Scott Coker explains why rest of Bellator bantamweight grand prix will take place sometime in May

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Half of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix is set, but Scott Coker said the rest won’t take place likely until May.

At Bellator 279 on April 23, bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis (22-5) will face teammate Raufeon Stots and Kyoji Horiguchi (29-4) will takeace Patchy Mix (15-1) at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

As for the remaining four fighters, Coker said due to former ACB champion Magomed Magomedov needing time off for Ramadan, which starts April 2 and lasts for a month, those fights won’t happen until May. The matchups are expected to be announced soon.

“Those fighters will probably have to end up fighting sometime in May,” Coker told MMA Junkie after Bellator 276 this past Saturday in St. Charles, Mo. “We had a decision to make and we thought about it and we think it’s the right decision. Magomed Magomedov is in Ramadan, so it’s a religious time for them to not fight and not train. So we said OK, that’s fine, we’ll just wait. We asked everybody if they’re OK on the other side of the bracket and they said they’re fine, so we’re going to wait until probably May sometime to do that fight.”

Alongside Magomedov, Ireland’s James Gallagher, former bantamweight champ Juan Archuleta and Pitbull Brothers protege Leandro Higo are yet to be booked and will also be battling for the $1 million prize and 135-pound strap.