Daniel Straus-Justin Wilcox Featherweight Clash Headlines Bellator 127 on Oct. 3

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A featherweight clash between Daniel Straus and Justin Wilcox will headline Bellator 127.

Promotion officials announced the bout on Friday. Bellator 127 takes place at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., on Oct. 3. The card will also see former light heavyweight champion Christian M’Pumbu make his 185-pound debut against Kendall Grove in a Spike TV-televised bout. Additionally, in a bout previously reported by Sherdog.com, Karo Pariyan will face Marius Zaromskis at welterweight.

Straus last appeared at Bellator 112, where he relinquished the promotion’s featherweight crown to Pat Curran via rear-naked choke 4:46 into the fifth frame. That heartbreaking setback halted a six-fight winning streak for the Ohio native, who captured the belt with a five-round verdict over Curran at Bellator 106.

“I’m ready to get back to work,” Straus said in a release. “I love to stay active, fight as much as I can and now I have the opportunity to get back on the road to getting my title shot, and Justin is in the way of that goal. I’ve got to focus on myself and what I’m doing, but you better believe I’ll have my eyes on Curran-Pitbull on Sept. 5 as well.”

An eight-time Strikeforce veteran, Wilcox is 3-1 under the Bellator banner, with triumphs over Akop Stepanyan, Joe Taimanglo and Jason Fischer to his credit. His lone defeat with the promotion came against Patricio Freire via first-round technical knockout at Bellator 108.