For a while it seemed Douglas LimaJohn’s Bellator future was up in the air, but now he’s on a new contract and has a fight lined up.
Lima (33-11) will face Aaron Jeffery (14-5) at the Bellator Champions Series event on Sept. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, a promotion official confirmed to MMA Junkie following an initial report that MMA fight.
The fight will mark Lima’s first in 16 months, as he was in limbo during the early stages of the PFL-Bellator merger. Lima expressed discontent with the new regime’s trade negotiations, but the two sides eventually reached an agreement.
Lima, 36, is one of the most decorated fighters in Bellator history. He served as one of the faces of the promotion during several reigns as welterweight champion. In recent years, Lima has struggled. After four straight losses, Lima finally picked up victory in his most recent fight, a unanimous decision win over Costello van Steenis at middleweight.
Jeffery, 31, is looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss in March to Fabian Edwards. The loss dropped him to 1-2 in his last three fights.
With the additions, the Bellator Champions Series: San Diego schedule includes:
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Champion Usman Nurmagomedov x Alexander Shabliy
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Marcos Breno x Raufeon Stots
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Levan Chokheli x Lorenz Larkin
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Aaron Jeffery x Douglas Lima
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to Bellator Champions Series: San Diego.
