The main card for Thursday’s Bellator 94 event is now complete with the addition of a bantamweight bout between two Bellator veterans. Former top Sengoku featherweight and Bellator competitor Ronnie Mann will face Rodrigo Lima in the evening’s opening main card bout. This bout marks Mann’s first attempt at 135-pound competition after a long career at 145 pounds.
Bellator 94 takes place at the University of South Florida Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. The event will be aired live on Spike TV at 10 p.m. ET.
Mann returns to action after last competing and losing at Bellator 60 in March of 2012 where he was defeated by unanimous decision to Mike Corey. He is 3-2 in Bellator with an additional loss to now Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran. Mann holds a professional MMA record of 21-5-1. He has competed in Sengoku, Cage Rage, Shooto Holland and numerous other promotions.
Lima has only competed once in the Bellator cage, losing to Hiroshi Nakamura by unanimous decision at Bellator 64 in April of 2012. He is a veteran of the Watch Out Combat Show and Brasil Fight, and has amassed a professional MMA record of 10-1.
Bellator 94 features the season 8 lightweight tournament finals between David Rickels and Saad Awad as well as the season 8 light heavyweight tournament finals between Emanuel Newton and Mikhail Zayats.