Bellator light heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton has a date an opponent for his first title defense as he will be challenged by Joey Beltran on September 12th at Bellator 124 in Michigan.
The fight booking was announced by Bellator on Tuesday and the main card on Spike TV will also see Liam McGeary meets Kelly Anundson in the light heavyweight tournament final.
Bellator 124 will come from the Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan and tickets go sale on Friday, August 8th at Ticketmaster.com, Bellator.com or by visiting the Compuware Arena Box Office.
Newton (23-7-1) unified the Bellator light heavyweight title in March as he won a split decision against Attila Vegh at Bellator 113. It was is fifth straight victory and he has won six of his seven fights in Bellator.
“I’ve been wanting to get back in the cage as soon as possible so I went to Scott Coker and he made this fight happen for me,” Newton said. “Beltran is a guy that always pushes the pace and looks for the finish, which plays into my style perfectly. I know he is coming off a nice win against Matyushenko, and has been in this game for a while, so I’m excited for the fight and another chance to defend my belt.”
Beltran (15-10, 1NC) was signed by Bellator last year and was defeated by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event of Bellator 108. He returned in April and he earned his second career win by submission as he defeated Vladimir Matyushenko at Bellator 116.
“I’m jacked to get this shot against Newton,” Beltran said. “He’s a tough guy, but I’ve been in this sport for a while now and have fought some of the best. I’ve got some good momentum after my last fight, and were going to put on a show September 12th.”
Bellator will be announcing more fights for this fight card in the coming weeks.