Report: Top prospect Ruth to make welterweight debut at Bellator 196

Ed Ruth is taking his talents to a new weight class.

The undefeated prospect will face Laszlo Furko in his welterweight debut on the main card of Bellator 196 in Budapest, Hungary, on April 6, a promotional official told MMAjunkie's Mike Bohn on Tuesday.

Ruth - a three-time NCAA wrestling champion at Penn State - has competed under the Bellator banner for the entirety of his four-fight career. The 27-year-old got his feet wet in a pair of catchweight bouts in 2016 but competed as a middleweight in each of his last two. Ruth has had his hand raised via knockout in every fight thus far, most recently dispatching Chris Dempsey in under two rounds this past November in a return to his alma mater.

Furko, 28, makes his first walk to the Bellator cage on home soil with a record of 6-4. He's spent his entire pro career on the European circuit and has yet to hear the final horn.

In the recently booked lightweight main event, Benson Henderson meets a returning Roger Huerta.