LIGHTWEIGHT MATCHUP PITTING UNDEFEATED ADAM PICCOLOTTI AGAINST GOITI YAMAUCHI ALSO ADDED TO MAIN CARD
Los Angeles – An exciting welterweight contest between British slugger Paora Daley (39-15-2) and California’s Lorenz Larkin (18-6, 1 NC), as well as a compelling lightweight bout pitting Arama Piccolot (9-0) ki Yamauchi ake (21-3) have been added to Bellator 183: Henderson vs. Pitbull i runga i Rāhoroi, Mahuru 23 i Center SAP i San Jose, Calif.
That evening, SAP Center in San Jose will also play host to Bellator Kickboxing 7, which features a welterweight world title main event with current champ Karim Ghajji (97-13-1) set to defend his title against Raymond Daniels (11-3).
Bellator 183: Henderson vs. Pitbull will be broadcast live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App. Bellator Kickboxing 7: Ghajji vs. Daniels will air on SPIKE immediately following Bellator 184: Dantas vs. Caldwell i runga i Oketopa 6. Tickets for the event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
He hōia o 56 whawhai ngaio, Paul “Semtex” Daley will look to once again showcase his explosive and dangerous power against Lorenz Larkin. With nine of his last 10 toa haere mai na te ara o te knockout, including an emphatic flying knee KO against Brennan Ward i Bellator 170 i roto i te Hānuere, Daley will look to re-establish himself as a top contender in Bellator’s stacked welterweight division with a win on September 23.
Larkin enters the bout against Daley with an equally impressive arsenal of strikes and power. Ki te 11 o 18 toa haere mai na te ara o te knockout, the Riverside, Calif. native comes into the event following a must-see title bout against Douglas Lima i Bellator NYC i roto i te Pipiri, a fight that marked “The Monsoon’s” promotional debut. With marquee wins over Robbie Lawler, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Jorge Masvidal and Neil Magny to his name, Larkin will look to add Paul Daley to his long list of defeats on his way to reaffirming his status as the division’s top contender.
Fighting out of Half Moon Bay, Calif., Piccolotti will enter the cage for the first time in 2017 following his unanimous decision victory over Brandon Girtz last November at Bellator 165. The 28-year-old lightweight began his professional career on the regional MMA scene where he collected four consecutive victories, including a trio of finishes before joining forces with the Viacom-owned promotion. “AP” has continued his success with Bellator MMA, earning five straight wins over competitors in the stacked lightweight division, including three submission finishes.
Coming off a win against Valeriu Mircea at Bellator 168, the 24-year-old Yamauchi, who trains out of Anjo, Japan, will continue his run in the lightweight division after making the jump to 155-pounds in 2016. In his career, the Yamauchi has an incredible 17 submission victories among his 21 career victories and holds wins against Ryan Couture, Isao Kobayashi and Mike Richman.
Whakahōutia Bellator 183: Henderson vs. Pitbull Fight Card
Lightweight Main Event: Benson Henderson (24-7) vs. Patricky "Pitbull" Freire (17-8)
Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Roy Nelson (23-14) vs. Javy Ayala (10-5)
Welterweight Main Card Bout: Paora Daley (39-15-2) vs. Lorenz Larkin (18-6, 1 NC)
Lightweight Main Card Bout: Arama Piccolot (9-0) vs. Yamauchi ake (21-3)
Lightweight Main Card Bout: Arona Pico (0-1) vs. TBA
Whakahōutia Bellator Kickboxing 7: Ghajji vs. Daniels Fight Card
Welterweight Kickboxing World Title Main Event: Karim Ghajji (97-13-1) vs. Raymond Daniels (11-3)
****