Bellator MMA just released the first poster for their blockbuster pay-per-view event in New York City which takes place June 24 at the historic Madison Square Garden Arena.

The event is headlined by a grudge match between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva that has been years in the making.

Chael Sonnen made his debut with Bellator this past November, where he suffered a submission loss to MMA legend Tito Ortiz.

Sonnen had the following to say about fighting in New York City:

“New York is a big deal for a lot of people,” Sonnen said. “I’m a big deal for New York.”

As for Wanderlei Silva, the former PRIDE FC champion has not competed in MMA since March of 2013, where he scored a second-round knockout victory over Brian Stann.

Silva has alternated between wins and losses over his past six fights, going 3-3 in those contests.

The co-main event of Bellator 180 features a key heavyweight bout featuring mixed martial legend Fedor Emelianenko taking on Matt Mitrione.

Fedor and Mitrione were originally supposed to meet back on February 18, in the main event of Bellator 172. Unfortunately, this planned heavyweight showdown was nixed on the very day it was supposed to happen as Mitrione was forced off the card by a bout of kidney stones.

Emelianenko will enter this rescheduled bout with Mitrione having scored an extremely controversial decision win over beefed-up light heavyweight journeyman Fabio Maldonado in his last fight. Prior to this controversy-ridden fight, he pounded out an outmatched Jaideep Singh in his return from a long hiatus. The Russian legend is currently 36-4-1 overall.

Mitrione, meanwhile, sits at 11-5 overall in his career. “Meathead” has gone 2-o in the Bellator cage since joining the organization in early 2016, defeating Carl Seumanutafa in his debut, and more recently, Oli Thompson.

Check out the official “Bellator NYC” poster below:

https://twitter.com/cjrMMA/status/845028492475600898

Who do you think will emerge victorious in these two high profile fights? Sound off PENN Nation!