Sherdog.com confirmed the booking with a promotion official on Monday following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Bellator 201 takes place on June 29 at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif., and is headlined by a women’s flyweight title tilt between Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and Alejandra Lara. The main card airs on Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while the preliminary draw — including Ruth-Murad — streams immediately prior on Bellator.com and the Bellator app.
Ruth was initially scheduled to make his 170-pound debut at Bellator 196, but after his original opponent withdrew, the wrestling standout earned a unanimous verdict over Ion Pascu in a catchweight affair. The 27-year-old Dethrone Base Camp representative is 5-0 as a professional, with four of those wins coming via KO or TKO.
Murad enters the matchup on a nine-bout winning streak that includes a decision triumph over Johnny Cisneros at Bellator 160. “The Tooth Fairy” owns a 15-2 career mark and is 2-2 under the Bellator banner.