Phil Davis scheduled to meet Liam McGeary at Bellator 163 in November for light heavyweight title

Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary is now scheduled to meet former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender Phil Davis for the 205-pound title later this year, per an announcement made by the promotion earlier today (Fri., Sept. 23, 2016). Bellator 163 "McGeary vs. Davis" takes places on Nov. 4, 2016 from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

McGeary (11-0) stormed onto the Bellator scene back in 2013 and has been mowing down the competition ever since, culminating in a title-winning performance opposite "The Hardcore Kid" Emanuel Newton at Bellator 134. To date, McGeary has only had one title defense, which came last November at Bellator's hybrid "Dynamite 1" card in San Jose, California, opposite mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Tito Ortiz. Although Ortiz put up a valiant effort, he was tapped out by an inverted triangle with under 20 seconds left in the first round.

Next up for McGeary will be Davis, who earned his title shot that same night and successfully defended his No. 1 contender status at Bellator 154. On Nov. 4, "Mr. Wonderful" will finally get his opportunity to prove he can carry the 205-pound division since coming over from UFC back in 2015. Davis, 31, has compiled a 3-0 promotional record with two finishes along the way.

In addition, local fan favorite "Irish Bad Boy" Brennan Ward will look to rebound from a submission loss to Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, as he meets the always powerful Saad Awad, who remains the only man to knockout former Bellator 155-pound champion Will Brooks

The current Bellator 163 card can be found below.

Bellator 163 "McGeary vs. Davis" (Spike TV):

Light Heavyweight: Liam McGeary (11-0) vs. Phil Davis (16-3)
Welterweight: Saad Awad (19-8) vs. Brennan Ward (13-4)
Featherweight: Marloes Coenen (23-7) vs. Talita Nogueira (6-0)

Bellator 163 "Prelims" Card (Spike.com)

Heavyweight: Josh Diekmann (15-7, 1 NC) vs. Tyler King (11-4)
Featherweight: Blair Tugman (8-6) vs. Walter Smith-Cotito (4-4, 1 NC)
Middleweight: Michael Zichelle (8-4) vs. Tim Caron (5-0)
Welterweight: Ilya Kotau (1-1) vs. Carlos Corriea (1-0)
Flyweight: Sarah Payant (1-3) vs. Hannah Regina (Debut)

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