Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Final to Be Held in Los Angeles on Jan. 26

Bellator will crown a new heavyweight champion in at the Forum in Los Angeles on Jan. 26.

Bellator President Scott Coker confirmed the date and venue with the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.

“L.A. has a great MMA market, we have a great relationship with the Forum, and when you look at the fighter bases, there’s so many great gyms there,” Coker said. “When I think about MMA in the United States, I think first of L.A., the Bay Area, Las Vegas and New York … L.A. is such a big hub. The guys know that when they fight in L.A., they better bring it.”

The matchup for the final of the heavyweight grand prix will be determined in a little more than one week. On Oct. 12, a semifinal bout between Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader will headline Bellator 207 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. One day later, Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen will square off in the other half of the bracket in the Bellator 208 main event at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.

“The grand prix has created so much interest for Bellator … the ratings have been very successful — Fedor knocked out Frank Mir and 1.3 million people watched that fight — with the kind of explosive, fast fights you like to watch,” Coker said. “With heavyweights, you can blink one time and miss the end. It’s been a good piece of business.”