Bellator 200 was poised to be the promotion’s mega tentpole show, but much like the UFC’s 200th numbered card, it has had to make a significant change to its main event. The comparison stops there, as the UFC event was changed as a result of disciplinary actions (twice), whereas Bellator’s headliner change was courtesy of the dastardly injury bug.
If you haven’t already heard the news, the originally scheduled contest between Roy Nelson and Mirko Filipovic was cancelled when Cro Cop’s left leg sustained a plethora of injuries, likely from planting one too many souls in the cemetery. The list, as tweeted by Ariel Helwani is as follows:
- ACL tear
- MCL partial tear
- MFL tear
- LCL sprain
- MAL tear
Helwani also reported that Filipovic hopes to return by October and that he wants to fight Nelson “ASAP.” Unfortunately for Nelson, a last-minute replacement opponent is not an option, as confirmed by Scott Coker in an interview with Gareth Davies (courtesy of MMACrazyTV.com).
“It’s always a tough situation We wanted to put that fight together, and that was something that was on top of the Gegard fight we originally had on 200. This was going to be a spectacular card and I still think it is going to be an amazing fight card with Gegard and Carvalho and MVP and just all the great fighters we have, but unfortunately, Mirko tore his knee. He’s out, so Roy will not have a fight on Friday. We will sit down with Roy after this fight [card] and we’ll get him re-booked and we’ll get him busy again.”
Coker also addressed the HW GP’s alternate issue, stating that Nelson would automatically become the “the guy,” since the winner of the now-scrapped fight with Filipovic would have become the alternate for the tournament anyway.
“Yeah. I mean, to me, Roy is the guy, now. So, if he gets the spot by default, that’s what it is. Roy will move forward in the tournament if someone else can’t make it.”
Bellator 200 takes place in London, England this Friday, but will unfortunately be tape-delayed in the US. UK viewers will be able to watch the main event live on 5Spike at 9pm local time. US viewers can see the prelims via live stream, and can follow along with Bloody Elbow’s tape-delayed tweeting of the event Friday night, beginning at 9 pm EST.
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