Bellator 162 will be headlined by the return of former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko for the first time in approximately 18 months, as he takes on The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall Grove. Shlemenko hasn't fought for Bellator since he knocked out Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 133 in February 2015. The former middleweight champ was suspended for three years by the California State Athletic Commission after failing a post-fight drug test for steroids. Shlemenko's suspension was reduced to one year, making him eligible to compete in February of this year. Shlemenko has fought twice in 2016 under the M-1 Challenge banner, scoring consecutive triumphs over Vyacheslav Vasilevsky. Grove has been victorious in three of his last four Bellator appearances, including back-to-back stoppages of Francisco France and Joey Beltran.
In the co-main event current TNA superstar and former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley will square off with Josh Appelt. Lashley will enter the cage on a seven-fight winning streak, while Appelt returns to Bellator on the strength of back-to-back victories.
Kevin Ferguson Jr., the eldest son of the late Kimbo Slice, was scheduled to make his Bellator debut on this card against Rick Bing. However, the bout was cancelled due to Bing missing weight for the fight.