Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader are set to meet Oct. 12 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in the semifinals of the ongoing Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, the promotion announced Tuesday.
Bader (25-5) only needed 15 seconds to knock out Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in May to advance into the second round of the tournament, while Mitrione (13-5) earned his way through the opening round with a majority decision victory over Roy Nelson in February.
The Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix returns October 12th!
Semi-finalists @mattmitrione and light heavyweight champ @ryanbader face off at @MoheganSun to decide who will advance to the #BellatorWGP finals!
Exclusive online pre-sale this Thursday. pic.twitter.com/EUrhg9Pqbh
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 10, 2018
Bader is Bellator’s current light-heavyweight champion riding a five-fight winning streak. Mitrione has gone 4-0 in the Bellator cage since leaving the UFC in 2016.
Fedor Emelianenko will face Chael Sonnen at a later date in the other semifinal on the opposite side of the tournament’s bracket.
[relatedlinks]