Two former Zuffa talents will lock horns at Bellator 44 in Atlantic City, N.J., as Jeff Lentz squares off with Anthony Leone (Pictured) in a featherweight duel.
A former competitor on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12, Lentz fought his way into the fighter house by defeating Dan Head in the round of 32. Lentz’s next bout would not end as favorably, however, as he was submitted by Alex Caceres with a second-round triangle choke. Though featured prominently in the season's first few episodes, the Pellegrino MMA representative never made his official UFC debut. Most recently, he lost a unanimous decision to Ryan Roberts at an Extreme Challenge event in February.
After winning the first eight fights of his pro career, Leone has hit a rough patch, dropping three straight bouts. In his first and only appearance in the little blue cage of the WEC, Leone was submitted by Renan “Barao” in June. The Team Bombsquad fighter then made his Bellator debut in September, falling by unanimous decision to Georgi Karakhanyan. Most recently, Leone fought for Strikeforce, suffering a TKO via doctor's stoppage to Josh LaBerge at “Fedor vs. Silva” in February.