A couple weeks back at Bellator 244, in a shocking upset, Vadim Nemkov steamrolled Ryan Bader to claim the light heavyweight title.
Nemkov's first title defense could come from the winner of this Friday's Bellator 245 main event from the "FightSphere" at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., when Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis meet one more time.
Machida and Davis first met in August 2013 at a UFC Fight Night event with the latter winning by unanimous decision in the former's home country of Brazil. More than seven years later, both fighters are looking for a win. Machida dropped a split decision to Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 228 in September 2019. Davis, a former Bellator light heavyweight titleholder, lost by third-round TKO to Karl Albrektsson at Bellator 231 in October.
A lot is on the line for Machida and Davis. The winner is back in the mix and possibly would earn a shot at Nemkov next. The loser likely sees his days as a championship contender coming to an end.
Here is what you need to know about Bellator 245: Davis vs. Machida 2.
Bellator 245 takes place Friday night, Sept. 11. Prelims get underway at 8:15 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 10 p.m. ET. Machida and Davis should start about 11:30 p.m. ET, but the time depends on the length of the earlier fights.
In the United States, the Bellator 245 prelims begin at 8:15 p.m. ET on Bellator MMA's official YouTube channel and on DAZN. The main card will follow live on DAZN and the Paramount Network.
In Canada, the prelims and main card are available on DAZN.
In Germany and Spain, the main card (4 a.m. CEST Saturday) is available on DAZN.
Find out more about how to watch on DAZN by clicking here.
Bellator 245: Davis vs. Machida 2 will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Machida has never fought at the venue. Davs has competed twice at the arena, splitting his respective bouts there, including the defeat to Albrektsson in his last time out.