TEMECULA, Calif. – When former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov looks into his crystal ball, he sees a tetralogy in his future.

The Russian fighter Koreshkov (22-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) returns to the cage Friday at Bellator 229 when he headlines against former UFC contender Lorenz Larkin (20-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).

The two welterweights were supposed to square off in the main event of Bellator 219. But after Larkin suffered an injury and had to withdraw, Koreshkov was demoted from the main event to a matchup against newcomer Mike Jasper.

A gritty challenger, Jasper survived all three rounds, but ultimately lost a unanimous decision. Koreshkov is happy with his performance in what he considers to be an underrated and difficult matchup, and is glad the fight with Larkin will finally materialize months later.

“I beat him,” Koreshkov told MMA Junkie. “It went well, but afterwards you always think you could have done something better.

“I’m very glad that this fight is finally happen because I think this fight is going to be very important for me. By beating Lorenz, I think it will make me the No. 1 contender for the welterweight title.”

When Larkin was signed as a free agent in the summer of 2017, he entered Bellator with a lot of hype. However, the Californian has split his two Bellator fights with wins over Fernando Gonzalez and Ion Pascu, and losses to Paul Daley and Douglas Lima.

Despite Larkin’s struggles, Koreshkov said he is taking his opponent very seriously. While Larkin presents some challenges, Koreshkov still expects to be able to overcome anything his opponent throws at him.

“I see him as a very, very serious and dangerous opponent,” Koreshkov said. “… He’s obviously a very good striker with good takedown defense. He’s physically strong, fast, explosive. He has a lot of experience. All of this makes him very dangerous, but everyone has their weak points.”

If Koreshkov is victorious at Bellator 229, and the promotions brass grants him a title shot, he expects to stand across the cage from Douglas Lima with the belt on the line.

At Bellator 232 on Oct. 26, Lima (21-5-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) will square off with current champion Rory MacDonald (31-7 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) in a rematch of their January 2018 bout. While MacDonald bested Lima in their first contest, Koreshkov believes the Brazilian will flip the switch in the rematch.

“I don’t hope for anyone to win the fight between Rory MacDonald and Douglas, but my No. 1 priority is to get the title back, and I need to get revenge against Douglas Lima,” Koreshkov said. “I think Douglas is going to win this fight, and I think he’s going to finish Rory this time.”

Bellator 229 takes place Friday at Pechanga Resort Casino. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.