Bellator to Crown Bantamweight Champ Oct.14

Ed West (left) file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Bellator has officially announced a fight between Zach Makovsky and Ed West to crown its first bantamweight champion at Bellator 32 on Oct. 14 in Kansas City, Mo.

Makovsky is riding a five-fight winning streak heading into the contest, including victories over Nick Mamalis and Bryan Goldsby in the first two rounds of Bellator's bantamweight tournament. The Philadelphia Fight Factory product has also competed in Japanese promotion Deep and the extinct EliteXC. “Fun Size” started his career hot, winning six of his first seven fights.

“I’m not as concerned with Ed as I am with the [five-round] length of this fight,” said Makovsky. “With that said, Ed is going to be a huge challenge, and probably the most well rounded fighter I have faced. I’m excited to see what I can do.”

Ed “Wild” West has won seven straight fights. He defeated Bryan Goldsby and Jose Vega to advance to the bantamweight final. Fighting out of Tuscon, Ariz., West is an IFL veteran and holds a loss to former IFL lightweight champion Chris Horodecki.

“I’ve definitely had to train differently for not only Zach, [but also] the fight itself,” West said regarding the potential five round fight. “As the fight moves on it will become harder and harder to lock up a submission, and our endurance needs to be taken to the next level. It’s going to be a war.”

Wood is already looking toward the winner's circle.

“Winning the Championship would be more important than anything I have done in the MMA world,” said West. “To win this tournament, you have to win three incredibly tough fights in six weeks. If you can pull that off, it speaks volumes, and it would take my game to the next level.”

Founded in 2008, Bellator is in its third season of events, in which fighters compete in eight-man tournaments over a the period of several weeks to decide champions. The promotion airs fights on Fox Sports Net and puts on bouts ranging from bantamweight to middleweight.