Ex-Featherweight King Joe Warren Challenges for Bantamweight Title at Bellator 118

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Former Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren will vie for the Viacom-owned promotion’s bantamweight crown this coming May, when “The Baddest Man on the Planet” competes at Bellator 118.

Warren will battle the winner of Eduardo Dantas’ March 7 title defense against Rafael Silva, Bellator officials announced Friday. Bellator 118 takes place at Revel in Atlantic City, N.J., and the evening’s main draw airs live on Spike TV following the Spike.com-streamed prelims.

After relinquishing the featherweight title to Pat Curran in 2012, Warren rebounded with a trio of victories at 135 pounds, outpointing Owen Evinger to earn his spot in the Season 9 bantamweight tournament. The Greco-Roman wrestling world champion rolled through that four-man draw this past fall, scoring second-round stoppages over Nick Kirk and Travis Marx to secure his shot at Bellator’s bantamweight crown.

“I know what it’s like to have the belt wrapped around my waist, and I’m getting it back on May 2,” Warren said in the official release. “I’ve only been in MMA for about five years, and I feel like I’m just hitting my groove now. I feel great, I feel explosive. I love Bellator, and I want that belt.”