ALSO: LENA OVCHYNNIKOVA SET FOR BELLATOR MMA DEBUT

 

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (January 15, 2015) – An injury to Augusto Sakai has derailed his previously announced pairing with Cheick Kongo (23-10-2) during “Bellator 150: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. As a result, Vinicius Queiroz (8-3) has agreed to fight Kongo in the co-main event on February 26.

 

In addition, the main card will feature the Bellator MMA debut of newly signed women’s flyweight Lena Ovchynnikova (10-3), when she meets Rebecca Ruth (5-1).

 

Bellator MMA’s Bantamweight Championship will be on the line at “Bellator 150: Galvao vs. Dantas 2,” in a rematch pitting Marcos “Loro” Galvao(17-6-1) against former champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas (17-4) and hometown favorite, David Rickels (16-4, 1 NC) will return to action against Bobby Cooper (12-5).

 

The contests make up the televised portion of “Bellator 150: Galvao vs. Dantas 2,” which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.

 

Tickets for “Bellator 150: Galvao vs. Dantas 2,” which start at just $27, are on sale now at KansasStarEventCenter.com or Ticketmaster.com, as well as the Kansas Star Arena box office.

 

Kongo will be making his eighth appearance under the Bellator MMA banner, looking to add to his impressive promotional mark of 5-2. The Paris native has fought a who’s who in the mixed martial arts landscape, with notable wins against Mirko Cro Cop, Pat Barry, Matt Mitrione, and Alexander Volkov already on his record. In his last outing – which just so happened to be inside the Kansas Star Arena — Kongo impressively defeated Volkov via unanimous decision.

 

After nearly two years out of action, Queiroz returned to the Bellator MMA cage against Ewerton Teixeira at “Bellator 139: Kongo vs. Volkov,” defeating his Brazilian opponent via second round arm-triangle choke. “Spartan” hopes to plant the seeds for a busy 2016 with the matchup against Kongo, where a win can undoubtedly place him in the midst of the heavyweight title picture.

 

Hailing from Ukraine, Ovchynnikova will enter the fray fresh off a new exclusive, multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA. “Hunter” has previously fought the likes of Joanne Calderwood and at only 28-years-old has already competed professionally since 2006. Now, Ovchynnikova looks to solidify herself as a top contender in the budding women’s flyweight division on February 26 against a tough foe in Ruth.

 

“Becky” Ruth was undefeated in 2015, winning all three of her matchups by echnical knockout under the Shamrock Fighting Championships banner. The lone loss on the Missouri native’s record came against Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger, via controversial split decision.

 

The “Bellator 150: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” undercard has also nearly been completed, with the announcement of eight pairings which are listed below. An undefeated Bellator MMA prospect will be in action during the preliminary portion of the event, when Gaston Reyno (5-0) returns to the cage with the intent of keeping his unblemished record intact.

 

Updated “Bellator 150: Galvao vs. Dantas 2” Fight Card:

 

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Title Main Event: Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) vs. Eduardo Dantas (17-4)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Cheick Kongo (23-10-2) vs. Vinicius Queiroz (8-3)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Dave Rickels (16-4, 1 NC) vs. Bobby Cooper (12-5)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Feature Bout: Lena Ovchynnikova (10-3) vs. Rebecca Ruth (5-1)

 

Preliminary Card:

Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Gregory Babene (16-11) vs. Trey Houston (11-3)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Gaston Reyno (5-0) vs. Chuka Willis (6-2)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Feature Bout: Daniel Gallemore (4-3) vs. Frederick Brown (3-2)      

Bellator MMA Middleweight Feature Bout: Chris Harris (4-0) vs. Julian Marquez (2-0)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Marcio Navarro (14-11) vs. Henry Lindsay (4-5)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Thai Clark (5-0) vs. Deron Carlis (4-1)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Manny Meraz (7-1) vs. Andre Fialho (5-0)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Jason Witt (7-2) vs. Jonathan Gary (11-6)