Bellator MMA’s lightweight grand prix has undergone a significant change-up just days before the final quarterfinal was set to take place.
The promotion announced on Tuesday that Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza will repace A.J. McKee and face Patricky Freire in the 155-pound bracket. McKee, the ex-Bellator featherweight king, was forced to withdraw from the event due to a medical issue.
“This is a situation where medically A.J. cannot continue into our quarterfinals,” Coker said at a press conference. “He will be our first alternate. You never know what’s going to happen in the future.”
Satoshi has won six of his last seven professional outings, most recently outpointing Spike Carlyle in a non-title bout at Rizin 42 on May 6. His lone defeat came via unanimous decision at the hands of McKee at the Bellator vs. Rizin event last December.
Freire, meanwhile, relinquished Bellator’s lightweight crown in a five-round decision loss to Usman Nurmagomedov this past November. The 37-year-old Brazilian has lost three of his last four professional outings.
Freire vs. Satoshi will serve as the featured bout for the Bellator portion of the dual event on Saturday, which also includes a separate Rizin card. The event takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and will also see Kyoji Horiguchi face Makoto Takahasi for the inaugural Bellator flyweight title.
More must-reads: