Bellator is heading back to New York City.
Sources told ESPN the promotion is set to hold its second event at Madison Square Garden on June 14. A light heavyweight fight between Chael Sonnen and Lyoto Machida has already been booked for the card, sources said.
ESPN reported in February that both fighters had verbally agreed to fight, with a date and location to be determined.
Sonnen (31-16, 1 NC), who also works as an MMA analyst for ESPN, most recently lost to Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix in October. Before that loss, Sonnen, 42, had won two in a row.
Machida (25-8), a former UFC light heavyweight champion, won his Bellator debut in December when he defeated Rafael Carvalho via split decision. The 40-year-old Brazilian signed with the promotion after an 11-year run in the UFC. He’ll enter the fight against Sonnen on a three-fight winning streak.
Bellator’s first event at Madison Square Garden was in June 2017, when Sonnen fought Wanderlei Silva in the main event.