· Light Heavyweights Vie For Finals Spot At Bellator 42

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 04/22 at 03:05 PM

Two light heavyweight semifinals bouts, one “super fight” and a local feature match comprise the main card of Bellator 42, set to take place April 23 from the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla. airing live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. French fighter Christian “Tonton” M’Pumbu meets the undefeated Tim Carpenter, and the hard-hitting D.J. "Da Protege" Linderman takes on fast-rising star Richard “Rare Breed” Hale as they battle for a spot in the finals and an opportunity to become Bellator’s first-ever light heavyweight world champion. The winner receives the title and $100,000.

M’Pumbu (16-3-1) recently defeated Chris Davis via technical knockout in the quarterfinals match at Bellator 38. His upcoming opponent, Tim Carpenter (7-0), picked up a split decision win against Daniel Gracie on that same card. With five knockouts to his credit, M’Pumbu pits his superior striking against the unblemished record and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ground game of Carpenter.

A former heavyweight, Linderman (9-1) dropped weight classes to enter the light heavyweight tournament this season. He was successful in his first outing for Bellator, a round three technical knockout victory over Raphael Davis. Linderman previously fought as heavy as 261 pounds.

Hale (16-3-1) fights out of Arizona’s Koncrete gym and currently rides a three-fight win steak. He defeated Nik Fekete via submission (inverted triangle choke) in his tournament and promotional debut.

In a non-tournament featherweight tilt, originally slated for Bellator 40, former Sengoku fighter Ronnie Mann (18-2-1) faces Josh Arocho (13-9). Mann looks for his third win in a row, most recently picking up a split decision win against Douglas Evans at Shark Fights 13. Arocho is on a five-fight win streak, with four submission finishes in that span.

With Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello forced to withdraw, due to a back injury, from his non-title bout against Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole “The Polar Bear” Konrad, a local feature fight fills out the main card. In that match, Jerod Spoon (5-1-1) faces Luiz "Terrier" Nogueira (10-1).

Four additional local fights make up the preliminary card.

The weigh-ins and pre-fight press conference for Bellator 42 will stream live today at 6 p.m. ET on Bellator.com. The event will be emceed by Bellator cage announcer Michael C. Williams and Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith.