Now that Bellator 180 is over, the MMA promotion is now working towards its next big show which will feature quite a few big names.
Bellator 183, which will take place in September will feature the return of Benson Henderson and the debut of Bellator’s latest signee Roy Nelson.
It was announced during Bellator 180 that Henderson will headline Bellator 183 in a rematch against Patricio Freire. Nelson will be facing Bellator veteran Javy Ayala in the co-main event.
The fight between Henderson and Freire being scheduled for Bellator 183 means that the main event for Bellator 181 needs to changed as Freire was set to face Derek Campos in the main event. Campos will now face Brandon Girtz and that card will take place on July 14.
In their first fight, which took place at Bellator 160 last year, the bout ended in anticlimactic fashion as Freire stopped himself early in the second round because he had sustained a leg injury. As a result, Henderson was awarded a TKO victory due to injury. It was revealed post-fight that Freire had broken his shin in the first round after Henderson checked a low kick with his knee.
Henderson is coming back from his own injury, needing surgery last year to repair a torn ACL Henderson said has bothered him for quite some time.
After winning the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 10 and amassing a 9-10 record with the company, Nelson signed with Bellator back in May joining the likes of Rory MacDonald and Ryan Bader to go from UFC to Bellator. Bellator 183 takes place on September 23 at SAP Center in San Jose, California, and will air on Spike.
