Bellator 116 Update: Pacheco-Halsey Promoted to Middleweight Tournament Semifinal

Joe Pacheco will enter his second Bellator tournament. | Keith Mills/Sherdog.com

Dan Cramer was scheduled to meet Jeremy Kimball last week to decide who would face Brett Cooper in the tournament final, but that booking was scrapped when Kimball failed to make weight. Instead, Pacheco and Halsey will square off this Friday live on Spike TV for a crack at Cooper.

Bellator 116 takes place at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight tournament semifinal pitting UFC alumnus Lavar Johnson against unbeaten Bulgarian Blagoi Ivanov.

Beaten just once in eight pro outings, Pacheco suffered his first career defeat in his last bout, when he was choked out by Brennan Ward in the Season 9 tournament semifinals last October. Prior to that setback, “The Juggernaut” had notched seven consecutive victories, picking up four of those wins by submission.

Halsey has been perfect in five in-cage appearances, stopping three of his foes inside the distance. The Californian owns a 3-0 Bellator record, most recently finishing 10-year pro Hector Ramirez last November at Bellator 106.