Recently signed undefeated bantamweight Sarvadzhon Khamidov will make his promotional debut at Bellator 284 in August.
Khamidov (13-0) will face Jared Scoggins (10-2) at the event, set for the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 12, 2022. A welterweight fight between top contenders Neiman Gracie and Goiti Yamauchi headlines the card.
A source familiar with the situation informed Cageside Press of the match-up on Monday.
Tajikistan’s Khamidov most recently competed under the UAE Warriors banner, defeating Fabricio Sarraff in his last outing — a fighter with three times the experience of Khamidov himself. Though he’s fought at featherweight in the past, for the past two years, Khamidov has competed exclusively as a bantamweight.
Khamidov’s debut comes at an opportune time, as the bantamweight division is in the spotlight like never before thanks to the ongoing Bantamweight Grand Prix.
Scoggins, meanwhile, is set to step into the cage for the first time in 2022, after a match-up with Cee Jay Hamilton fell through earlier this year. Scoggins’ older brother, Justin, has competed for the UFC and RIZIN; Jared, meanwhile, will be fighting for the second time under the Bellator MMA banner.
His debut last year did not go his way, with Scoggins finished by Canadian veteran Josh Hill.
Bellator 284’s main card is set to air on Showtime in the U.S. following online prelims. Thus far, the South Dakota card breaks down as follows:
- Neiman Gracie vs. Goiti Yamauchi
- Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry
- Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Bruna Ellen
- Weber Almeida vs. Ilias Bulaid
- Said Sowma vs. Gokhan Saricam
- Sarvadzhon Khamidov vs. Jared Scoggins
