Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will defend his belt against Dave Jansen on June 19 as the organization’s Summer Series begins with Bellator 96 at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla., the promotion announced Wednesday.
The event will also feature the opening round of a four-man light-heavyweight tournament featuring Muhammed (King Mo) Lawal.
Chandler (11-0) holds victories over Eddie Alvarez, Rick Hawn, Akihiro Gono and Patricky (Pitbull) Freire, and is coming off a successful first defence of his belt by submission over Rick Hawn at Bellator 85 in January. The Alliance MMA product is featured in many people’s top 10 rankings at 155 pounds.
“I’m excited to get back in the cage and defend the belt against a tough guy like Jansen,” Chandler said. “He’s proven to be a very tough and durable competitor. My plan is the same as every fight, which is to show up new and improved and collect another dominant finish for the fans.”
Jansen (19-2) enters the fight riding a six-fight win streak that includes a dominating Bellator lightweight tournament run with victories over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Ricardo Tirloni, as well as a win in the final over Polish phenom Marcin Held.
“I really want this fight to be an absolute grind and make Mike as uncomfortable as possible inside that cage,” Jansen said. “I’ve been known in my career to really be able to weather the storm and I really feel like I get stronger inside the cage as the fight goes on, and I’m really looking forward to having that full 25 minutes to work with and take this fight in deep waters. This is just an incredible opportunity for me and would a huge validation on my career to become a Bellator World Champion.”
One of Bellator’s biggest signees when it landed its broadcast deal with Spike TV, King Mo had a slightly disappointing run in the last light-heavyweight tournament. He won his Bellator debut, but he was knocked out by eventual winner Emanuel Newton in the semi-finals.
Lawal now returns looking for redemption against former UFC fighter Seth (The Silverback) Petruzelli, who had an even worse showing in the last tournament, getting stopped in the opener by little-known Jacob Noe.
“Seth has been in this game for a long time and has beaten guys like Kimbo, Ricco Rodriguez and Dan Severn so this fight is going to be tough, but I’ve been working my ass off in the gym with Jeff Mayweather and my team and I’m ready to get another win under my belt,” said Lawal. “Point blank, I’m looking to deliver a straight Mortal Kombat style fatality to Seth.”
In the other semi-final, Noe will take on former Strikeforce champion Renato (Babalu) Sobral, who was also KO’ed in the previous tournament’s quarter-finals by eventual finalist Mikhail Zayats.
“God has blessed me with the opportunity to fight again and consequently has cursed my opponents,” Babalu stated.
Finally, the always exciting and controversial War Machine makes his long-awaited return to the cage after nearly two years. Injuries and legal troubles delayed the Bellator debut for War Machine but the highly skilled welterweight will finally make his appearance and take on Blas Avena.
“It’s like I hit the rewind button,” War Machine said. “I pressed rewind and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Right now I’m just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator.”
Here is the Bellator MMA main card:
Bellator Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (11-0) vs. Dave Jansen (19-2)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: King Mo Lawal (9-2) vs. Seth Petruzelli (14-7)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament: Renato “Babalu” Sobral (37-10) vs. Jacob Noe (11-2)
Welterweight Feature Fight: War Machine (12-4) vs. Blas Avena (8-6)
