Bellator MMA officially announced the first round of its welterweight tournament, with a Douglas Lima vs. Andrey Koreshkov trilogy fight and a Paul Daley vs. Michael Page grudge match highlighting the the announcement.
Former Bellator welterweight champions Lima (29-7) and Koreshkov will open the tournament in September and are currently 1-1 against each other, with Lima brutally knocking Koreshkov (21-1) out in their 2016 rematch. “The Spartan” has since scored two first round knockouts, while Lima has since gone on to lose the title to current divisional champion Rory MacDonald.