Dantas (photo via Bellator)

By FCF Staff

Bellator has lost its bantamweight champion until 2014, as the promotion has announced that Eduardo Dantas has been sidelined with an ankle injury. As a result, a bout between Dantas and recent “Summer Series” tourney winner Rafael Silva has been pushed back.

“Eduardo Dantas is one of the most explosive Champions in MMA, and while this injury is a setback, we all expect Eduardo back, better than ever in 2014,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion.

Dantas (15-3) hasn’t competed since February when he knocked out Marcos Galvao at Bellator 89. The victory returned the Nova Uniao fighter to the win column, after he was stopped by Tyson Nam at a Shooto Brazil card last August.

The 24 year-old has won all five of his Bellator bouts to date.

Joe Warren and Travis Marx will fight in the Season 9 bantamweight tourney final to see who will challenge for the belt after Silva.

The latter worked his way to a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Leone at Bellator 102 to win the Summer Series competition.