Ralek Gracie to Face Hisaki Kato at Bellator 170 in Los Angeles

Ralek Gracie has an opponent for his Bellator MMA debut, as the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace will square off against Hisaki Kato in Los Angeles on Jan. 21.

Promotion officials announced the Bellator 170 matchup on Tuesday. The event takes place at the Forum in Los Angeles and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen. Gracie vs. Kato is set for the main card, which airs on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

The 31-year-old Gracie owns a 3-0 record in MMA competition but hasn’t fought since taking a unanimous decision against Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream 14 on May 29, 2010. The Metamoris founder began his MMA tenure with back-to-back first-round submission victories over Katsuyori Shibata and Alvavutdin Gadijev.

Kato has won three of his last four fights, including a first-round TKO stoppage of A.J. Matthews at Bellator 162 on Oct. 21. The 34-year-old “Japanese Musketeer” has notably authored highlight-reel knockout wins over Joe Schillilng both in the Bellator cage and kickboxing ring. Kato is 7-2 as a professional, with all of his victories coming by KO or TKO.