Undefeated Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren is set to return to the cage in the main event of Bellator 97 on July 31 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M.
The 28-year-old will look to defend his belt for a fourth consecutive time as he meets Bellator’s Season 7 welterweight tournament champion Andrey Koreshkov.
Askren (11-0) is coming off a TKO win over Karl Amoussou in January. The former member of the 2008 United States men’s Olympic wrestling team is considered by some to be a top-10 welterweight.
Koreshkov (13-0) defeated Jordan Smith, Dream welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis and former Bellator champ Lyman Good en route to winning the tournament. The 22-year-old Russian has won 11 bouts by stoppage, eight by knockout or TKO.
A featherweight bout between top contender Patricio (Pitbull) Freire and former UFC lightweight Rob Emerson, plus a Season 8 welterweight tournament final tilt featuring Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima are also scheduled for the event.
RIDDLE JOINS BELLATOR SEASON 9 TOURNAMENT
Former UFC welterweight Matthew Riddle will compete in Bellator’s Season 9 welterweight tournament, the promotion announced.
After a second failed drug test in a seven-month span – the 27-year-old tested positive for marijuana metabolites on both occasions – Riddle was released by the UFC in February.
Riddle (7-3, 2 NC) ended up signing a multi-fight contract with the Texas-based MMA promotion Legacy Fighting Championships, but over the weekend Bellator bought Riddle’s contract.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 cast member will debut in Bellator sometime in the fall.
Riddle has never competed professionally outside the UFC.
CHOLISH RETIRES FROM MMA AT AGE 29
Following his submission loss to Gleison Tibau at UFC on FX 8 last Saturday, lightweight John Cholish announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.
Prior to the fight, Cholish acknowledged that it would be his last fight.
https://twitter.com/JohnCholish/status/335796636963975168
After the fight, Cholish, who has a full-time job with the Beacon OTC Group on Wall Street, criticized the UFC for how little it pays some of its fighters.
“I’m fortunate enough that I have a job that provides for me really well. I give a lot of these guys credit that fight at this level. I think they could be compensated much better based on the income that the UFC takes in,” Cholish told MMAJunkie.com.
“Fortunately, I can just walk away and I’m okay with it. By no means do I mean it disrespectfully toward any other fighters because I think they do a great job. But hopefully Zuffa and the UFC will start paying them a little better.”
Cholish retires with an MMA record of 8-3 including a TKO win in his UFC debut over Canadian Mitch Clarke at UFC 140 in Toronto.
MORAES VS. MAGNY SET FOR UFC 163
Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and TUF Brazil veteran Sergio Moraes will meet TUF 16 veteran Neil Magny at UFC 163 in welterweight bout in August.
DANA WHITE VIDEO BLOG
For your enjoyment, here’s UFC president Dana White’s latest video blog that features some behind-the-scenes footage from last month’s UFC 159:
