Bellator's welterweight title will be up for grabs when the promotion takes Los Angeles in early 2018.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald will look to dethrone Bellator's 170-pound king, Douglas Lima, on Jan. 20 at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., president Scott Coker confirmed Wednesday on Twitter following multiple reports.
MacDonald signed with the Coker-led outfit late last summer after fighting out his UFC contract. The 28-year-old made his promotional debut in May at Bellator 179, where he submitted Paul Daley in the second round to snap a two-fight skid and earn his shot at the title.
Since losing the Bellator strap to Andrey Koreshkov in July 2015, Lima has bested Daley, reclaimed the gold with a third-round KO of Koreshkov, and - most recently - defended it against Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC in June. The 29-year-old Brazilian has won all but two of his 13 bouts under the Bellator banner.