Bellator MMA will open its fall season in September when it returns to Connecticut for Bellator 123.

The event will take place Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., a familiar venue for the California-based promotion. The company announced the event on Wednesday, as well as the card’s first fight.

UFC veteran James Irvin (17-10 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make his Bellator debut when he meets Brennan Ward (9-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) in a middleweight bout on the card. The fight is not, however, expected to be the main event. Also planned for the show is the start of the Season 11 eight-man middleweight tournament. Participants for that tourney are expected to be announced soon.

The Bellator 123 main card will air on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET, while preliminary-card fights stream on Spike.com (7 p.m. ET). Tickets for Bellator 123 go on sale next Friday, June 6, through Ticketmaster or the Mohegan Sun box office.

Irvin returns to the sport after what will have been a layoff of about 28 months. After being let go from the UFC in 2010 on a three-fight losing skid, “The Sandman” has gone 3-3 with a no-contest thrown in. In 2008, he fought then-UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a light heavyweight fight. But he was knocked out 61 seconds in. After the fight, he tested positive for banned painkillers. He returned 20 months later, but was stopped by Alessio Sakara in the first round, and a submission loss to Igor Pokrajac had him looking for work outside the UFC.

“‘The Sandman’ is back,” Irvin stated. “This is where the road turns for me. I’m back, and fighting under the bright lights again for a huge promotion like Bellator, and have a tough test ahead of me in a guy like Brennan Ward. I know he likes to run his mouth and he’s a young guy, but I’m knocking this kid out on my way back to the top.”

Ward, a Connecticut native, stormed his way through the Season 9 middleweight tournament with three straight stoppage wins. But against middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko in March, he was submitted in the second round of the pair’s title fight. Now he’ll look to get back on track in the division against veteran Irvin.

“It’s my time, and he had his,” Ward stated. “I’ve been putting in the work and this guy is just in my way to getting back to where I need to be. ‘The Sandman’ is going to get planked in the fourth minute of the first round. I’m already calling my shot.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Brennan Ward)

VANCOUVER – When the UFC announced it would be holding an event on the same date and in the same state as Bellator MMA later this year, many speculated why.

The organization has never scheduled a live event in such close proximity to the rival promotion, both in terms of date and physical location.

That will change Sept. 5 when the UFC visits Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn., for UFC Fight Night 50, while Bellator 123 sets up shop at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville – about 10 miles apart.

Outsiders wondered if the move was intentional by the UFC to create a head-to-head competition and see who comes out on top. But UFC President Dana White is adamant that’s not the case, and says the date was mapped out long before it was announced to the public.

“If you guys really think we look at Bellator and give a s–t what’s going on or what they’re doing, we don’t,” White told MMAjunkie. “That’s just the date that we landed on. We get the dates from FOX – we don’t pick our own dates, we get the dates. They give us the dates they need us to go on, and it’s determined by what other programming they have or what’s going on that night.

“There’s nights where we’re going to fall on the same night as World Series of Fighting, too. And I’ve got no beef with those guys. I don’t give a s–t what night Bellator goes on.”

Since Bellator moved to the UFC’s previous television platform on Spike TV in January 2013, White has rarely spoken highly of the promotion and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

The root of his disdain could come from a variety of issues, but regardless of his personal feelings, White remains adamant about one thing: He doesn’t see Bellator as competition.

“They make no difference to me whatsoever,” White said. “The day I start worrying about what Bellator (is doing), or thinking, ‘We’re going to go on the same night as Bellator ’cause I want to crush them’ … they’re getting crushed already by themselves. They can go on their own f—ing date anywhere and it’s not like me going on the same night is going to do any damage to Bellator that wasn’t already done.

“I could give a s–t where Bellator goes. What night, what day, whatever. It’s not like Bellator’s out there killing it and we’re going to going to go in and take some away. I mean, it’s just stupid to even think that. We end up on the same night as many different sporting events, sometimes boxing events we land on the same nights. There’s tons of events and tons of MMA organizations. I could give a s–t about them.”

Although White continues to reiterate his lack of thought for Bellator, the Viacom-owned organization did make some waves of late with its first pay-per-view event. Reports surfaced that the May 17 event headlined by Quinton Jackson vs. Muhammed Lawal managed to top 100,000 buys, which would be considered a major success.

If the number holds up, White says he’d be shocked – if he thought the number was legit to begin with

“Yeah it shocks me, because no it didn’t [do 100,000 buys],” White said. “Did [Rebney] ever find out what the gate was? No one ever got back to him on the gate? He didn’t know what the gate was. If he didn’t know what his gate was, but he did 100,000 pay-per-view buys … the guy is a f—ing clown. Could you imagine a night where you guys ask me, ‘Hey, what was your gate tonight?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ I won’t.

“You don’t want to give out your gate, and yeah, you don’t want to give out a real pay-per-view number, either. It’s like, that’s why you’re asking me if I give a s–t what they’re doing like we’re trying to go the same night to destroy them. I’m doing two events on the same time on opposite ends of the world. Like I really give a s–t where they are or what they’re doing. I knew the real number before they knew the real number. That’s their business. It’s like their gate. That’s his business.”

While White claims he doesn’t perceive Bellator as a threat, the fact still remains that the two organizations will be battling for live gate and television ratings on Sept. 5.

The UFC has gone head-to-head in the past with now-defunct organizations such as Affliction, Strikeforce and EliteXC. However, White is insistent this situation is different and he won’t do anything special to one-up Bellator.

“[I cared] back in the old days, back when there was a competitive landscape out there and there were things going on,” White said. “I honestly, I literally never think of Bellator, I don’t give a s–t what Bellator’s doing or what’s going on with them. It’s not like Bellator is some organization you have to look out for. Let’s be honest here. Seriously look at the cards they put on and what they’re doing.

“Nobody is going out of their way and saying, ‘Oh f–k, a big Bellator event is on tonight.’ I literally never think about Bellator and I could care less what they’re doing.”

For more on the Bellator and UFC upcoming schedules, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dana White)

Bellator MMA featherweight champion Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) will put his belt on the line against a familiar foe at Bellator 123.

Curran and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) have agreed to meet at Bellator 123, which takes place Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and airs on Spike TV. Bellator officials have yet to make a formal announcement.

The matchup was first reported by Brazilian outlet Combate.com and subsequently confirmed by multiple outlets.

Curran and Freire first met in January 2013 at Bellator 85. After five hard-fought rounds, Curran was awarded a split-decision victory and defended the Bellator 145-pound belt. Curran would eventually lose the title to Daniel Straus at Bellator 106 but quickly won in it back in a rematch four months later.

Meanwhile, following the loss to Curran, Freire earned his way back to a championship opportunity with a Season 9 tournament win. Freire downed Justin Wilcox, Fabricio Guerreiro and Diego Nunes on his way to the tourney victory.

For more on Bellator 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Pat Curran)

In addition to a previously announced title fight, September’s Bellator 123 event has added some notable names to the fight card.

Bellator 123 takes place Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

As previously announced, featherweight champion Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) headlines the event against Patricio Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA). They first met in January 2013 at Bellator 85. After five hard-fought rounds, Curran was awarded a split-decision victory and defended the Bellator 145-pound title.

The co-headliner features heavyweights and UFC vets Cheick Kongo (21-9-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA), who’s won three of his past four, and Lavar Johnson (18-9 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), who’s stuck in a 1-4 skid.

Additionally, after falling short to Quinton Jackson in a recent light heavyweight tournament final, Muhammed Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) returns to the cage. “King Mo” take on Tom DeBlass (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), a former UFC fighter who knocked out Jason Lambert in his November 2013 Bellator debut.

Also on the card, former Strikeforce fighter and WWE star Bobby Lashley (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who currently performance for the TNA pro-wrestling promotion, makes his Bellator debut against fellow heavyweight Josh Burns (8-7 MMA, 0-4 BMMA), who gets a fifth shot at his first win with the promotion.

The latest Bellator 123 card now includes:

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – for Bellator featherweight title
• Lavar Johnson vs. Cheick Kongo
• Tom DeBlass vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

For more on Bellator 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Muhammed Lawal)

Bellator interim lightweight champion Will Brooks was “shocked” and “surprised” at the promotion’s recent change of leadership.

Also, the 27-year-old fighter was “a little bit disappointed.” And how could he not be?

Not long before Scott Coker’s entrance as the new figurehead of the Viacom-owned promotion, Brooks (14-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) said he met with now-former chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney to discuss their intertwined futures.

“There was no feeling as though that would happen,” he told MMAjunkie. “We were talking about my ideas as far as the tournament format and the organization as a whole.”

Now, Brooks is basically waiting on a phone call. Since the change on the president’s nameplate, he hasn’t heard what’s happening next in his career.

“I’ve gotten comfortable with it,” he said. “I’m at the point where I’ve got a drink with an umbrella in it.”

When Rebney left, a key question in Bellator’s future hung in the balance. Would the promotion book a fight to unify the lightweight title, pitting Brooks against the recovering champ, Eddie Alvarez? Or would it compel Alvarez (25-3 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) to fight a rubber match with ex-titleholder Michael Chandler (12-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA), whom Brooks upset in May at Bellator 120, as Rebney claimed was contractually possible?

By any measure of fairness, the right thing to do was to give Brooks the opportunity after he replaced the injured Alvarez and beat Chandler via decision in Bellator’s pay-per-view debut. But the situation remains unresolved, at least according to Brooks.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “I kind of took a little time off from the whole thing and put myself in a position of just being a fighter and a fan. There hasn’t been any new developments. There’s nothing to make me feel like that fight is going to happen or not going to happen. I think it’s kind of taken a seat to the back because there’s so much going on as far as Coker taking over.”

Brooks took no issue with Rebney as a promoter and said Bellator has been good to him during his time with the promotion. He said that along with his initial feelings about the switch in management, he was “excited for a change, too.”

But with that said, he’d also like to get back to work.

“I would love to do it as soon as possible,” Brooks said. “I don’t know what kind of schedule they’ve put together. That’s one thing my manager has let me know: They’re working on a new schedule, and so they’ve got the September card (Bellator 123) coming up, and I’m assuming that might actually be a good sign for me to find out what’s going to happen next.”

Coker recently appeared on a behind-the-scenes clip for Bellator and said the promotion will restart its engines on Sept. 5 for Bellator 123, which notably takes place in Uncasville, Conn., a stone’s throw from the arena hosting UFC Fight Night 50 in Ledyard, Conn., the same night. From there, he said, the promotion will keep to its usual schedule, running 10 straight events, before retooling next year.

That’s good news for Brooks, of course, if he’s able to get a fight at some point this year. After complaints from its champions, Bellator worked to keep them active in non-tournament and outside fights. When Rebney left, the promotion had only recently altered its format once again to allow tournament winners a title shot at any time.

If Brooks remains on the shelf this year, it will be an unfortunate turn for the American Top Team fighter. There’s one good piece of news: He said his manager is in contact with Coker.

“I’m just ready to go,” he said. “Once I get going, I like to keep going.”

And while Brooks said he’s kept his desire to fight Alvarez quiet so as to allow Bellator time to make up his mind, his desire to unify the titles hasn’t changed.

“It’s definitely what I want,” he said. “I think it’s what I deserve. That’s just how it works. I don’t know too much about this sport, but from what I’ve seen and heard, you have an interim belt and a guy with the belt, you unify the belt. That’s just how it goes, and now, I just want what I deserve and what I earned.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

In addition to a four-fight main-card set to air on Spike TV, September’s Bellator 123 event will feature a massive 10-fight preliminary card on Spike.com.

Bellator MMA officials recently unveiled the complete lineup for “Bellator 123: Curran vs. Pitbull 2,” which takes place Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran meets Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in the night’s main event. Start times for the event have yet to be revealed. Bellator’s website currently shows a 1 p.m. ET start time for the main card and a 7 p.m. ET start time for the preliminary card, but Bellator officials simply stated “no start time for the show has been announced” when asked about the accuracy of those listings.

The new additions include bantamweights Rico DiSciullo (2-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Marvin Maldonado (2-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweights Steve Garcia (4-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) vs. Kin Moy (4-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), heavyweights Josh Diekmann (14-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Mike Wessel (14-7 MMA, 3-1 BMMA), middleweights Tamdan McCrory (11-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. Brennan Ward (9-2 MMA, 5-2 BMMA), middleweights Dan Cramer (10-4 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) vs. Perry Filkins (8-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), light heavyweights Mark Griffin (3-3-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Mike Mucitelli (6-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA), featherweight Phillipe Martins (0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. Pete Rogers Jr. (1-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), bantamweights Brandon Fleming (3-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Blair Tugman (5-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), lightweights Andrew Calandrelli (6-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) vs. Lucas Cruz (7-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and featherweights Matt Bessette (13-5 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) vs. Scott Cleve (14-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA).

With the additions, the Bellator 123 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire
• Tom DeBlass vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The last time Pat Curran and Patricio Freire fought, things were left in a little bit of doubt.

Curran (20-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) took a split decision from “Pitbull” Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) at Bellator 85 18 months ago in his first defense of Bellator’s featherweight title. Freire thought he did enough to win the fight, and obviously one of the judges did, as well.

But Curran retained his belt and sent Freire back into the pack. “Pitbull” has climbed his way back, though, thanks to another tournament win. And after having to wait for Curran to rematch Daniel Straus to get his belt back, now he has a shot at redemption.

Curran, though, has no plans on giving up his title when the two meet in September at Bellator 123, the promotion’s 11th season premiere, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and airs on Spike TV.

“I’m feeling very confident and very motivated for this fight,” Curran told USA TODAY Sports. “It went to a split decision last time, and I want to make sure that I finish it this time. I don’t want to leave it to the judges’ scorecards.

“Everybody has a weakness, and I’m looking forward to finding that weakness in him and capitalizing on it. (But) it’s definitely going to be a difficult task.”

Check out the video interview above with Curran ahead of the featherweight title fight. Then don’t miss Bellator 123 on Sept. 5.

For more on Bellator 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Although Bellator has yet to officially announce the end of tournaments, with a new management regime at the head of the Viacom-owned promotion, several high-profile fighters already are anticipating life without them.

“Give it a year, maybe two years, and Bellator is going to look something completely different than what we’re used to seeing,” interim lightweight champ Will Brooks told USA TODAY Sports.

And that’s mostly a good thing, they say. While tournaments undoubtedly helped the promotion create its own identity and a stable of champions, the format became stale over time and was hard on the athletes who participated. Superfights, on the other hand, are relatively less labor-intensive on fighters and could also give Bellator a better chance of building stars.

Although new Bellator head Scott Coker didn’t rule out the possibility of future tournaments, they will be on an as-needed basis, he said this past month during a conference call announcing his replacement of CEO Bjorn Rebney.

But for featherweight champion Pat Curran, who lost his belt this past November to Daniel Straus and then retook it in March, the end of eight- and four-man competitions makes it official: He isn’t looking at a long, taxing slog back to the title if the belt isn’t around his waist.

“Because I’ve already been through two tournaments (at lightweight and featherweight), I’m kind of happy the tournament format is gone,” he said. “Just because I don’t want to go through one.

“At the same time, the Bellator format built me and made me the fighter that I am today.”

Less than a month before Viacom booted Rebney and COO Tim Danaher in favor of ex-Strikeforce head Coker, a new format foreshadowed change in the MMA promotion’s way of doing business. The format created a pool of former tournament winners that could fight for a title at any time, giving Bellator more flexibility in booking fights. The change followed another slight alteration this past year in which the promotion could exercise the option of putting on an immediate title rematch if a championship bout was particularly exciting.

Rebney, however, repeatedly said that tournaments were going to stay in Bellator.

In theory, the previous rule change meant Curran might have avoided another long training camp accompanied by three fights in three months and a title bout. Nevertheless, for the veteran fighter, the possibility was always there.

Depending on how the promotion structures its fight season, the fighters most affected by the switch could be up-and-coming fighters, Curran noted. The exposure gained from fighting in a tournament and potentially becoming champ was invaluable to careers.

“For up and coming fighters, it’s going to affect them a little bit,” he said. “But for me, as a champion, I’ve decided I want to stay champion for a long time. So I’m not worried about going back through another tournament.”

Bellator returns on Sept. 5 for its 11th season with Bellator 123 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

For more on Bellator 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Scott Coker’s hire as the new face of Bellator came as a surprise to most of the fighters that fought for the promotion. Most of them, however, are optimistic about what the former Strikeforce head honcho will bring to the table.

Coker, who stepped in when Bellator parent Viacom parted ways with Bjorn Rebney, is in the process of coming up with a new direction for the promotion. That means standouts Will Brooks, Michael Chandler, Pat Curran and Tito Ortiz are going to be back on the job soon, and they’re anxious to get on with it.

The fighters all had different takes on Coker’s arrival. Brooks met with with Rebney weeks before his termination and was shocked at the sudden switch. Chandler got endorsements from fellow fighters about the promoter’s savvy. Curran, who is scheduled to defend his title against Patricio Freire at September’s Bellator 123, pretty much shrugged his shoulders. And Ortiz, the elder statesman, expressed relief.

“I’m really happy that Scott has stepped aboard to kind of save the sinking ship,” he told MMAjunkie. “He did really, really well by building Strikeforce … big enough to where it became a big enough threat and the UFC had to come and buy it.

“The infrastructure is already built at Bellator. Now, it just needs somebody to come in and to the right business planning to build the next superstars, and I think that’s what Scott Coker can really make happen.”

Coker’s work certainly is cut out for him. Bellator is the de-facto No. 2 promotion to the industry-leading UFC, which has a lockdown on top-caliber talent. Additionally, the organization endured several high-profile PR hits as Rebney and Co. battled with its lightweight champ, Eddie Alvarez, and fighters who said they were being treated unfairly.

Bellator’s broadcast partner, Viacom-owned Spike TV, is heavily invested in the brand’s success. But like everything associated with the television business, ratings will be the ultimate metric of success for the fight promotion until it fully diversifies into other mediums such as pay-per-view and online streaming.

UFC President Dana White, for one, doesn’t think Bellator is serious competition, even though he can’t find fault with Coker. But as Ortiz mentioned, he thought the same about Strikeforce – until the 20-year promoter inked a broadcast deal with Showtime Networks.

Bellator returns next month with its 11th season premiere, Bellator 123, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims at Spike.com.

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

Sept. 5 will see Bellator MMA go head-to-head for much of the evening with the UFC.

Bellator 123, which kicks off the organization’s 11th season, includes a main card start time of 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), an hour earlier than its usual slot on Spike TV, officials today announced.

Bellator 123 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. A short jaunt away, UFC Fight Night 50 takes place at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn., the same night. The UFC’s main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

The 14-bout Bellator 123 lineup also includes 10 preliminary-card bouts on Spike.com.

The main event features featherweight champion Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) vs. Patricio Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA), and heavyweights Cheick Kongo (21-9-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) and Lavar Johnson (18-9 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) meet in the co-headliner.

The full Bellator 123 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Tom DeBlass vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123 and UFC Fight Night 50, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Pat Curran and Patricio Freire)

Muhammed Lawal has lost an opponent for next month’s Bellator 123 event, but a replacement bout is in the works.

“King Mo’s” original opponent, light heavyweight Tom DeBlass (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), has suffered a knee injury and was forced off the card. Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) is now expected to fight Bellator newcomer Marcus Sursa (13-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

MMAjunkie today confirmed the change with Sursa’s rep at All Star MMA. Sherdog.com initially reported it. However, Bellator officials cautioned that bout agreements haven’t been signed and that the fight isn’t official.

Sorry@KingMoFH and @BellatorMMA I was looking forward to competing. Goodluck in your fight and maybe we meet again http://t.co/QEve3UTRek—
Tom DeBlass (@TomDeBlass) August 11, 2014

Bellator 123 takes place Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card, which goes head-to-head with UFC Fight Night 50, airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

Lawal vs. Sursa would be part of the main card.

Lawal, a former Strikeforce champion, fights for the first time since a narrow unanimous-decision loss to Quinton Jackson at Bellator 120, which hosted the duo’s Season 10 tournament final. The loss prompted a post-fight outburst from Lawal directed at since-ousted Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

Sursa, meanwhile, is a 31-year-old Texan who makes his Bellator debut following back-to-back submission victories over WEC/Bellator vet Eric Schambari (15-6) and Andrew Kapel (7-4) in his two most recent bouts. In 13 career wins, he owns 12 stoppages.

The latest Bellator 123 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Muhammed Lawal vs. Marcus Sursa
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Muhammed Lawal)

As expected, Bellator MMA is restructuring its format next year to focus on superfights and “tentpole” events rather than tournaments, the promotion’s new president, Scott Coker, today told MMAjunkie.

Bellator will kick off its 11th season at Bellator 123 on Sept. 5 in Connecticut, wrapping up lightweight and light-heavyweight tournaments from the 10th season before a season finale in mid-November that could feature a welterweight bout between Melvin Manhoef and Paul Daley, Coker said.

Manhoef is scheduled to fight Doug Marshall at Bellator 125 and will need to win in order to receive an offer for Daley, Coker added.

No new tournaments will be promoted for Season 11, according to a Bellator official, but title shots earned under the previous format will be honored.

In 2015, Bellator will shift from its usual format (two 12-week seasons and a trio of “Summer Series” events) to one event per month, Coker said, in addition to four major shows that feature the promotion’s “needle-movers,” for a total of 16 yearly events. All of them will air on Spike TV.

“That’s going to be our season,” said Coker, who took over for former Bellator head Bjorn Rebney in June. “We’re going to do 16 instead of 26, but the fights will be much larger, and the venues will have time to promote and really make it an event and not just a weekly TV show.”

As before, Coker said he will reserve the right to hold tournaments in the event that Bellator has at least four top-tier fighters that could face off, but as with the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion (which Coker previously headed), the competitions likely will take place over several months to provide ample time to build and market each event.

“I want to keep those options open,” Coker said. “We’ve thrown those tournaments over time. We’ve thrown one-night tournaments with the middleweight and the women’s division. We’re going to make a decision when the time’s right.”

The monthly events, as well as the major events, are expected to air with Bellator’s longtime broadcast partner, Spike TV. Coker didn’t rule out a future event on pay-per-view, but he opined that the promotion should focus on cable TV.

“To me, I think that we should be on Spike TV and building the next wave of stars in front of 100 million households,” he said. “There will be a time probably in the future where we can definitely go back to the PPV business, but for the foreseeable future, I see us as a Spike property.

“We’re going to put on the best fights we can put on, and we’re going to put on fights that the fans want to see. I think you might see a tournament at some point in 2015, but right now, I’m not ready to commit to that. But we’re going to see some big event and big fights, and fights that are going to move the needle.

“To me, one of the things we really have to focus on is, look, if you put on a bunch of fights that people don’t want to watch, then you’re going to have a very short business. And we have a good enough roster right now to make big fights in the future. I’m excited about the prospects coming up and the prospects we’re signing. We’re going back into the female fight division, and we might even start another female division in another weight class. We’re going to start building this thing up. I think it’s going to look a lot different in 18 months than it does today.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Scott Coker)

The changes keep on coming for Muhammed Lawal for Bellator MMA’s Season 11 premiere.

“King Mo” Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) originally was scheduled to fight light heavyweight Tom DeBlass (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at Bellator 123 next month. An injury knocked him out, and Lawal was set to meet Marcus Sursa (13-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), instead.

But now there’s been one more change. Dustin Jacoby (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make his Bellator debut against Lawal at the event. Jacoby announced the news via Instagram, and a Bellator official confirmed that the fight is planned, though bout agreements have not yet been finalized. No reason was initially given for Sursa’s removal from the fight.

Bellator 123 takes place Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card, which goes head-to-head with UFC Fight Night 50, airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com. Jacoby vs. Lawal is expected to serve as the co-main event.

Jacoby has a modest two-fight winning streak and victories in four of his five fights since he was cut loose from the UFC after back-to-back losses to Clifford Starks and Chris Camozzi. Since then, he picked up a 45-second knockout win for Hoosier Fight Club on the Midwest regional circuit and beat Lucas Lopes with a first-round knockout for Titan FC just this past Friday. His lone loss in his past five fights was a unanimous decision setback to fellow UFC vet David Branch at WSOF 1.

Lawal, a former Strikeforce champion, will fight for the first time since a narrow unanimous-decision loss to Quinton Jackson at Bellator 120, which hosted the duo’s Season 10 light heavyweight tournament final. The loss prompted a post-fight outburst from Lawal directed at since-ousted Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

With the change, the latest Bellator 123 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – for featherweight title
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dustin Jacoby)

With a new president and some clear changes ahead of its Season 11 debut, Bellator MMA today released a video promoting the season-opening Bellator 123 event.

With former Strikeforce head Scott Coker now at the helm, the organization has put a focus on big names while making new roster space. Those changes are going to be reflected in the 11th season, which kicks off next week.

Bellator 123 takes place Sept. 5 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card, which goes head-to-head with UFC Fight Night 50, airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

Check out a preview of the event and the rest of the season above.

The official Bellator 123 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – for featherweight title
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio kicks off today at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) with guests Muhammed Lawal and Duane Ludwig.

“King Mo” Lawal will return to action for Bellator MMA next month at Bellator 123 against Dustin Jacoby. And “Bang” Ludwig, a former fighter and now standout coach, will be cornering star pupil T.J. Dillashaw in his title fight rematch against Renan Barao on Saturday at UFC 177.

MMAjunkie Radio airs today from noon to 2 p.m. ET (9 to 11 a.m. PT), live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio, or watch it live on select television markets as part of Fight Now TV.

MMAjunkie Radio listener guide:

• HOW TO LISTEN: Go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio and choose a streaming option (such as Windows Media Player or Quicktime) to listen to the show live. A countdown clock appears when the show is offline.
• HOW TO WATCH (ON WEB): Check out a live webcam of the studio while there. You can also listen to a live audio stream of the show when you activate the video feed.
• HOW TO CALL: MMAjunkie Radio takes phone calls from listeners throughout the show. Call into the MMAjunkie Radio hotline at (702) 736-9461 or (702) 736-9463.
• HOW TO CHAT: To chat with the show’s hosts, guests and other MMAjunkie Radio listeners, launch the “Combat Chat” feature, which is available on the main radio page. You can discuss the show and even submit a question for the day’s guests while there.
• HOW TO DISCUSS: The MMAjunkie MMA Forums has a new section devoted solely to MMAjunkie Radio. Stop by the MMAjunkie Radio forum to discuss the show, interact with the hosts, suggest future guests and catch up on the latest MMAjunkie Radio news.
• HOW TO VISIT THE SHOW: You can watch MMAjunkie Radio live and in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The booth is located in the resort’s Race & Sports Book next to the Mandalay Bay poker room. To plan a trip to Sin City and MMAjunkie Radio, go to www.mandalaybay.com.

Stream or download today’s edition of MMAjunkie Radio with guests Muhammed Lawal and Duane Ludwig.

“King Mo” Lawal fights Sept. 5 at Bellator 123, while “Bang” Ludwig corners T.J. Dillashaw and Danny Castillo at UFC 177 on Saturday.

You can listen below, or directly download (right click) the episode.

MMAjunkie Radio kicks off today at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) with guests Hector Lombard, Pat Curran and Kenny Monday.

Lombard isn’t yet booked for his next fight, but the UFC wants to match him up with recent welterweight winner Tyron Woodley. Curran will defend his featherweight title in a rematch with Patricio “Pitbull” Freire next week at Bellator 123. Olympic gold medal winner Monday is the new wrestling coach for Team Takedown in Texas, whose fighters include UFC welterweight champ Johny Hendricks.

MMAjunkie Radio airs today from noon to 2 p.m. ET (9 to 11 a.m. PT), live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio, or watch it live on select television markets as part of Fight Now TV.

MMAjunkie Radio listener guide:

• HOW TO LISTEN: Go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio and choose a streaming option (such as Windows Media Player or Quicktime) to listen to the show live. A countdown clock appears when the show is offline.
• HOW TO WATCH (ON WEB): Check out a live webcam of the studio while there. You can also listen to a live audio stream of the show when you activate the video feed.
• HOW TO CALL: MMAjunkie Radio takes phone calls from listeners throughout the show. Call into the MMAjunkie Radio hotline at (702) 736-9461 or (702) 736-9463.
• HOW TO CHAT: To chat with the show’s hosts, guests and other MMAjunkie Radio listeners, launch the “Combat Chat” feature, which is available on the main radio page. You can discuss the show and even submit a question for the day’s guests while there.
• HOW TO DISCUSS: The MMAjunkie MMA Forums has a new section devoted solely to MMAjunkie Radio. Stop by the MMAjunkie Radio forum to discuss the show, interact with the hosts, suggest future guests and catch up on the latest MMAjunkie Radio news.
• HOW TO VISIT THE SHOW: You can watch MMAjunkie Radio live and in person at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. The booth is located in the resort’s Race & Sports Book next to the Mandalay Bay poker room. To plan a trip to Sin City and MMAjunkie Radio, go to www.mandalaybay.com.

Stream or download today’s edition of MMAjunkie Radio with guests Hector Lombard, Pat Curran and Kenny Monday.

Lombard talked about the possible fight booking vs. fellow American Top Team fighter Tyron Woodley. Curran is one week away from defending his Bellator MMA featherweight title at Bellator 123 on Sept. 5. Monday expanded on his new gig as wrestling coach with Team Takedown and his departure from the Blackzilians camp.

You can listen below, or directly download (right click) the episode.

“Countdown to Curran-Pitbull II,” a one-hour special previewing this weekend’s Bellator 123 event, debuts tonight at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV.

According to an official announcement, the special “takes an inside look at one of Bellator’s biggest events this year showcasing the intense rivalry between featherweight champ Pat Curran and his nemesis, (Patricio Freire).”

The countdown show also previews heavyweights Cheick Kongo (21-9-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) vs. Lavar Johnson (18-9 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), lightweights Muhammed Lawal (12-4 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) vs. Dustin Jacoby (10-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), and heavyweights Bobby Lashley (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. Josh Burns (8-7 MMA, 0-4 BMMA), all of whom fight on the main card.

The special also replays on Thursday at 11 p.m. ET and Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Bellator 123 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The evening’s preliminary card streams on Spike.com at 6 p.m. ET. The main card airs on Spike TV at 8 p.m. ET.

The full Bellator 123 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 8 p.m. ET)

• Champ Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – for Bellator featherweight title
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammed Lawal
• Cheick Kongo vs. Lavar Johnson
• Josh Burns vs. Bobby Lashley

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com, 6 p.m. ET)

• Rico DiSciullo vs. Marvin Maldonado
• Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy
• Josh Diekmann vs. Mike Wessel
• Tamdan McCrory vs. Brennan Ward
• Dan Cramer vs. Perry Filkins
• Mark Griffin vs. Mike Mucitelli
• Pete Rogers vs. Phillipe Martins
• Brandon Fleming vs. Blair Tugman
• Lucas Cruz vs. Andrew Calandrelli
• Matt Bessette vs. Scott Cleve

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Pat Curran and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire)

With a new head honcho at Bellator MMA, additions are coming to all of the promotion’s weight classes. Bellator President Scott Coker already has bolstered the roster with veterans of the now-defunct Strikeforce.

Featherweight champ Pat Curran is ready to fight whomever the promotion puts in front of him, as he told MMAjunkie in a recent interview.

But for now, he sees only a pair of imminent threats: Patricio Freire and Daniel Straus.

Curran (20-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) said he anticipates a fourth meeting with Straus if he’s victorious over Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) on Friday at Bellator 123, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. (Main-card fights air live on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.)

“A fourth fight usually doesn’t happen much in this sport, but that’s just where we’re at,” Curran said. “Bellator is going to bring in a lot of new talent, but as of right now, my thought is ‘Pitbull’ and Straus. You’re definitely going to see a lot of rematches with those two.

“We have a lot of good guys and a lot of good up-and-comers, but right now I see them as the two kingpins.”

Straus took Curran’s belt this past November at Bellator 106 and lost in a subsequent rematch in March at Bellator 112. In previous interviews, Curran said his loss came amid a struggle with depression that prompted him to seek a therapist and take medication.

Curran said he found the motivation he needed to avenge his loss and subsequently turned a corner on his career. Recently, he accepted an invitation to train at Team Takedown in Arlington, Texas, where UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks resides. The facility is a 30-minute drive from his parents’ home in Keller.

Curran still takes once-a-week doses of Lexapro, a powerful antidepressant and thinks he’ll probably deal with the disease for the rest of his days.

“I’m also making changes in my life to get off it eventually,” he said. “But depression doesn’t just go away overnight.”

Lately, Curran has been putting the final touches on his preparation for Freire, whom he beat via split decision at Bellator 83 under the promotion’s previous CEO, Bjorn Rebney. The fight marked his first title defense.

“There’s always something new to learn, and you can always improve from the last performance,” Curran said. “One thing you can take away from these rematches is to study the film to know what’s working. There’s a reason why you won, so there’s obviously holes in their game. You’ve got to recognize that and capitalize on that.

“My fight with ‘Pitbull,’ I just had to look at what was working for me, and what was not working for me; what openings did he see and he capitalize on. You can always fine-tune things to make the fight a different fight the second time around.

Or third or fourth, if Curran’s prediction is true. Another able contender, Magomedrasul “Frodo” Khasbulaev, is currently unable to obtain a visa and is unlikely to challenge for the title any time soon. And with Bellator’s decision to nix tournaments in all but special circumstances, the promotion will have to sign new contenders or settle for rematches.

At the moment, that’s fine with Curran, who thinks he can show off new skills against Freire in their second meeting.

“We’re putting on the best matchups,” the champ said of Bellator’s new approach. “The one downfall I see as a champion is sitting on top, you won’t really be able to see the tournament unfolding like they did and watch these guys come through the rankings, where their strengths and weaknesses are.

“But at the same time, I’m kind of glad that the tournaments are done, because I never plan on losing, but it does happen, and I don’t want to go through another tournament. It’s a lot of wear and tear on the body, and injuries happen a lot.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Daniel Straus and Pat Curran)