After notching two scintillating victories in Bellator MMA's bantamweight division Mike "The Marine" Richman (18-5) will take on his toughest test yet in the 135-pound weight class when he meets former Bellator MMA World Champion Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas (16-4).
The new contest serves as the co-main event of "Bellator: Warren vs. Galvao" which takes place on Friday, March 27, at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The night's main card airs live on Spike TV, while preliminary bouts stream on Spike.com.
Tickets for "Bellator: Warren vs. Galvao," which include VIP Seating for just $75, are already on sale at Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. Additional bouts are expected to be announced shortly.
"Mike Richman was already a very durable and dangerous fighter when he was competing in our featherweight division," Bellator MMA CEO Scott Coker said. "But since making the move down to the bantamweight division, he has looked absolutely unstoppable. Now Mike gets a chance to prove he's a truly elite bantamweight, as he takes on former Bellator MMA World Champion Eduardo Dantas, a man who is a consensus top-10 athlete capable of beating anyone in the weight class."
A key member of Brazil's famed Nova Uniao team, Dantas has been competing professionally since 2007, fighting in both Japan and his native Brazil before making his way to Bellator MMA. The well-rounded fighter found immediate success, downing Wilson Reis, Ed West and Alexis Vila to claim a tournament victory that earned Dantas a shot at the Bellator MMA Bantamweight World Title. Dantas made good on the opportunity, choking out Zach Makovsky to claim the belt.
The 25-year-old Dantas successfully defended the belt twice with a knockout of Marcos Galvao and a submission win over Anthony Leone before losing a hard-fought October decision to current champ Joe Warren in a "Fight of the Year" candidate.
Meanwhile, United States Marine Corps veteran Richman began his professional career in 2008, earning an impressive 11-1 record fighting exclusively in his home state of Minnesota. That run earned him a call from Bellator MMA, where he promptly earned knockout wins over Chris Horodecki and Jeremy Spoon in a combined time of just 106 seconds.
Richman recently made the move down to 135 pounds, and the decision has paid immediate dividends. The 29-year-old Richman has looked unbeatable at bantamweight, registering devastating first-round knockout wins over Nam Phan and Ed West.
