Austin Vanderford booked to fight Chris Curtis at Bellator 251

Austin Vanderford will look to extend his unbeaten run when he takes on a seasoned veteran next month.

Vanderford (9-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) has been booked to fight Chris Curtis (22-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) on Nov. 5 at Bellator 251. The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and will air on CBS Sports Network.

MMA Junkie confirmed the booking following an initial report from ESPN.

Vanderford last competed in November 2019, when he defeated Grachik Bozinyan by unanimous decision at Bellator 234. He has since competed in multiple grappling matches and was set to return at Bellator 246 in September but was forced out after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Curtis, a former PFL welterweight tournament semifinalist, snapped his three-fight losing skid with a stoppage win over Darren Smith Jr. at Fight Night 12 in January. He will be moving up to middleweight to take on Vanderford.

With the addition, the Bellator 251 lineup includes:

• Corey Anderson vs. Melvin Manhoef
• Chris Curtis vs. Austin Vanderford