Kemran Lachinov, Davion Franklin among additions to Bellator 254 prelims

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator 254 is three weeks away and the preliminary card is filling up.

A welterweight fight between Kemran Lachinov and Shimal Nikaev, as well as a heavyweight bout between Davion Franklin and Anthony Garrett, has been added to the Dec. 10 event, a promotion official recently informed MMA Junkie.

Lachniov (10-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) made his Bellator return in October when he defeated the American Kickboxing Academy’s Kyle Crutchmer by unanimous decision. Turkey’s Lachinov has fought intermittently for Bellator since 2015. While he’s not a rostered fighter, Lachinov has remained undefeated through five appearances.

Nikaev (9-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) signed with the promotion in late 2019, but has yet to debut. He was supposed to debut against Bobby Lee at Bellator 239 in February but the fight was canceled for unknown reasons. The 25-year-old welterweight fighter is an alumnus of ACB and holds a win over UFC lightweight Christos Giagos.

Franklin (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) is the second recipient of the JacksonWink-Mata Leon scholarship. A former junior college football and wrestling standout, Franklin has one win by TKO and a second by technical decision.

Garrett (5-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is most well-known for his lone Bellator appearance to date, in which he was kneed in the groin multiple times by former WWE superstar Jake Hager. The October 2019 fight was ruled a “No Contest” and Garrett has gone 1-0 since.

Bellator 254 takes place Thursday, Dec. 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network/DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the addition, the Bellator 254 lineup includes:

• Ilima Lei-Macfarlane vs. Julianna Velasquez – for women’s flyweight title
• Nate Andrews vs. Goiti Yamauchi
• Matheus Mattos vs. Magomedov Magomedov
• Jessica Borga vs. Marina Mokhnatina
• Tyree Fortune vs. Grant Neal
• Romero Cotton vs. Justin Sumter
• Kemran Lachinov vs. Shamil Nikaev
• Davion Franklin vs. Anthony Garrett