<
>

Two title fights added to Bellator 180 in NYC

Bellator MMA has added two title fights to its summer pay-per-view event.

Lightweight champion Michael Chandler will defend his title against Brent Primus at Bellator 180 on June 24 in New York City.

Officials confirmed the 155-pound title fight with ESPN.com, following an initial report by MMAFighting.com. The Bellator 180 pay-per-view event will take place at Madison Square Garden.

And in the welterweight division, recent signee Lorenz Larkin (18-5) will challenge Douglas Lima (28-6) for the 170-pound title. Larkin signed with Bellator this month, following a 10-fight run in the UFC.

Chandler (16-3) is coming off an exhilarating title defense against former UFC champion Benson Henderson at Bellator 165 in November. Chandler won the fight via split decision.

A former collegiate wrestler at the University of Missouri, Chandler has won four in a row, including a knockout win over Patricky Freire last June to reclaim the Bellator championship. He first won the title in 2011 but surrendered it to Eddie Alvarez in a split-decision loss in 2013.

Primus (7-0), of Portland, is 5-0 in the Bellator cage. He fought just once in 2016, picking up a split-decision win in April.

A grudge match between two-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva will headline Bellator 180. A heavyweight fight featuring Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione has also been announced.