The roster for the inaugural independent Bellator event, now under the ownership of PFL, is steadily growing with an upcoming lightweight showdown in Northern Ireland. Tofiq Musayev (21-5) is scheduled to face off against Alfie Davis (16-4-1) at Bellator 302 in the following month. This event will mark the debut of Bellator’s Champions Series and is slated to take place on March 22 at SSE Arena in Belfast. A reliable source has confirmed this exciting matchup.
Musayev, a 34-year-old fighter hailing from Azerbaijan, experienced consecutive victories under the Rizin banner in 2023. This came after a series of ups and downs, including two losses out of three fights, one of which occurred in the opening round of Bellator’s lightweight grand prix against Alexandr Shabliy. Musayev’s upcoming bout against Davis will coincide with the one-year anniversary of his defeat to Shabliy, which resulted in his early departure from the $1 million tournament.
Davis, representing England and training with the renowned London Shootfighters team, has achieved considerable success in Bellator with a record of 7-1-1. Interestingly, his sole Bellator loss also came at the hands of Shabliy, although he managed to go the distance, unlike Musayev who was knocked out in the third round. Following this setback and a draw with Tim Wilde, Davis has secured back-to-back decision victories over Thibault Gouti and Aalon Cruz.
The updated lineup for Bellator 302 currently includes: [list of fighters and matchups]
According to the Source mmajunkie.usatoday.com