Bellator is back.
After months of fans and fighters wondering when the Viacom-owned promotion would return, we finally have a date. It was previously reported Bellator would return on July 24 and now we have the main event as Sergio Pettis will battle Ricky Bandejas. Combate was first to report the news, which has since been confirmed by MMANews.
Sergio Pettis is coming off his Bellator debut where he scored a submission win over Alfred Khashakyan after leaving the UFC in free agency. In the Las Vegas-based promotion, he had notable wins over Brandon Moreno, Joseph Benavidez, and John Moraga.
Ricky Bandejas, meanwhile, is on a two-fight winning streak where he scored knockout wins over Frans Mlambo and Ahmet Kayretli. Before those wins, he suffered back-to-back losses to Patrick Mix and Juan Archuleta. In his Bellator debut, Bandejas scored a first-round knockout win over James Gallagher to hand the Irishman his first loss.
ESPN has also reported that prospect, Aaron Pico will be on the card against Solo Hatley and former UFC fighter Jordan Mein will take on Jason Jackson. They also report Bellator originally tried to book Mix vs. Archuleta for the vacant bantamweight title but Archuleta was forced to withdraw. MMANews has since confirmed that was the plan and Bellator is looking to rebook that fight for a later date.
Bellator’s July 24 show will go down at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The promotion also hopes to hold events there on Aug. 7, Aug. 21 and Sept. 11.
