There is a big switcheroo to Bellator 180 that will see Phil Davis defend his light heavyweight title.
It’s no secret that Bellator has stacked their June 24 event inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. So much so, that the promotion is holding two cards on that night. The Spike portion of the event is Bellator 180, while the pay-per-view portion is being dubbed Bellator NYC.
Muhammed Lawal was supposed to headline Bellator 180 against Ryan Bader. “King Mo” told MMAJunkie.com that nagging injuries have forced him off the card. Taking his place will be Davis, who’ll defend his championship against Bader.
“Mr. Wonderful” broke the news to Ariel Helwani on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour.”
This will be Davis’ first title defense. Since entering Bellator, Davis has been on a tear. He’s defeated Emanuel Newton, Francis Carmont, Lawal, and Liam McGeary to secure a four-fight winning streak. His last defeat came at the hands of Bader back in Jan. 2015.
Bader earned a split decision victory over Davis when the two were fighting under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner. Since that fight, “Darth” has gone 3-1. He’s hoping to make his Bellator debut a successful one and capture his first major world title.
