Ronnie Mann meets Jose Luis Zapater at Cage Warriors 57

Ronnie Mann‘s Cage Warriors debut has been set for a while, but he now has his opponent.

Mann (21-6-1) will meet Spain’s Jose Luis Zapater (17-9) next month at Cage Warriors 57. Promotion officials on Wednesday announced the fight booking, as well as a pair of preliminary-card fights.

Cage Warriors 57 takes place July 20 at Echo Arena in Liverpool. The city will host its first show since Cage Warriors 21 in 2006. The main card airs on MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following prelims on Facebook.

Following a six-fight run in Bellator that saw him go 3-3, Mann signed an exclusive deal with Cage Warriors. The 26-year-old bantamweight has dropped three of his past four fights, all in Bellator tournament bouts and all by decision. His most recent win came in October 2011 with a first-round submission of Kenny Foster at Bellator 53.

“This fight means a lot to me as I’m fighting at home in the U.K. again for the first time in five years,” Mann stated. “I’m excited to be back in front of the British fans and I want to do U.K. MMA proud. Like myself, my opponent brings a lot of experience to the table, so I think it will be an excellent fight. He’s a good all-’rounder, but I don’t think his skills will match my technical ability.”

After going 4-0 in 2012, Zapater has lost back-to-back fights in 2013. But before that, the Spaniard had a nine-fight win streak. Zapater is a 10-year pro who has nine stoppages among his 17 career wins.

“I’m very excited about fighting on this show in such a magnificent arena,” Zapater stated. “My opponent is very tough and skilled, but I’m looking forward to the challenge it will bring.”

On the preliminary card, Steve Dinsdale (5-1) will take on unbeaten Dan Rushworth (5-0) in a welterweight bout. And Mark Connor (8-8-1) meets Bryan Creighton (3-1) at flyweight.

The latest Cage Warriors 57 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (MMAjunkie.com, 4 p.m. ET)

• Lukasz Chlewicki vs. Paul Daley
• Ronnie Mann vs. Jose Luis Zapater
• Mauro Chimento vs. Danny Roberts
• Bruno “B.C.” Carvalho vs. Jack Mason
• Lee Chadwick vs. Mats Nilsson
• Leeroy Barnes vs. Norman Paraisy

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 2 p.m. ET)

• Chris Fishgold vs. Marcin Wrzosek
• Mohsen Bahari vs. Matt Inman
• Lewis Long vs. Saul Rogers
• Steve Dinsdale vs. Dan Rushworth
• Mark Connor vs. Bryan Creighton

For more on Cage Warriors 57, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Ronnie Mann)