Ex-UFC contender Francis Carmont will meet Philipe Lins in a light heavyweight tournament reserve bout at Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1, with the winner capturing the right to step in for an injured fighter in Bellator’s four-man, No. 1 contender tourney.
Bellator officials announced the match-up Friday.
Carmont (23-10) picked up a unanimous decision over Guilherme Viana in his Bellator debut this past March. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak which ultimately cost Carmont his job in the UFC.
Prior to the slump, the 33-year-old Tristar product looked to be a prospect on the rise, winning six straight fights over the likes of Costas Philippou and Lorenz Larkin to kick off his UFC career.
He’ll now hope to continue his newfound momentum against Lins (9-1), a 30-year-old Brazilian who has fought to a 2-1 record inside the Bellator cage.
Lins captured a pair of first-round rear-naked choke victories in his first two Bellator outings, before succumbing to a knee injury against Kelly Anundson in the semifinals of 2014’s Summer Series tournament.
Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1 takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The event is co-promoted by Bellator and GLORY kickboxing, and will feature both a ring and cage in the arena. The main card will air live on Spike TV.
Former UFC contender Phil Davis, former Bellator champion Emanuel Newton, former Strikeforce champion Muhammed Lawal, and one-time title challenger Linton Vassell make up the rest of the four-man light heavyweight tournament bracket.
An updated Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1 fight card can be seen below.
- Liam McGeary vs. Tito Ortiz – for the Bellator light heavyweight title
- Saulo Cavalari vs. Zack Mwekassa – for the GLORY light heavyweight title
- Gabriel Varga vs. Serhiy Adamchuck – for the GLORY featherweight title
- Phil Davis, Emanuel Newton, Linton Vassell, Muhammed Lawal – one-night Bellator light heavyweight tournament
- Paul Daley vs. Fernando Gonzalez – GLORY welterweight fight
- Josh Thomson vs. Mike Bronzoulis – Bellator lightweight fight
- Francis Carmont vs. Philipe Lins – Bellator tournament reserve fight