Former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Anthony Adams will replace Khalid Murtazaliev and lock horns with Lorenz Larkin at Bellator 280.
The California-based promotion announced the new middleweight contest at a press conference on Wednesday. A reason for Murtazaliev’s withdrawal was not given. Bellator 280 takes place at Accor Arena in Paris on May 6 and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship clash between Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo.
Adams defeated Murtazaliev via unanimous decision in his promotional debut at Bellator 266 before signing a multi-fight deal with the organization. The Elevation Fight Team representative went 0-2 on the Contender Series, dropping a split decision to Chibwikem Onyenegecha and falling to Impa Kasanganay via unanimous decision. “Sugafoot” is 9-2 as a professional overall, with eight of those triumphs going the distance.
Larkin will take a five-bout promotional winning streak into the matchup with Adams. The former Strikeforce and UFC talent returned following a year-and-a-half hiatus at Bellator 258 last May, when he defeated ex-champ Rafael Carvalho via split decision.
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