Russian flyweight and rising Bellator MMA star Anastasia Yankova is set to return in April at Bellator 176. The fight will take place as part of Bellator’s return to Torino, Italy, which the promotion last visited in April 2016 with Bellator 152: Freire vs. Souza. While Yankova seemingly confirmed reports of her return on her official Twitter back in February, a report by MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani unveils that the scrap is scheduled to take place at a catchweight of 130lbs. Opposite Yankova in the Bellator cage will be Elina Kallionidou.
Yankova (4-0) has turned out to be on of Bellator’s fastest rising prospects, combining beauty and fighting acumen into a very marketable overall package. Sponsored by Nike and recently appearing in Vogue Russia, she last fought in the Bellator cage in September, picking up a split decision win against Veta Arteaga at Bellator 161.
Kallionidou (5-1), meanwhile, took the first loss of her professional career in her Bellator MMA debut at Bellator 169 in December. She’ll look to get back on track against the popular Yankova.
Bellator 176 takes place April 8 in Torino, Italy at the . In the main event, Melvin Manhoeff gets his second chance at dethroning middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho following a controversial decision in their first meeting.
