Bellator 92 Gets Dave Jansen-Marcin Held Lightweight Tournament Final in California

Promotion officials announced the news Friday, revealing that the show will take place at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. The evening’s main draw airs live on Spike TV, while the preliminary draw streams immediately prior on Facebook.

Jansen and Held were initially expected to clash at Bellator 84 in Season 7, but that bout was scrapped at the last minute when Held -- only 20 years old at the time -- was not allowed to enter the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. The winner of their rescheduled main event will earn a $100,000 payday and a guaranteed shot at Bellator’s lightweight belt.

Now 21, Held is still one of Bellator’s youngest competitors. The leg lock specialist joined the promotion in 2011 and was defeated by future Bellator kingpin Michael Chandler in the Season 4 tournament quarterfinals. Following a trio of victories, the Pole entered the Season 7 draw, edging Russian talent Murad Machaev in the round of eight before submitting UFC vet Rich Clementi in the semifinals on Nov. 16.

Jansen, meanwhile, has used Bellator to rejuvenate his career. Following back-to-back defeats and a subsequent release from World Extreme Cagefighting, the 33-year-old posted three straight wins in the Bellator cage to earn his spot in the Season 7 tourney. “The Fugitive” extended his winning streak to five fights with hard-fought tournament wins over Magomed Saadulaev and Ricardo Tirloni, bringing his career record to 18-2.

“I’ve had a lot of time to work on my game plan and really focus on this fight on March 7,” Jansen said in the official release. “Marcin has the total package when it comes to submissions, so I know what I need to focus on to win this fight and get a shot at the Bellator title.”