Bellator San Diego marks the return of one of the most talented fighters in the world. Undefeated 24-year-old phenom Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0) will face his toughest test to date in Alexander Shabliy (24-3). Both fighters advanced to the finals of the Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix, and have unfinished business in this matchup.

The Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California will be the venue for this fight card. The same arena that hosted Bellator 300 last year. Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the best fighters outside of the UFC. Shabliy has won nine fights in a row over some of the biggest names in Bellator. Over this run, Shabliy has defeated respected contenders Patricky Pitbull, Tofiq Musayev, and Brent Primus.

Nurmagomedov trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. Here he receives top-level coaching from Javier Mendez and family member Khabib Nurmagomedov. Usman trains with UFC Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev daily, and is extremely well rounded. Shabliy has finished 19 of his 24 professional wins and knocked out dangerous contender Tofiq Musayev with a kick to the body in the tournament quarterfinals last year. Both fighters were born in Russia, so this fight will be massive not only in the United States but internationally.

Rest of Bellator San Diego fight card:

Nurmagomedov vs. Shabliy is the only fight announcement for the card currently. We will bring you updates weekly as more matchups come out. Bellator Champions Series San Diego is viewable on HBO MAX in the United States, on September 7th. Also, Middleweight champion Johnny Eblen will face Fabian Edwards the following weekend September 14th. This will be a rematch after their highly competitive title fight last year. Eblen won that fight but had to overcome adversity after Edwards opened a huge cut over on his forehead. Following the defeat Edwards rebounded nicely with a win over Aaron Jeffery. Tickets for each event are available now.

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