Bellator 222 Main Card Set with Six Bouts; Prelims Include Pico, Hardy, Loureda

The lineup for Bellator 222 will include a six-bout main card, the promotion announced Monday.

As previously reported, the event will be headlined by a welterweight grand prix semifinal between Rory MacDonald and Neiman Gracie, with MacDonald’s 170-pound title on the line. In the co-main event, Lyoto Machida will square off against Chael Sonnen in a light heavyweight affair.

The cross-promotional bantamweight title clash pitting Bellator king Darrion Caldwell against Rizin champ Kyoji Horiguchi will open the main draw. After that, the featured lineup includes Eduardo Dantas vs. Juan Archuleta at featherweight; Ricky Bandejas vs. Patrick Mix at bantamweight and Dillon Danis vs. Max Humphrey at a 175-pound catchweight.

The preliminary card includes a number of notable names, most notably the return of highly-touted prospect Aaron Pico, who locks horns with the undefeated Adam Borics at featherweight. Other notables set to compete on the prelims include boxing champ Heather Hardy, taekwondo specialist Valerie Loureda and former “Ultimate Fighter” hopeful and Contender Series alum Phil Hawes, among others.

Bellator 222 takes place on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card is available exclusively on Dazn at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while the prelims get started on Dazn and Bellator.com at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.