By FCF Staff

Bellator has announced the opening round match-ups for the promotion’s latest featherweight tourney, which will kick off February 7th at Atlanta’s Gwinnet Center. The card will also feature Alexander Shlemenko fighting Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao to determine the promotion’s middleweight champ, as a result of Hector Lombard’s departure for the UFC.

The featherweight quarterfinal bouts will see former Sengoku champ Marlon Sandro take on Akop Stepanyan, Mike “The Marine” Richman versus Bellator newcomer Mitch Jackson, Fabricio Guerrerio against Magomedrasul “Frodo” Khasbulaev and “Popo” Bezerra versus Genair da Silva.

“There is nothing in this world I want more than the Bellator Featherweight Title, and this is my road,” Sandro said in a press release from the promotion. “I love Bellator with all my heart and I know my opportunity is now.”

“It feels great to be back in the tournament, and to showcase my skills on Spike TV for Bellator,” Richman said. “I’m going to out class Mitch Jackson and show him he isn’t at my level. He’s going to sleep, and then I plan on finishing the rest of the field and getting my title shot and that $100,000 prize.”

The February 7th card will be broadcast live on SPIKE.