The mixed martial arts scene is riddled with former wrestlers. And now two more guys are set to make their mark in the Bellator cage as three-time NCAA champion Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune, a two-time NJCAA champion and Division II champion, received their first opponents.

Both Ruth and Fortune will fight in preliminary bouts at Bellator 163 on November 4 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"I'm so excited," Ruth said. "I couldn't help but to be excited. "I'm really looking forward getting in there for the first time. I have an unorthodox wrestling style, and I look forward to bringing that to the cage with my fighting style."

Ruth will be facing fellow Bellator newcomer Mark Mangiardi at 185 pounds in one of two preliminary bouts of the night, which will be streamed on Bellator.com and begins at 7:50 PM ET. 

"I'm approaching this fight the same way that I would a big wrestling match," Ruth said. "I still have to cut weight and train and make sure I'm doing all the right things heading into the fight to make sure I'm at my best when the fight comes." 

In the other preliminary fight, Fortune will face Cody Miskell, who will also be making his debut. 

"I can't wait to get in there and hit him in the face or elbow him in the face," Fortune said with a laugh. "It's just that feeling of being on top of somebody and being able to rain down punches that gives me a sense of joy."

Though he is just going into his first professional fight, Fortune's goals are still very big.

"I plan to make the fastest ascension to a heavyweight title that anyone has ever seen, and I think it's very possible with my position and the belt being vacant,"  Fortune said. "I'm not going to say that the weight class is wide open, but I will say that there aren't very many high-level guys and I feel like I can do it."

Both Fortune and Ruth will be making their debuts on a card that features fellow former Penn State wrestler Phil Davis as the headliner in a light heavyweight title fight against undefeated Liam McGeary.

For full information about Bellator 163, read the official press release below.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF (October 6, 2016) --Two of Bellator's highly touted wrestling prospects Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune will make their eagerly anticipated mixed martial arts debuts against Mark Mangiardi (Debut) and Cody Miskell (Debut) during the stacked card of"Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis" on November 4 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Each of these contests will air on the Bellator.com-streamed preliminary card beginning at 7:50 p.m. ET/5:50 p.m. CT.

The newly announced tilts complete a card headlined by a light heavyweight world title fight that pits champion Liam McGeary (11-0) against Phil Davis (16-3). In the co-main event, a welterweight showdown pitting Saad Awad (19-8) against Brennan Ward (13-4) will go down, while a heavyweight bout between Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) and Javy "Eye Candy" Ayala (9-5) will also be featured on the main card. Lastly, Paul Daley (38-14-2) and the always-exciting Derek Anderson (14-2) faceoff in a welterweight clash, while female featherweights Marloes Coenen (23-7) and Talita Nogueira (6-0) round out the live and free action on SPIKE.

Tickets for "Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis" are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as the Mohegan Sun Box Office and Ticketmaster. The event can be seen live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App.

When looking up the word "prospect" in the dictionary, there should be a photo of Ed Ruth placed next to the definition. The three-time national champion joined a plethora of blue-chip amateur wrestling prospects on the Bellator MMA roster last year and now will make his long-awaited debut at 185-pounds on Nov. 4.

An attendee of the world-renown Blair Academy in Susquehanna Township, PA, where he was the top-ranked recruit in the nation for his weight class, Ruth elected to stay local and attend wrestling powerhouse Penn State University where he went on to add three National Championships and four All-American accolades to his trophy room while wrestling with the Nittany Lions. Now, Ruth's chase for mixed martial arts gold begins.

Fighting out of Pennsylvania, Mark Mangiardi will have his hands full when he makes his professional debut against Ruth. With four amateur bouts already under his belt, the 28-year-old has tasted competition on the MMA scene unlike his Nov. 4 opponent. With his first sanctioned bout taking place in 2012, this will be the first bout outside of his home state of Pennsylvania.

Another one of Scott Coker's high profile wrestling signings, Fortune attended high school at Lakeridge in Oregon, where he won state championships in nearly every national age-group in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

The accolades didn't stop there, with Fortune accepting an offer to wrestle at Ohio State University, before ultimately settling in at the highly acclaimed Grand Canyon Universities program. Since graduating college, Fortune represented Team USA in Olympic style wrestling, where he also experienced success. Splitting time between wrestling training in Arizona alongside fellow "Bellator 163" competitor Ed Ruth and mixed martial arts training with the Blackzilians in Florida, Fortune has spent a great deal of time honing his striking talents and submission defense.

Miskell has competed in both heavyweight and super heavyweight contests during his seven-fight amateur stint, accruing a record of 5-2. Now, the Kentucky native -- who's finished each of victories -- looks to parlay his success into a run under the bright lights of Bellator MMA's heavyweight division. It's safe to say that Miskell's wrestling pedigree will be challenged early and often when he meets Fortune during the Bellator.com-streamed prelims.

Complete "Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis" Main Card:
Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: Liam McGeary (11-0) vs. Phil Davis (16-3)
Welterweight Co-Main Event: Saad Awad (19-8) vs. Brennan Ward (13-4)
Welterweight Feature Bout: Paul Daley (38-14-2) vs. Derek Anderson (14-2)
Heavyweight Feature Bout: Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) vs. Javy Ayala (9-5)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Marloes Coenen (23-7) vs. Talita Nogueira (6-0)

Complete Preliminary Card:
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Ed Ruth (Debut) vs. Mark Mangiardi (Debut)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Tyrell Fortune (Debut) vs. Cody Miskell (Debut)