Emanuel Newton vs. Joey Beltran Light Heavyweight Title Bout Headlines Bellator 124 From Michigan

September 12’s Bellator 124 will feature a headlining light heavyweight title bout, and surprisingly, it doesn’t feature Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Instead, Bellator 205-pound king Emanuel Newtown will face longtime UFC vet Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran in the main event of the SPIKE TV-aired card from the Compuware Arena in Michigan.

After winning the interim title by defeating “King Mo” Lawal in November of last year, Newtown became the undisputed champion by defeating Attila Vegh with a split decision at Bellator 113 in March. He spoke up about his pending match with Beltran:

“”I’ve been wanting to get back in the cage as soon as possible so I went to Scott Coker and he made this fight happen for me,” Newton said in a release. “Beltran is a guy that always pushes the pace and looks for the finish, which plays into my style perfectly. I know he is coming off a nice win against Matyushenko, and has been in this game for a while, so I’m excited for the fight and another chance to defend my belt.”

Beltran “earned” his title shot by tapping out retiring fellow UFC vet Vladimir Matyushenko with a north/south choke at April’s Bellator 116. He expressed his excitement to fight for the belt:

“I’m jacked to get this shot against Newton,” Beltran said. “He’s a tough guy, but I’ve been in this sport for a while now and have fought some of the best. I’ve got some good momentum after my last fight, and we’re going to put on a show September 12th.”

But “The Mexicutioner” has still lost seven of his last eleven bouts with a no contest after testing positive for nandrolone.

He was also knocked out by “Rampage” at Bellator 108. All told, the controversial former UFC champ is 3-0 under inside Bellator’s cage, with his most recent win a close split decision over Lawal in the main event of May 17’s Bellator 120 pay-per-view (PPV).

It’s not a secret that Jackson and Newton are friends, so that definitely could have played a large part in “Rampage” passing on a title shot. Former Strikeforce head Coker may want to make a splash with his first booking of “Rampage,” so a rematch with “King Mo” could also be on the near horizon.

Bellator 124 is also set to feature a Liam McGeary vs. Kelly Anundsen light heavyweight tournament final in the co-main event.