Douglas Lima vs Andrey Koreshkov fight to headline Bellator 140 on July 16

It's fair to say this one has been a long time coming.

Because of scheduling issues and injuries, Douglas Lima has not been seen in the Bellator cage since winning the vacant welterweight title at Bellator 117 on April 18, 2014. That puts it at little more than one year since the welterweight title has been active in Bellator MMA.

Today's announcement will remedy that problem.

Bellator has booked a tough test for Lima at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on July 16, 2015, matching "The Phenom" against Andrey "Spartan" Koreshkov (17-1) in the main event of Bellator 140.

Koreshkov has himself been inactive for a while --he was last seen defeating Adam McDonough via unanimous decision at Bellator 122 in July 2014. That will make Koreshkov's title shot his first fight back in nearly one year.

Company president Scott Coker issued the following statement:

"Douglas Lima is an incredible champion who is in for one of the toughest fights of his life against Koreshkov. When the rest of this card is announced, we'll have put together one of the greatest showcases of welterweight talent ever assembled on one night."

To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to check out our comprehensive archive right here.