Bellator MMA’s heavyweight Grand Prix has reached the semifinal stage, and the first of those two matchups has been confirmed for October 12th.
In a press release on Tuesday, officials announced that Matt Mitrione will take on current light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The night’s main card airs on Paramount Network at 9 PM ET/PT, with DAZN also live streaming the main card.
The winner of this semifinal will face the winner of Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen, which does not have a confirmed date just yet.
Mitrione (13-5) is a perfect 4-0 in Bellator, and in his quarterfinal matchup vs. Roy Nelson, the 39-year-old won by majority decision, evening the score with “Big Country” at 1-1, more than five years after Nelson knocked him out in the UFC. There’s the possibility that Mitrione will get to face Fedor again, having turned a simultaneous knockdown into an eventual KO of “The Last Emperor” in June 2017.
Bader (25-5) is looking to become a simultaneous two-division Bellator champion. He won his quarterfinal bout with a 15-second knockout of Muhammed Lawal, extending his overall winning streak to five. Bader won the LHW title with a split decision over Phil Davis on the same night as Mitrione’s triumph over Fedor.
Other fights will be announced for Bellator: Mitrione vs. Bader shortly. Tickets go on sale starting July 13th.
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