An influx of young talent as been added to the Bellator 293 card next month.
In a press release distributed Tuesday, promotion officials announced that Joey Davis (8-0), Maria Henderson (1-0), Lance Gibson Jr. (7-0), Lucas Brennan (7-0), and Sullivan Cauley (5-0) had all been added to the event.
In addition, a previously announced match-up between Jay Jay Wilson (9-1) and Mandel Nallo (9-2, 1 NC) has been called off due to injury.
Gibson Jr., son of UFC vet Lance Gibson Sr. and stepson of former Bellator women’s featherweight champ Julia Budd will be getting a solid step up in competition against Team Fedor’s Vladimir Tokov (8-2), brother of recent middleweight title challenger Anatoly Tokov.
Henderson, wife of former WEC and UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson, who fights for the Bellator MMA lightweight title next month, meets MacKenzie Stiller. Stiller will be making her pro debut in the bout, after going 4-0 as an amateur.
Sullivan Cauley gets a fellow top light heavyweight prospect in Luke Trainer (6-1). Joey “Black Ice” Davis, meanwhile, returns against Jeff Creighton (6-2-1). Dangerous as ever on the ground, Lucas Brennan meets Josh San Diego (9-4).
A battle of undefeated bantamweight prospects has also been pencilled in for Bellator 293. That fight sees Bryce Meredith (3-0) face off with Brandon Carrillo (1-0).
Bellator 293 is headlined by a heavyweight bout featuring former UFC athlete Marcelo Golm (10-3), ranked No. 7 in the division, against No. 8-ranked Daniel James (14-6-1). In the co-main event, what is expected to be a women’s featherweight title eliminator sees Cat Zingano (13-4) take on Leah McCourt (7-2).
Set for the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA on March 31, 2023, the Bellator 293 card features the following reported match-ups:
- Marcelo Golm vs. Daniel James
- Cat Zingano vs. Leah McCourt
- John Salter vs. Aaron Jeffrey
- Rustam Khabilov vs. Jaleel Willis
- Sullivan Cauley vs. Luke Trainer
- Archie Colgan vs. Justin Montalvo
- Joey Davis vs. Jeff Creighton
- Lucas Brennan vs. Josh San Diego
- Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Vladimir Tokov
- Pam Sorenson vs. Sara Collins
- Christian Edwards vs. Rakim Cleveland
- Mike Hamel vs. Nick Browne
- Randi Field vs. Ashley Cummins
- Bryce Meredith vs. Brandon Carrillo
- Maria Henderson vs. MacKenzie Stiller
- Khonry Gracie vs. David Pacheco
