Bellator Championship Series: San Diego fight card, start time, channel guide, stream
By Amy Kaplan
Bellator MMA returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 7 when it hosts the Bellator Championship Series from San Diego, CA. The card is headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0) and the challenger Alexander Shabliy (23-3). This is the first time Nurmagomedov has fought since his suspension.
"When I was young, I always wanted to go be a champion," Nurmagomedov told theScore.com ahead of the matchup. "Now I'm champion. But now I want to be best of all time."
The co-main event is a fight between Georgian rising star Levan Chokheli and American fan favorite Lorenz Larkin. This fight is the last for Larkin's current contract but he told MMA Junkie that he isn't concerned about not getting re-signed.
“I’ve been feeling good, man,” Larkin said. “My body has been looking better. I don’t know, maybe I’m Benjamin Button. I’m feeling, as far as body type, I’m filling out my body more, especially in my last fight. How I looked in my last fight as far as physique and how I felt, I felt like I’m getting better. So I don’t know if I’m just training smarter or what. I don’t feel slow or feel like I’m in there two clicks behind these younger guys. … I don’t feel like I’m slow out there, and I still feel good.”
Bellator Championship Series fight card
MAIN CARD | MAX | 7 p.m. ET
- Champ Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Alexander Shabliy – for lightweight title
- Levan Chokheli vs. Lorenz Larkin
- Aaron Jeffery vs. Douglas Lima
- Jora Ayvazyan vs. Yancy Medeiros
- Imamshafi Aliev vs. Jordan Newman
- Sumiko Inaba vs. Mackenzie Stiller
- Masayuki Kikuiri vs. Herman Terrado
- John MaCalolooy vs. Bryce Meredith
- Josh Hokit vs. Sean Rose
- Aysia Cortez vs. Ashley Thiner
Watch the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET right here.