‘King Mo’ vs. Satoshi Ishii Headlines Bellator MMA’s Debut in Ireland on Dec. 16

Muhammad Lawal will take on Satoshi Ishii in the evening’s main event when Bellator MMA travels to Dublin for the first time on Dec. 16.

Bellator 169 takes place at the 3A Arena and will also feature Irish prospect James Gallagher against an as-yet-to-be announced foe. The event will be co-promoted with the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, which according to a release will hold BAMMA 27 in the same venue alongside Bellator 169. The BAMMA 27 lineup includes a bantamweight title fight between Tom Duquesnoy and Alan Philpott as well as featherweight championship clash pitting Ronnie Mann against Martin Stapleton.

The card will be televised on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

“When thinking of a country that respects, understands and yearns for quality mixed martial arts action, Ireland immediately comes to mind,” Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said in a release. “I’m very excited for this event, with ‘King Mo’ versus Ishii in the main event, and I cannot wait to be inside the 3Arena when ‘The Strabanimal,’ James Gallagher takes center stage, it’s going to be a madhouse. With that being said, I’m pleased to be bringing this action to Dublin alongside a promotion like BAMMA and (CE)L David Green, who has been a good friend for years.”

The 35-year-old “King Mo” had a seven-fight winning streak snapped in his last outing, as he lost a narrow three-round verdict to Phil Davis at Bellator 154 in May. The former Strikeforce titlist is 8-4 within the California-based promotion and is 19-5 as a professional overall.

An Olympic gold medalist in judo in 2008, Ishii came up short in his promotional debut, dropping a split decision against Quinton Jackson at Bellator 157 on June 24. The 29-year-old Osaka, Japan, native has tasted victory just twice in his last six outings, a stretch that includes a pair of TKO defeats to Mirko Filipovic.