Andrey Koreshkov has spent two-plus years consolidating his power atop the Bellator MMA welterweight division in wake of Ben Askren’s departure.
The once-beaten Koreshkov will defend his 170-pound championship against former titleholder Douglas Lima in the Bellator 164 main event on Thursday at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. In addition to the Koreshkov-Lima rematch, Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Noad Lahat returns to his homeland to face Scott Cleve in a three-round co-headliner at 145 pounds. The rest of the four-fight main card features a featherweight clash pitting former World Series of Fighting champion Georgi Karakhanyan against Kirill Medvedovsky and a women’s flyweight encounter pairing Lena Ovchynnikova with Karla Benitez.