Bellator 78 headed to Ohio's Nutter Center with Gurgel, Rogers, tourney semis

For the first time since Bellator 5 in 2009, Bellator is headed to the Dayton, Ohio area.

Bellator officials today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Bellator 78 will take place Oct. 26 at the 10,000-seat Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University in Fairborn.

Bellator women's 115-pound champion Zoila Gurgel (11-1 MMA, 5-0 BFC) and Ohio-based middleweight Brian Rogers (9-4 MMA, 2-2 BFC) both will be part of the card.

Opponents have not been set for the fighters. They're expected to share a main card with the semifinal round of Bellator's Season 7 welterweight tournament.

Bellator 78's main card airs on MTV2 (and in high-definition on EPIX) following prelims on Spike.com.

Gurgel fights for the first time in a year and a half due to injuries. The fighter, who was formerly known as Zoila Frausto before her marriage to UFC/Strikeforce vet Jorge Gurgel, carries a six-fight win streak that included narrow split-decision tourney wins over Jessica Aguilar and Megumi Fujii. It's not clear if her belt will be on the line at the event.

Officials have targeted Gurgel for a meeting with fellow Ohio-based fighter Jessica Eye (8-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC), but it's not clear if "Evil" will be ready for the fight.

Rogers, meanwhile, fights for the first time since an upset loss to Andreas Spang in the semifinal round of a Season 6 tournament. The knockout artist was dominating the fight before Spang caught him with a second-round punch. His past eight wins have come via first-round knockout.

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