Nurmagomedov-Shabliy, Mix-Magomedov title bouts set for Bellator Paris
Two title fights are scheduled to top a Bellator Champions Series event in Paris.
Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will return to action against Alexander Shabliy in the main event on May 17 at Accor Arena. Patchy Mix will defend the bantamweight belt for the first time in a rematch with Magomed Magomedov in the co-headliner.
The PFL announced the news Wednesday.
Nurmagomedov and Shabliy were expected to go toe to toe in the final of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix before the PFL acquired Bellator late last year.
Nurmagomedov was suspended for six months by the California State Athletic Commission last November due to a failed drug test. As a result, his unanimous decision win over Brent Primus in a semifinal bout at Bellator 300 in October was overturned to a no-contest. Nurmagomedov, the undefeated cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib, won the Bellator lightweight title in 2022 and has officially defended it once successfully, in a submission win over former UFC champion Benson Henderson.
Shabliy reached the grand prix final by defeating Tofiq Musayev and Patricky "Pitbull" Freire. The 30-year-old Russian is riding a nine-fight winning streak and hasn't lost since 2016.
Mix is coming off an impressive 2023 campaign in which he emerged as one of the world's best bantamweights. He submitted Sergio Pettis in the second round of the Bellator 301 main event last November to capture the 135-pound title. Mix knocked out Raufeon Stots with a highlight-reel flying knee last April to win the interim belt and the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix.
Magomedov returned to the win column with a first-round submission of Danny Sabatello last July. Magomedov lost to Mix via second-round submission in the semifinals of the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix in late 2022.
The PFL announced Wednesday there will be eight Bellator Champions Series events in 2024: March 22 (Belfast, Northern Ireland), May 17 (Paris), June 22 (Dublin), Sept. 7 (San Diego), Sept. 14 (London), Oct. 12 (Chicago), Nov. 16 (Paris), and Dec. 31 (TBD).