Full Bellator 242 Lineup Includes Pico vs. Hatley, Mein vs. Jackson on July 24

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The full lineup for Bellator 242 is now official.

Three more bouts have been added to the main card for the promotion’s return on July 24, as Aaron Pico will face Chris Hatley Jr. at featherweight, while Jordan Mein will lock horns with Jason Jackson at welterweight. Additionally, Tywan Claxton will face Ja- Jay Wilson at featherweight.

Three preliminary bouts were announced for the card as well: Logan Storley vs. Mark Lemminger at welterweight; Raufeon Stots vs. Cass Bell at bantamweight and Steve Mowry vs. Rudy Schaffroth at heavyweight.

The promotion announced the card on Wednesday. Bellator 242 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Sergio Pettis and Ricky Bandejas. Bellator has not held an event since Feb. 22. The evening’s main card will air on Paramount Network at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT., while the prelims stream on Bellator’s YouTube channel beginning at 8:45 p.m. ET/5:45 p.m. PT

“On July 24, Bellator is back,” said Bellator MMA President Scott Coker. “I am thrilled to announce our return event this month at Mohegan Sun, which has always been an incredible venue partner for us. The team has worked tirelessly to make this show happen and I know the fighters are ready to compete. We put together an exciting card with great matchups, featuring some of our best rising prospects. We look forward to our fans joining us on Paramount Network for what will surely be a memorable night of action inside the Bellator cage.”

The 23-year-old Pico is 5-3 in his MMA career with all of his bouts coming under the Bellator banner. The former Olympic wrestling hopeful halted a two-bout skid in his most recent outing, as he knocked out Daniel Carey 15 seconds into the second frame at Bellator 238. All five of Pico’s triumphs have come via knockout or technical knockout.

A two-time Legacy Fighting Alliance veteran, Hatley Jr. made his promotional debut at Bellator 239, where he garnered a split-decision triumph against Gaston Bolanos. The Hot Springs, Arkansas, native is 8-2 during his professional tenure.

Mein will return to action for the first time since outpointing Alex Morono at UFC on Fox 30 on July 28, 2018. Mein, who lost to Rory MacDonald in his pro debut in 2006, owns notable wins over the likes of Joe Riggs, Marius Zaromskis, Evangelista Santos, Dan Miller and Mike Pyle. The Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, native briefly retired from the sport in July 2015 but he returned to action a little more than a year later in a loss to Emil Meek at UFC 206.

The well-traveled Jackson is 2-1 in Bellator as part of a pro career that includes appearances in LFA, Titan FC, Victory FC and Dana White’s Contender Series. In his most recent outing, the 29-year-old Jamaican earned a decision win against Kiichi Kunimoto at Bellator 236.

Claxton has kicked off his professional career with victories in six of his seven Bellator MMA appearances, with his lone loss coming to Emmanuel Sanchez in the promotion’s featherweight tournament. “Air” is coming off a decision win over Braydon Akeo at Bellator 235.

New Zealand’s Wilson is 5-0 as a professional, with four of those triumphs coming in Bellator MMA. The 22-year-old submitted Mario Navarro in the second round of their encounter in his most recent bout at Bellator 238.