A rematch of a Bellator MMA middleweight title between Alexander Shlemenko and Brandon Halsey will serve as the main event for M-1 Challenge 79.
The Russian promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. M-1 Challenge 79 takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 1. The two middleweights first squared off at Bellator 126 in September 2014, with Halsey taking Shlemenko’s 185-pound title via rear-naked choke just 35 seconds into the opening frame.
Shlemenko is unbeaten in six bouts since then, although a victory over Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 133 was overturned to a no contest after the Russian fighter failed a drug test.