Cole Konrad file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
With most of the field in place for its heavyweight tournament and its first champion vs. tournament winner fight set, Bellator Fighting Championships is primed to launch its third season Aug. 12.
Seven of the eight heavyweight tournament entrants were clear as of week’s end. They are two-time NCAA national wrestling champion Cole Konrad, Rogent Lloret, Eddie Sanchez, Scott Barrett, Damian Grabowski, Neil Grove and Mike Hayes. Sanchez faces Grove on Aug. 12.
The eighth spot looked to be reserved for EliteXC and Sengoku veteran Dave Herman, but a contract-related lawsuit has put that on ice. Herman sued Bellator for allegedly breaching a six-fight contract by not giving him a requisite number of fights and subsequently interfering when he sought fights elsewhere, preventing other promoters from booking him.
Relations cooled after Herman lost a January fight to Mu Bae Choi in Sengoku, prompting Bellator to allegedly threaten a lawsuit to reclaim from Herman a $12,000 signing bonus that was predicated on his undefeated record. Herman was originally set to face Sanchez at Bellator’s season one finale last year, but the promotion decided to hold the bout off for the heavyweight tournament. Herman said he was offered a spot in the tournament that required him to drop his lawsuit, which he declined because he’s incurred tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs that he thinks Bellator should cover.
Things are a bit more harmonious in the promotion’s featherweight ranks. The promotion has booked its first champion versus tournament winner fight for Sept. 2 in San Antonio, Texas, where 145-pound champion Joe Soto will defend against Joe Warren.
After the Aug. 12 season premiere in Florida, the promotion will stage its next events in Chicago, Kansas City, San Antonio and New Orleans.