The next round of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix is expected to unfold in October.

After completing the first round of the eight-man tournament, which earns he winner the vacant Bellator heavyweight title, at Bellator 199 in May, the semifinals are planned for mid-October.

The matchups of Fedor Emelianenko (37-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) vs. Chael Sonnen (30-15-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) and Ryan Bader (25-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) vs. Matt Mitrione (13-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) will not take place on the same night, Bellator President Scott Coker recently told MMAjunkie. However, they could occur within hours of each other, with events on back-to-back nights a strong possibility.

“We’re trying to keep it in close proximity,” Coker told MMAjunkie following this past weekend’s Bellator 201 event in Temecula, Calif. “I want both of the semifinals to happen close together.”

Former PRIDE champ Emelianenko advanced to the final four in April, when he took out former UFC champ Frank Mir by 48-second knockout at Bellator 198. He looks to punch his ticket to the tourney final when he meets Sonnen, who earned his spot with a unanimous-decision victory over Quinton Jackson at Bellator 192 in January.

Although the East Coast was previously mentioned as a likely host site for the bout, Chicago is now one of the potential host cities for Emelianenko vs. Sonnen.

On the other side of the bracket, Bader continues his pursuit of becoming the first simultaneous two-division champion in Bellator history.

Bader, the reigning light-heavyweight titleholder, scored a 15-second knockout win over Muhammed Lawal in his opening-round bout at Bellator 199 in May. Looking to stop Bader from making history is Mitrione, who defeated Roy Nelson by majority decision at Bellator 194 in February to advance in the tourney.

Bellator officials plan to finalize the tourney and event schedule in the coming weeks.

For more on the Bellator schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.