterweight fighters on the planet,” Coker said. “We have the best welterweight division – better than any other league.”

Bellator’s tournament was announced following a presentation by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who struck a $1 billion deal with DAZN parent Perform Group to put events on the digital network.

Coker said MacDonald will join the field in February 2019 after facing off with middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi in a title fight at the same Sept. 29 event.

Noticeably absent from the announced tournament roster is welterweight Paul Daley, whose participation may have set up a long-awaited grudge match with Page. Daley was initially reported to be set for the tournament and recently signed a new deal with the promotion. The British slugger could be the missing name to be announced later.

Still, the competition assembles a powerhouse of talent at 170 pounds, with four of the nine participants ranked in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings; McDonald is No. 3, Lima is No. 10, Larkin is No. 11 and Koreshkov is No. 14.

The welterweight tournament adds another multi-stage attraction to the promotion’s schedule, with the semifinals of the Heavyweight World Grand Prix set to begin on Oct. 12.

DAZN launches Sept. 10 and will come at a price of $9.99 per month. The platform plans to have 70 live sports events annually, including 55 that will be exclusively live to DAZN. The platform will have no annual subscription option – just monthly – and is planning a 30-day free trial before startup with no cancellation penalty.

For more on Bellator: Mousasi vs. McDonald, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

More Bellator