Bellator 198 co-main event set: Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Sam Sicilia

If Emmanuel Sanchez wants to continue rising, he’ll next have to get past a proven UFC veteran.

It was announced Monday that Sanchez (16-3 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will take on Sam Sicilia in the co-main event of Bellator 198 on April 28 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.

The event, which airs on Paramount following prelims streamed on MMAjunkie, features a headliner between Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir competing in the opening round of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix.

Sanchez, 27, is the winner of six of his last seven fights, including three in a row in 2017. He most recently submitted Daniel Straus with a triangle choke last October at Bellator 184.

Sicilia will look to build off the momentum of a win over Marcos Galvao last December in his Bellator debut. The victory snapped a three-fight losing streak to close out his four-and-a-half-year stint with the UFC.

With the addition, the Bellator 198 lineup now includes:

• Fedor Emelianenko vs. Frank Mir – Bellator heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal
• Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Sam Sicilia
• Neiman Gracie vs. Javier Torres

For more on Bellator 198, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.