One of the biggest title fights in Bellator history now has a date.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with sources close to the event that undefeated Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BFC) will meet recent tournament winner Jay Hieron (22-4 MMA, 3-0 BFC) at Bellator 56.
The event takes place Oct. 29 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan.
The night's main card airs on MTV2 (and in high-definition on EPIX), and the prelims stream on Spike.com.
As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, Bellator officials hoped to host the title fight at the University of Missouri in Columbia, which is Askren's alma mater. However, scheduling conflicts made any suitable venues unavailable.
Askren and Hieron have made no secret of their dislike for each other in recent months. In fact, the trash talk began soon after Hieron was crowned the No. 1 contender.
Askren, a two-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion at Mizzou and a 2008 U.S. Olympian, made his pro debut in 2009 and joined Bellator a year later. He's 5-0 in the organization, which included a season-two welterweight tourney championship that included victories over Ryan Thomas (twice) and Dan Hornbuckle. He then took the belt from Lyman Good before an April non-title win over veteran fighter Nick Thompson.
Hieron, a former UFC and Strikeforce fighter who also held the IFL welterweight title, joined Bellator earlier this year and notched tourney victories over Anthony Lapsley, Brent Weedman and Rick Hawn to earn a title shot. The former JUCO national wrestling champion and NCAA Division I wrestler now has won 10 straight fights, which included victories over the likes of Jason High, Jesse Taylor and Joe Riggs.
Source: Champ Ben Askren vs. Jay Hieron targeted for Bellator 56 title fight in Kansas City