Bellator Swaps Middleweight, Heavyweight Title Fights in Final Shows of Season 9

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Bellator MMA has swapped two title fights to close out its ninth season.

Middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko’s planned Nov. 15 title defense will now take place one week later, with Alexander Volkov’s heavyweight title fight moving up one week to take its place at Bellator 108. Bellator officials announced the change on Tuesday, though the reason for the switch was not revealed.

Bellator 108 takes place at Revel in Atlantic City, N.J., and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between former UFC champion Quinton Jackson and fellow ex-Octagon talent Joey Beltran. Volkov will now defend his belt in the evening’s co-main event, as the Russian takes on undefeated countryman and Summer Series tournament winner Vitaly Minakov.

The following week, Bellator 109 goes down at Sands Casino Event Center in Bethlehem, Pa., headlined by Shlemenko’s middleweight title showdown with Season 8 tournament winner Doug Marshall. Bellator’s final show of Season 9 will also feature two tournament finals, as Will Brooks takes on Alexander Sarnavskiy and Rick Hawn battles Ron Keslar.

The Nov. 22 offering will also feature the promotional debuts of two former UFC welterweights, as Matt Riddle and Terry Etim square off with Nathan Coy and Patrick Cenoble, respectively. The main cards of both events will air live on Spike TV, while the preliminary cards stream on Spike.com.