Liam McGeary to face Chris Fields at Bellator 173 in Belfast

Liam McGeary will head to the United Kingdom in an attempt to bounce back from dropping the Bellator light heavyweight title.

The former champ will take on Ultimate Fighter alum Chris Fields in the main event of Bellator 173 on Feb. 24 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, ESPN reported Monday night via Bellator president Scott Coker.

McGeary (11-1), a native of England, was undefeated going into a title defense against Phil Davis in November, but dropped a unanimous decision. The New York resident had won eight straight for Bellator, including a title victory over Emanuel Newton in February 2015. McGeary, 34, trains out of Renzo Gracie Academy.

Fields (11-7-1) is coming off a first-round submission win over Dan Konecke back in February under the BAMMA banner. The Dublin native, who trains with Conor McGregor at SBG Ireland, competed on TUF 19. Fields, 33, had two bouts cancelled in the latter half of 2016 for BAMMA, which is a partner of Bellator in the UK and Ireland.

Also on the card, per ESPN, will be James Gallagher, another SBG Ireland product under John Kavanagh. No opponent has been named yet for the 20-year-old prospect, who has won his first two Bellator bouts.