Alvarez vs. Morales and Masvidal vs. Garijo set for Bellator’s April 3 launch

The Bellator Fighting Championships officially announced Thursday that its debut event is scheduled for Friday, April 3 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Set to be featured during the promotion’s inaugural event are lightweight tournament matches featuring Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal.

Alvarez, 16-2, a former BodogFIGHT welterweight champion, is slated to compete in a bout contested at 155 pounds against Daniel Morales, 5-1. Meanwhile, Masvidal, a veteran of Bodog, Strikeforce, and Sengoku, will take on jiu-jitsu black belt Diego Garijo.

Also scheduled for the card are three featherweight tournament bouts that will pit former Strikeforce veteran Nick Gonzalez (14-6) vs. Yahir Reyes (12-5), Estevan Payan (6-1) vs. Luis Palomino (9-4), and Joe Soto (4-0) vs. Ben Greer (11-4).

Former EliteXC bantamweight champion Wilson Reis has also been announced for the featherweight tournament, however, his involvement in now uncertain. Reis’ contract was one of 42 deal that were acquired by Strikeforce during its recent acquisition of select assets from ProElite.

Sources have revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that Reis currently has exclusive contracts with both Strikeforce and Bellator and that a remedy of some sort will be in order.

Bellator’s April 3 event will be taped and will then air in a live-to-tape format the next night on ESPN Deportes. Deportes is the Spanish-language outfit of ESPN but sources have also indicated that Bellator is currently looking at potential announcers for an English-language version of its broadcast that would be accessible through the SAP button on a television set.