‘Iron’ Nakamura Added to Bellator Season 6 Bantamweight Tourney

Bellator officials Saturday announced the addition of Japanese standout Nakamura, bringing the number of fighters confirmed for the upcoming 135-pound bracket to seven. Previously announced was the participation of Alexis Vila, Ed West, Marcos Galvao, Rodrigo Lima and Luis Alberto Nogueira, who will vie for a shot at the Bellator bantamweight title in 2012.

Bellator’s sixth season is expected to begin in March and will air Friday nights on MTV2. In addition to the bantamweight draw, the Chicago-based promotion will hold tournaments in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions.

A winner in five of his last six fights, Nakamura has spent the majority of his six-year pro career fighting in the Deep and Shooto organizations. The Tokyo Yellow Mans representative has fought four times in 2011, besting former Deep bantamweight champion Masakazu Imanari in a February non-title affair before falling to Takafumi Otsuka in an effort to capture the vacant strap this past June. The 30-year-old rebounded from the loss by posting back-to-back wins, outpointing Yoshiro Maeda and Seiji Akao on Oct. 29 and Dec. 16, respectively.