Longtime UFC fighter Sam Sicilia now has a date and an opponent for his Bellator debut.
Sicilia (15-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will take on former bantamweight champion Marcos Galvao (18-8-1 MMA, 8-5 BMMA) in a featherweight bout at Bellator 189 in December. A Bellator official told MMAjunkie of the booking today.
In addition, Alexis Dufresne (6-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) will take on Amber Leibrock (2-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout.
Bellator 189 takes place Dec. 1 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The card airs on Spike following prelims streamed on MMAjunkie.
Sicilia came to Bellator earlier this year as a free agent after a 12-fight run in the UFC, where he went 5-7. He got his start with the promotion on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the only live season of the show.
The veteran fighter will be trying to snap a three-fight skid to get his first win since July 2015. His UFC tenure closed out with a knockout loss to Doo Ho Choi in November 2015, a submission loss to Gabriel Benitez 13 months ago and a decision loss to Gavin Tucker in February.
Galvao will be trying to get back on track, as well. The longtime Bellator fighter won the bantamweight title in March 2015 with a submission of Joe Warren. But in his first defense, which came 15 months later, he lost the title to Eduardo Dantas. He rebounded with a split call over L.C. Davis this past December, but headed back to the loss column at Bellator 175 in March against Emmanuel Sanchez.
Dufresne submitted Marloes Coenen in her promotional debut at Bellator 155 in May 2016, but in March headed back to the loss column when she was stopped with a second-round TKO by Gabrielle Holloway at Bellator 174. Including a pair of decision losses in her two fights in the UFC, Dufresne has dropped three of her past four fights.
Liebrock will be making her Bellator debut after fighting her first three pro bouts under the Invicta FC banner. There, she had first-round knockout wins over Marina Shafir and Amy Coleman sandwiched around a TKO loss to current featherweight champion Megan Anderson in January 2016.
The latest Bellator 189 card now includes:
- Julia Budd vs. Arlene Blancowe – for women’s featherweight title
- Chris Honeycutt vs. Rafael Lovato
- Hisaki Kato vs. Chidi Njokuani
- Marcos Galvao vs. Sam Sicilia
- Alexis Dufresne vs. Amber Leibrock
Full story here:
Sam Sicilia vs. Marcos Galvao, Alexis Dufresne vs. Amber Leibrock set for Bellator 189
