Douglas Lima reclaimed his Bellator Welterweight Championship in November of last year, knocking out Andrey Koreshkov and avenging his previous loss to the Russian.
Since then, the title picture at 170-pounds has been at somewhat of a standstill. There were reports that the winner of Paul Daley vs. Brennan Ward in January would determine the next #1 contender. Just prior to that fight, it was announced that Canada’s Rory MacDonald had signed with the promotion, and the rumors started that he may receive the next title shot.