Bellator Welterweight Tournament Fights To Be 5 Rounds Each, Champion To Defend Title In Each Round

This September at Bellator 206, a ten man welterweight tournament is going to kick off, with former champions Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov being the only fight announced thus far.  

Bellator MMA President Scott Coker recently revealed to ESPN that each fight in the tournament is going to be five rounds. That is quite the departure from the ongoing Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where the tournament finals is the only five round bout. 

Coker also revealed that Bellator MMA Welterweight Champion Rory MacDonald will defend the gold in each round of the tournament, meaning there is going to be a minimum of three title bouts in the tournament. Also, if McDonald loses a fight during the tournament, whichever fighter beats him will become the champion and defend the gold in the remaining round(s).  

There is little concern from Coker that the tournament won’t be a success, as he feels that Bellator MMA has the best 170 pounders on the planet. 

“This is truly the best welterweight division on the planet,” Coker said. “We have the best fighters on the planet — better than any other league.” 

While Lima versus Koreshkov is set for Bellator 206 on September 29, no other fight dates or fights have been announced at this time.