Roy Nelson Officially Ruled Out Of Bellator 200
Originally, a rematch between legendary heavyweights Roy Nelson and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic was scheduled to headline Bellator 200 this Friday (May 25, 2018) from the SSE Arena in London, England, but ‘Cro Cop’ was forced to withdraw from the bout earlier this week after suffering an injury and undergoing surgery.
Following the news, Nelson made it clear that he wanted to remain on the card, but Bellator President Scott Coker has officially ruled him out as well:
“Unfortunately, Mirko tore his knee and he’s out, so Roy will not be fighting on Friday,” Coker told MMAFighting.com. “We will sit down with Roy after this fight and get him re-booked and get him busy again.”
The winner of the bout was also slated to become an alternate in Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, but Nelson, who lost in the first round to Matt Mitrione earlier this year, will now become the sole alternate should one be needed:
“Roy is the guy now, so if he gets a spot by default, that’s what it is,” Coker said. “Roy will move forward in the tournament if somebody else can’t make it.”
Bellator 200 is now set to be headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Rafael Carvalho and Gegard Mousasi, with Michael Page taking on David Rickels in the co-main event. Former light heavyweight titleholder Phil Davis will also take on Linton Vassell on the main card.
