TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY
LOS ANGELES – One year removed from its previous event at the world-famous Forum, Bellator returns to Los Angeles to kick off its 2018 schedule with a championship bout on Saturday, January 20.
The main event features two of the best 170-pounders in the world, as champ Douglas Lima (29-6) defends his Bellator welterweight world title against Rory MacDonald (19-4) in a thrilling five-round matchup.
A special Bellator Nation presale takes place Wednesday, Sept. 27 and Thursday, Sept. 28, while tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on Paramount Network (formerly named Spike TV) at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Fighting out of Atlanta, Ga., Douglas “The Phenom” Lima has been ruling the roost at 170-pounds in Bellator for the better part of three years. With wins against the likes of Lorenz Larkin, Andrey Koreshkov, Paul Daley and Ben Saunders, the 29-year-old has quietly placed himself among division’s elite. A winner of 17 of his last 19 contests, the American Top Team product remains set on showing the world how dominant he is.
Over the last several years, “The Red King” Rory MacDonald has become the most popular Canadian mixed martial artist due to his classic stand-up wars and wins over some of MMA’s best in Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley, B.J. Penn and Demian Maia. A training partner of Georges St-Pierre at the world-renowned TriStar Gym in Montreal, the 28-year-old joined Bellator’s welterweight fray in 2016 and immediately made an impact by submittingPaul Daley at Bellator 179 in the second round.
Updated Bellator Card:
Welterweight World Title Main Event: Douglas Lima (29-6) vs. Rory MacDonald (19-4)
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About Bellator:
Bellator is a leading mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 1 billion people worldwide in over 160 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on SPIKE, the combat sports television leader. Bellator is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About Spike:
Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.