Former featherweight champion Patricio Freire faces fellow Brazilian John Teixeira in the co-main event, while longtime MMA veteran Evangelista Santos makes his promotional debut against Brennan Ward.
Bellator 153 takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and features the Bellator debut of former UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson versus 170-pound champion Andrey Koreshkov.
Freire (24-3) looks to get back on track after losing his belt to Daniel Straus in November, snapping a seven-fight winning streak. Teixeira (20-1-2), on the other hand, enters the biggest fight of his career riding an eight-fight undefeated run.