Bellator 135-Pound Champion Zach Makovsky Defending In Mid April

It will be more than 17 months from when Zach Makovsky first won the Bellator bantamweight title to when he will first defend it, but that day will finally come on Friday, April 13, when recent tournament winner Eduardo Dantas challenges him at Bellator 65 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Makovsky (14-2, 6-0 Bellator) became the promotion's first 135-pound champion with a unanimous decision win over Ed West. The 29-year-old has posted victories over Chad Robichaux (third round TKO) and Ryan Roberts (first round submission) since then, both in 2011 non-title fights. The EliteXC alum has won eight in a row.

He will face a dangerous opponent in the 22-year-old Dantas (13-2, 3-0 Bellator), who won Bellator's second-ever bantamweight tournament with wins over Wilson Reis, West and then Alexis Vila in the finals. The Brazilian has won six in a row and has shown the ability to finish via T/KO or submission in his young career.

The undercard will feature the semifinals of the season 6 185-pound tournament with some combination of Maiquel Falcao, Brian Rogers, Giva Santana, Vitor Vianna, Norman Paraisy, Bruno Santos, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky and Victor O'Donnell fighting. Also, Lyman Good faces LeVon Maynard in a qualifier for the next welterweight tournament.

The event airs at 8 PM EST on MTV2.

Other Bellator news on Bloody Elbow:

• Report: Eddie Alvarez, Bellator Contract Extension Talk Not Going Well
• Ben Askren Vs. Douglas Lima Set For April 6
• Ben Saunders, Brian Foster headline 170-pound tourney
• Prindle vs. Santos, 185-pound brackets announced
• 145-pound tournament matches announced