Warren-Davis to headline Bellator 143

          • Brett OkamotoAug 11, 2015, 03:58 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          A nontitle bantamweight fight between former two-division champion Joe Warren and L.C. Davis will headline Bellator 143 on Sept. 25.

          Bellator officials announced the main event on Tuesday. The televised card will take place at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.

          Warren (12-4) surrendered the 135-pound title in a submission loss to Marcos Galvao in March. The title fight was stopped in the second round when Warren screamed in pain thanks to a Galvao kneebar. Warren immediately contested the stoppage, as he never formally tapped, but to no avail. It was his first professional loss in three years.

          A former world champion amateur wrestler, Warren has held Bellator titles at 135 and 145 pounds.

          Davis (23-6) is coming off a riveting split-decision victory against Hideo Tokoro. The nine-year veteran is currently on a three-fight win streak and has been calling for bigger-name opponents to move him higher in the ranks. Davis has won seven of his past eight overall.

          In addition to the main event, Bellator officials announced a middleweight bout between Kendall Grove (21-15) and Joey Beltran (16-11).