Rising Bellator light heavyweight Jordan Young finally is back.
After seven months away from competition, Young (10-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) will return to take on promotional newcomer Joel Bauman (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at Bellator 224, a promotion official told MMA Junkie on Monday.
Bellator 224 takes place July 12 at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs live on Paramount following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Young, 24, moved up to light heavyweight in June 2018 and beat Jamal Pogues at Bellator 201. The American Top Team fighter followed up that performance with a quick submission victory over Anthony Ruiz at Bellator 210 this pas November.
Undefeated through three professional fights, “King Bau” enters his first Bellator bout on the heels of a highlight-reel finish. Earlier this month, Bauman’s brutal head-kick knockout of Bobby Downs at LFA 68 made the rounds on social media, and subsequently lead to his Bellator signing.
With the addition to the card, Bellator 224 now includes:
MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN, 9 p.m. ET)
- Champ Julia Budd vs. Olga Rubin – for women’s featherweight title
- Rafael Carvalho vs. Chidi Njokuani
- Juliana Velasquez vs. Kristina Williams
- Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Ed Ruth
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 6:30 p.m. ET)
- Joel Bauman vs. Jordan Young
- Lucas Brennan vs. Thomas Lopez
- Jamese Taylor vs. Gabriel Varga
- Amanda Bell vs. Arlene Blencowe
- Will Fleury vs. Antonio Jones
- Christian Edwards vs. Justin Vargas
- Nainoa Dung vs. Brad Robison
- Sinead Kavanagh vs. Leslie Smith
- Bruna Ellen vs. Elina Kallionidou
- Kiefer Crosbie vs. Jonathan Gary
- A.J. Agazarm vs. Jacob Landin
For more on Bellator 224, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
