The opening round of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix is set.
Headlining the first part of the bracket is a matchup between current 170-pound champion Rory MacDonald and Jon Fitch, and a highly anticipated grudge match between British striking stars Paul Daley and Michael Page.
Per a release, MacDonald’s title will be on the line in every tournament bout he is involved in and should he lose the belt, it will continue to be defended until the tournament finale with the eventual winner being declared both the undisputed Bellator welterweight champion and Grand Prix champion.
Currently, MacDonald is scheduled to challenge Gegard Mousasi for the middleweight championship at Bellator 206 on Sept. 29.
All the Grand Prix bouts are scheduled to be five-round affairs.
The other first-round bouts announced on Monday were a trilogy match between former champions Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov, which will also take place at Bellator 206, and a fight between undefeated prospects Neiman Gracie and Ed Ruth.
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Lorenz Larkin and Yaroslav Amosov were previously named as participants and will meet in an alternate bout.
The Sept. 29 show will mark Bellator’s first show on the DAZN platform. A U.S. subscription for DAZN will cost $9.99 a month. Dates for the remaining bouts are to be determined.
See the opening round matchups below:
Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch
Paul Daley vs. Michael Page
Douglas Lima vs. Andrey Koreshkov
Neiman Gracie vs. Ed Ruth
*Lorenz Larkin vs. Yaroslav Amosov
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