Bellator MMA is heating up this summer. The promotion saw a pair of champions maintain their spots atop their respective divisions in June as Vadim Nemkov outclassed Yoel Romero to retain his light heavyweight title and Sergio Pettis turned away featherweight king Patricio Pitbull in his bid to become a three-division champion. 

Now, things crank up even more as Bellator heads to the Far East.

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This summer marks the promotion’s return to Japan for Bellator vs. Rizin 2. The event will see multiple crossover bouts, but the main event pits AJ McKee against Patricky Pitbull in a quarterfinal matchup of the Lightweight World Grand Prix. There’s still bad blood between the McKee and Pitbull families after McKee split his series with Patricio Pitbull at featherweight. Plus, the inaugural flyweight champion will be crowned when Kyoji Horiguchi takes on Makoto Shinryu.

Three months later, Fabian Edwards — brother of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards — looks to add more gold to his family’s trophy case. A unanimous decision win over former middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi put Fabian Edwards in line as the next challenger for Johnny Eblen’s crown. The two middleweights will headline the promotion’s return to Ireland for Bellator Dublin on Sept. 23.

Be sure to check back in on this page to stay up to date on the upcoming Bellator events throughout the remainder of the year.

Upcoming Bellator MMA schedule

Event	Date	Main event	Weight class	Location	TV
Bellator vs. Rizin 2	July 30	AJ McKee vs. Patricky Pitbull	Lightweight World Grand Prix	Saitama, Japan	Showtime
Bellator 298	Aug. 11	Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward	Welterweight	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Showtime
Bellator Dublin	Sept. 23	Johnny Elben (c) vs. Fabian Edwards	Middleweight title	Dublin	Showtime