A pair of heavyweight tournament semifinals are scheduled to headline Bellator 116, as undefeated Bulgarian sambo champion Blagoi Ivanov (10-0, 1 NC) will meet UFC veteran Lavar Johnson (18-8) in the night’s featured bout, while former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov (20-4) will battle ‘Mighty Mo’ Siliga (6-2) in the co-main event.
Bellator officials announced the finalized fight card on Thursday.
Rounding out the Spike TV main card will be a welterweight tourney semifinal match-up between Nathan Coy (14-4) and Adam McDonough (10-0), as well as a light heavyweight bout between UFC veterans Joey Beltran (14-10, 1 NC) and Vladimir Matyushenko (27-7).
Most famous for surviving a near-fatal 2012 stabbing in the heart, Ivanov, 27, is 3-0 inside the Bellator cage since returning to MMA, including a recent decision win over Rich Hale in season 10’s heavyweight quarterfinals.
He’ll now meet Johnson, 36, who most recently rebounded from a career-worst three-fight losing streak to brutally knockout Ryan Martinez at Bellator 111.
On the other side of the bracket, lanky Russian striker Volkov, 25, advanced to the semifinals after stopping Mark Holata via first-round TKO, while Mo, 43, submitted fellow K-1 veteran Peter Graham via third-round head and arm choke.
An updated Bellator 116 fight card can be seen below, including the event’s undercard, which features UFC veterans Rob Emerson and Karo Parisyan, season nine welterweight finalist Ron Keslar, and undefeated middleweight prospect Brandon Halsey.
Main Card (Spike TV)
Lavar Johnson (18-8) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (10-0)
Mighty Mo (6-2) vs. Alexander Volkov (19-4)
Nathan Coy (14-4) vs. Adam McDonough (10-0)
Joey Beltran (14-10) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (27-7)
Preliminary Card (MMAFighting.com)
Joe Taimanglo (19-5-1) vs. Rob Emerson (15-10)
Ron Keslar (11-5) vs. Karo Parisyan (22-10)
Joe Pacheco (7-1) vs. Brandon Halsey (5-0)
Philipe Lins (7-1) vs. Travis Clark (7-2)
Brandon Bender (11-1) vs. Mario Navarro (4-3)
Ricky Rainey (6-2) vs. Andy Murad (6-1)
Dave Vitkay (13-12-1) vs. Keith Berry (15-12)
Carlos Eduardo (11-2) vs. Virgil Zwicker (12-3)