Ed Ruth has decided to make a weight class change for his next fight.
Bellator MMA officials confirmed to MMAjunkie on Tuesday afternoon that Ruth is slated to drop down to welterweight and fight Laszlo Furko at the upcoming Bellator 196 event. With this fight being announced, it has completed the main card.
Ruth, who is a three-time NCAA collegiate wrestling champion, fought at a 192-pound catchweight bout for his first MMA bout then went to the middleweight division.
Now, he believes it’s the right time to test his luck at a new weight class. He has won all four of his fights by TKO with the most recent fight coming by second-round against UFC veteran Chris Dempsey at Bellator 186 in November.
On the flip side, Furko is making his Bellator debut and has won three of his past four fights by first-round stoppage
Bellator 196 is set to take place on Friday, April 6, 2018, in Budapest, Hungary at the Budapest Sports Arena. The preliminary card will air online at 7:00 pm EST while the main card will air on Paramount Network at 9:00 PM EST.
Benson Henderson vs. Roger Huerta in a lightweight bout will serve as the main event while Adam Borics vs. Manuel Gaxhja in a featherweight bout will serve as the co-main event.
Rounding out the five bout main card is Denise Kielholtz vs. Lena Ovchynnikova in a women’s flyweight bout, Giorgio Belsanti vs. Brian Moore in a featherweight bout, and Laszlo Furko vs. Ed Ruth in a welterweight bout.
The promotion will be announcing more bouts for this upcoming event shortly. Here is the updated card:
MAIN CARD (Paramount Network/9 p.m. ET)
Lightweight: Benson Henderson vs. Roger Huerta
Featherweight: Adam Borics vs. Manuel Gaxhja
Women’s Flyweight: Denise Kielholtz vs. Lena Ovchynnikova
Featherweight: Giorgio Belsanti vs. Brian Moore
Welterweight: Laszlo Furko vs. Ed Ruth
PRELIMINARY CARD (Online/7 p.m. ET)
Norbert Novenyi Jr. vs. Mehmet Yueksel
What are your thoughts on Ruth making a weight class change and this upcoming fight? Sound off in the comment section below.
