Bellator 144 Gets Goiti Yamauchi-Isao Kobayashi, 3 Other Preliminary Bouts

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The preliminary card for Bellator 144 will feature a featherweight clash pitting Goiti Yamauchi against Isao Kobayashi, promotion officials announced Tuesday.

In addition to Yamauchi-Kobayashi, three other preliminary bouts were revealed: Matt Bessette vs. Kevin Roddy at featherweight, Matt Secor vs. Jeremie Holloway at welterweight, and Pete Rogers Jr. vs. Marius Enache at a 150-pound catch-weight.

Bellator 144 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Oct. 23 and is headlined by a bantamweight title tilt between Marcos Galvao and Eduardo Dantas. The vacant middleweight strap will be up for grabs when Brandon Halsey meets Rafael Carvalho in the co-main event. The card airs on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

Yamauchi, 22, will return to action for the first time since choking out Martin Stapleton at Bellator 125 more than a year ago. The Japanese prospect has won four of his five Bellator appearances and is 18-2 as a professional overall. He was slated to face former 145-pound champ Pat Curran at Bellator 139 but had to withdraw from the matchup due to injury.

The 26-year-old Kobayashi will make his Bellator debut on the strength of back-to-back victories over Will Chope and Marlon Sandro. A former lightweight King of Pancrase, Kobayashi holds an 18-2-4 career mark and has finished 10 of his triumphs inside the distance.