Bellator kick off their 11th season on September 5th In Conneticut, the start of a new era for the promotion with Scott Coker in charge, and they’ve just unveiled the main card fights for the show.
A featherweight title fight between Pat Curran and Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire fronts the show, while Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal will have the opportunity to get over the disappointment of a controversial decision loss to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson when he takes on Tom DeBlass in the co-main event.
Interestingly, Coker has opted to bring back a familiar face from his days as Strikeforce CEO, with pro-wrestler Bobby Lashley set to make his Bellator debut against Josh Burns.
That could be considered something of a suprise given that Lashley’s brief spell in the Strikeforce organization back in 2010 was considered something of a flop, but with a 5-1 record since then, including a current three-fight winning streak, he now appears as ready as he’ll ever be to take another shot at proving his worth with a major promotion.
The main card will also feature Cheick Kongo matching up against another former UFC heavyweight Lavar Johnson.
The Bellator 123 fight card is of particular note as it will be going head-to-head with the UFC who have opted to not only put on an event of their own, UFC Fight Night 50, on the same evening, but are also hosting it just a few miles away from their rival’s event in Conneticut.
By way of comparison, the UFC’s offering includes Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza Vs Gegard Mousasi in the main event, with Alistair Overeem returning to face Ben Rothwell in the co-main, while Matt Mitrione Vs Derrick Lewis and Joe Lauzon Vs Michael Chiesa also feature on the card.
While it’s not been officially announced yet, it’s expected that the event will air on FOX Sports, and with Bellator 123 airing on Spike TV that means a TV ratings war may well ensue on September 5th.
