UFC 233 to go head-to-head with Bellator World Heavyweight Grand Prix finals in same market

A battle is brewing in Southern California.

UFC 233 will take place Jan. 26 in Anaheim, Calif., MMA Fighting confirmed Tuesday with sources after an initial report by the Los Angeles Times. That date and location is significant, because the same night as the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix in Inglewood, Calif.

No fights have been announced yet for UFC 233. Bellator’s card will be headlined by the tournament championship fight between Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko. The winner will be crowned the Bellator heavyweight champion.

UFC 233 will take place at Honda Center, which is only about 35 miles southeast of The Forum where Bellator’s card will be held. The UFC and Bellator have run head-to-head before, but never major shows that close to one another.

The LA Times article cited a source saying that a bantamweight title fight between champion T.J. Dillashaw and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo is in the works for UFC 233, but UFC president Dana White told the paper that the fight is not a done deal. The matchup would make sense geographically — Dillashaw lives and trains close in Orange County near Anaheim and Cejudo has roots in Los Angeles.