Friday brings the ninth installment of ESPN Deportes’ Bellator Fighting Championships and, with it, one of the better main events in the promotion’s short history: Cuban Judo animal Hector Lombard will tackle Army ranger James Damien Stelly to determine one of the finalists for the middleweight title next month.
Lombard knocked out Virgil Lozano in just over a minute in April’s quarter-final match; Stelly decisioned former Lion’s Den fighter Alex Andrade the same night.
If you’re wondering what the hell happened to Bellator 8, it turns out the company labeled a best-of show with that number. Installment 9, taped in Monroe, La., airs on ESPN Deportes on Saturday.