Rafael Carvalho’s first light heavyweight bout will be against one of the top contenders in the division.
The former Bellator middleweight champion faces Vadim Nemkov (10-2) at the promotion’s upcoming debut in Milan, Italy, officials announced Friday. This matchup will headline the Bellator 230 portion of the event, which will air on tape-delay in the U.S. on Paramount Network the evening of Oct. 12.
Carvalho (16-3) is moving up to 205 pounds for the first time in the wake of back-to-back losses to Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi, the latter setback costing him the Bellator middleweight title.