Ed Ruth to make welterweight debut vs. Andy Murad at Bellator 201

Ed Ruth’s journey at 170 pounds begins this summer.

Undefeated at middleweight, Ruth will drop down a division to fight Andy Murad at Bellator 201 on June 29 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. The three-time NCAA wrestling champion was originally scheduled to make his welterweight debut in April, but a late opponent switch caused the bout to be changed to a 175-pound catchweight affair.

Officials confirmed the Bellator 201 bout with MMA Fighting following an initial report by MMAjunkie.

Ruth, 27, has lived up to his status as a blue chip prospect since starting his pro MMA career with Bellator in November 2016. He finished his first four opponents by knockout before needing all three rounds to earn a unanimous decision win over Ion Pascu at Bellator 196.

Known as “The Tooth Fairy”, Murad (16-2) has split four appearances for Bellator since 2013. In his most recent appearance for the promotion at Bellator 160, he defeated Johnny Cisneros by unanimous decision. Murad is on a 10-fight win streak, but has not competed since last June.