Bellator books debut of Lyoto Machida’s teammate Weber Almeida for early next year

Just days after Lyoto Machida’s successful debut in the Bellator cage, another member of the Machida Karate team is booked to compete for the company.

Weber Almeida, 31, a multiple-time champion in karate and kickboxing, is set to take on Odan Chinchilla, 30, in a bantamweight bout in the preliminary portion of Bellator 214 in Los Angeles on Jan. 26, promotion officials told MMA Fighting.

Both Almeida and Chinchilla fought once in mixed martial arts years ago. The Brazilian won his first and only MMA bout by first-round knockout in 2015, while Chinchilla, a California-native, scored a decision victory back in 2013.

Headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Ryan Bader for the vacant heavyweight belt, Bellator 214 will take place at the The Forum in Los Angeles. The co-main event features middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi defending his title versus unbeaten Rafael Lovato Jr.