“The Wolf” will begin his reign in 2018.
Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell is slated to make the first defense of his newly captured 135-pound title against Leandro Higo on March 2 at Bellator 195, promotion officials announced Tuesday.
Caldwell (11-1), a former NCAA D1 wrestling champion, seized the Bellator bantamweight strap in October with a unanimous decision win over two-time titleholder Eduardo Dantas. The victory completed a four-year journey towards Bellator gold for Caldwell, who has put together a sterling 7-1 record under the promotion’s umbrella that includes first-round wins over Joe Warren and Shawn Bunch. The 30-year-old champion is one of Bellator’s highest regarded homegrown stars.
Higo (18-3), meanwhile, will get a second crack at the belt after a planned title challenge against Dantas in April was relegated to a non-title fight after Higo missed weight by four pounds. A former LFA bantamweight champion, Higo ultimately lost a split decision to Dantas, but rebounded to outpoint Joe Taimanglo at Bellator 184. The Brazilian was formerly a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4, where he went 1-1, losing in the show’s elimination round to Bruno Korea.
Bellator 195 takes place at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The event will air live on Spike, which is set to become Paramount Network in 2018.
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