Benson Henderson vs. Patricky ‘Pitbull’, Roy Nelson vs. Javy Ayala added to Bellator 183

A pair of notable match-ups have been set to headline a Bellator card this fall.

Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson will be taking on Patricky Freire in an 155-pound contest in the main event of Bellator 183. The news was announced on Saturday during the broadcast of Bellator 180.

Henderson will be looking to bounce back from a split-decision loss suffered in his title fight with current lightweight champ Michael Chandler. Henderson is 1-2 since joining the Bellator roster back in 2016. Meanwhile, Freire is coming off a technical knockout win over MMA veteran Josh Thomson back in February at Bellator 172.

Additionally, recent signee Roy Nelson will be making his promotional debut in the co-main event against fellow heavyweight Javy Ayala. Nelson is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkov at UFC on FOX 24. The heavyweight fighter is 2-5 in his past seven outings, and 22-14 in his MMA career. His opponent, Ayala last competed in November where he stopped Sergei Kharitonov, improving his fighting record to 10-5.

Bellator 183 is set to take place on Sept. 23 in San Jose, Calif.