Bellator’s June 19 summer series kickoff will feature a six-bout, three-hour main card, as the opening round of the heavyweight tournament has been added on to the show.
The promotion confirmed the details of the four-man field, which includes former UFC fighter Vinicius Queiroz, Richard Hale, Ron Sparks and unbeaten Vitaly Minakov.
In the semis, Queiroz will face Hale, while Sparks takes on Minakov.
Minakov is 10-0 with nine stoppage wins, including three straight knockouts, while his opponent Sparks (8-1) hasn’t competed since Oct. 2011.
Hale (21-5-1) competed in the season 7 heavyweight tourney, losing in the final against current champion Alexander Volkov. He is probably best remembered for his March 2011 inverted triangle choke submission win over Nick Fekete.
Queiroz (6-3) fought once in the octagon, losing to Rob Broughton at UFC 120. He’s 1-1 so far in Bellator, with a TKO loss to Volkov during season 7.
The event emanates from the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma and airs at 7 pm ET on Spike.
The entire main card is below.
Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)
Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)
Vinicius Queiroz (6-3) vs. Rich Hale (21-5)
Vitaly Minakov (10-0) vs. Ron Sparks (8-1)
“War Machine” Jon Koppenhaver (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)