Alexander Shlemenko
With middleweight champion Hector Lombard signing with the UFC, the Bellator Fighting Championships is without a current title holder, for now.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney plans on pitting Season Five tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko (45-7), against the winner of the Season Six final between Maiquel Falcao (30-4) and Andreas Spang (8-1).
Rebney announced his plans via Twitter (@BjornRebney) on Wednesday.
– @NateRockQuarry Hey Nate, winner of Falcao v. Spang will face Alexander Shlemenko for the World title this Fall.
Shlemenko has fought for the Bellator title once already, losing to Lombard back in 2010 at Bellator 34. Since then the Russian has gone on to win eight straight matches, including winning the Season Five tournament last fall. He is currently sidelined after suffering a broken collarbone and dislocated thumb after a motor vehicle accident in his native Russia a few weeks ago.
Falcao and Spang fought their way into the Season Six final last Friday (April 20, 2012), with Falcao defeating Russian Vyacheslav Vasilevsky by unanimous decision and Spang knocking out Brian Rogers in the second round of their match.
No timeline on when that bout could take place, especially with the uncertainty of when Shlemenko will recover.