Timothy Johnson will lock horns with Valentin Moldovsky for the interim Bellator MMA heavyweight championship in the Bellator 261 headliner on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, with the winner expected to face current undisputed titleholder Ryan Bader later this year. Meanwhile, Team Hurricane Awesome’s Liz Carmouche looks to continue her climb on the women’s flyweight ladder when she battles Kana Watanabe in the three-round co-main event at 125 pounds.

Bellator 261 “Johnson vs. Modlovsky”—which airs live on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT—also features a featherweight tilt pairing Daniel Weichel with Keoni Diggs, a lightweight encounter pitting Myles Jury against Sidney Outlaw and a light heavyweight confrontation matching Christian Edwards with Simon Biyong. The undercard will stream in its entirety to the Bellator YouTube channel at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, a lightweight affair between Soren Bak and Bobby Lee anchoring the five-fight preliminary slate.

A closer look at the Bellator 261 particulars:

THE LINEUP

265: Timothy Johnson vs. Valentin Moldavsky
125: Liz Carmouche vs. Kana Watanabe
145: Daniel Weichel vs. Keoni Diggs
155: Myles Jury vs. Sidney Outlaw
205: Christian Edwards vs. Simon Biyong
155: Soren Bak vs. Bobby Lee
155: Isaiah Hokit vs. Corey Samuels
135: Jaylon Bates vs. Cody Matthews
185: Taylor Johnson vs. Lance Wright
145: John Teixeira vs. John de Jesus

THE RUNDOWN

• By The Numbers: Johnson vs. Moldavsky
• 5 Things You Might Not Know About Liz Carmouche
• Rivalries: Daniel Weichel
• The Bellator MMA Heavyweight Title: A Visual History

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Related Coverage »

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• Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
• Sherdog’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings
• Sherdog’s WMMA Pound-for-Pound Top 10 Rankings
• Fight Facts: Bellator 260