Former UFC fighter and current Bellator contender Leslie Smith will return to the cage later this month. At Bellator 245 in Connecticut, Smith will take on Amanda Bell. The card goes down September 11, and is the first of back-to-back shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Sherdog was first to report news of the booking.
Smith (11-8-1) is 1-1 in the Bellator cage thus far, winning her debut in July 2019 against Sinead Kavanagh. “The Peacemaker” returned in November, dropping a decision against former featherweight title challenger Arlene Blencowe. Bellator 245 will be her first fight back, her first during the pandemic, and her first since announcing some scary findings from an MRI prior to her last fight.
Bell (7-6), who got her start in Invicta FC, has been trading wins and losses since joining Bellator in 2017. She’s coming off a TKO win over Janay Harding at Bellator 233. “The Lady Killer” has shared the cage with the likes of Charmaine Tweet, Megan Anderson, and Marina Shafir, part of Ronda Rousey’s “Four Horsewomen” stable.
Bellator 245 is expected to be headlined by a rematch between Phil Davis and Lyoto Machida that dates back to their UFC days. The card also includes the debut of another potential contender in the women’s featherweight division, Cat Zingano.
