Andy Stevenson 
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Richie Smullen (9-2-1) will face Piotr Niedzielski (17-4) in his return to Bellator, with the pair facing off on Friday 24th February in Dublin’s 3Arena. Multiple sources with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the news to SevereMMA.com. The bout was first reported by Polish website In The Cage.
Smullen recently re-signed with Bellator MMA on a multi-fight contract. Since originally parting ways with the promotion, the SBG Ireland stalwart went on to become a two-weight champion under Ukranian Real Fight Promotion banner.
Niedzielski will be familiar to Irish MMA fans, having beaten SBG Ireland’s Pedro Carvalho in a close decision on Bellator 280 in May. The bout was the Polish fighters Bellator debut, having previously won the Babilon MMA lightweight title.
Niedzielski will enter the fight against Smullen on a nine-fight win streak. Smullen has won his last 4 outings, earning stoppage victories in his three most recent contests.
Given that Niedzielski’s most recent win is over the now #3-ranked Pedro Carvalho, this is a fight that throws Smullen right into the deep end of the Bellator featherweight division.
