MMA - Bellator 117 will return to Iowa this Friday night to crown a new welterweight champion, as Bellator 117 takes place from the Mid-American Center in Council Bluffs. The main card, highlighted by a bout for the belt between Douglas Lima and Rick Hawn, will begin at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV.

Bellator MMA's vacant welterweight title will be up for grabs on the same card as the lightweight tournament semifinals. Bellator 117 takes place April 18th at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, IA with an undercard webstreamed on Spike, a main card broadcast on Spike TV.

Also on the main card is Karl Amoussou vs. David Gomez. 16-6-2 Amoussou won the 2012 Summer Series welterweight tournament but lost the resulting title fight to Ben Askren then dropped a unanimous decision to Paul Bradley for his most recent fight. Derek Anderson on leftDerek Anderson on left16-7 Gomez has about the same experience in terms of number of fights but not nearly the same level, this being Gomez's Bellator debut. Amoussou has been criticized for exaggerating or even faking near-groin shots from opponents but when he isn't writing on the floor or inching towards a decision he can be very effective with his strikes and submissions.

Gomez meanwhile has a record with 9 KO/TKOs to go with one submission to strikes and 6 decisions. The outcome is by no means certain but Amoussou has the odds firmly in his favor for this fight, especially if it goes to the ground.

When Ben Askren left Bellator and vacated the title Douglas Lima was waiting for a title shot and Rick Hawn was about to earn one himself. Lima won the season 9 tournament with defeats of Michail Tsarev, Bryan Baker, and Ben Rick HawnRick HawnSaunders while his only loss in five years was a unanimous decision to Askren after winning the season 5 tournament. Hawn lost in the season 4 tournament finals, won the season 5 lightweight tournament but lost the resulting title fight to Michael Chandler, and most recently won the season 9 tournament.

The lightweight tournament is looking to come down to Patricky Freire vs. Marcin Held. Held faces Derek Anderson on this card while Freire takes on Derek Campos. Both are known for their solid right hands and preference for standing, Patricky FreirePatricky FreireHawn having his Olympic judo to fall back on while Lima's grappling is more BJJ based and more used in his fights.

Other main card bouts include the semifinals in the lightweight tournament, as Patricky Freire meets Derek Campos and Marcin Held takes on Derek Anderson.

FightLine will have complete coverage from the event, including on-site video and interviews with the fighters and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

Bellator Welterweight Championship
Douglas Lima vs. Rick Hawn

Bellator Lightweight Tournament Semifinal
Patricky Freire vs. Derek Campos

Bellator Lightweight Tournament Semifinal
Marcin Held vs. Derek Anderson

Welterweight: Karl Amoussou vs. TBA

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com)

Lightweight: Jordan Parsons vs. Tim Bazer

Featherweight: Josh Arocho vs. Julio Cesar Neves

Middleweight: Vitor Morena vs. Anthony Smith

Middleweight: Ben Crowder vs. Joe Vedepo

Lightweight: Larue Burley vs. Cliff Wright, Jr.

Lightweight: Trey Brown vs. Jared Downing

Light Heavyweight: Matt Uhde vs. Houston Alexander