The lineup is set for Friday’s Bellator return to California with a four-fight main card.
In the main event, Saad Awad (23-10 MMA, 11-7 BMMA) takes on Brandon Girtz (15-8 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) at lightweight. In the co-feature, former featherweight champion Daniel Straus (24-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) moves up to lightweight and returns from a career-threatening accident when he meets Shane Kruchten (12-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).
Also on the main card, former welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov (21-3 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) takes on Mike Jasper (13-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and kickboxing standout Joe Schilling (3-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) meets Keith Berry (15-14-1 MMA, 2-3-1 BMMA).
Of the 11 fights on the prelims and post-lims, welterweight veterans A.J. Matthews (9-8 MMA, 5-6 BMMA) and David Rickels (20-5 MMA, 14-5 BMMA) square off. And wrestling standout Joey Davis (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) tries to stay perfect when he meets Marcus Anthony (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at welterweight.
Bellator officials recently announced the finalized card, which takes place Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
The Bellator 219 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN 9 p.m. ET)
- Saad Awad vs. Brandon Girtz
- Shane Kruchten vs. Daniel Straus
- Mike Jasper vs. Andrey Koreshkov
- Keith Berry vs. Joe Schilling
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8 p.m. ET)
- Marcus Anthony vs. Joey Davis
- Dalton Rosta vs. Cody Vidal
- Shawn Bunch vs. Dominic Mazzotta
- A.J. Matthews vs. David Rickels
- Janay Harding vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
- Weber Almeida vs. Johnny Soto
- Joshua Jones vs. Darren Smith Jr.
- Johnny Cisneros vs. John Mercurio
- Ricky Furar vs. Roman Puga
- Kelvin Gentapanan vs. David Pacheco
- Eugene Correa vs. Sunni Imhotep
For more on Bellator 219, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
