Breaking news surfaced Saturday afternoon that Bellator MMA heavyweight Matt Mitrione has been forced out of his Bellator 172 headlining fight against MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko.
According to reports from Ariel Helwani, Matt Mitrione fell ill prior to his fight against ‘The Last Emperor’ and as a result the fight has been cancelled.
Fedor vs. Mitrione is canceled, per sources. I'm told Mitrione fell ill. More coming coming shortly to @MMAFighting.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 18, 2017
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Josh Thomson vs. Patricky Pitbull is the new main event tonight, per sources. Expect Bellator to officially announce shortly.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 18, 2017
According to the CSAC, fans are eligible to get a full refund due to the main event cancellation but must do so before the event starts.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 18, 2017
In the wake of the reports, Bellator MMA CEO Scott Coker took to social media to release a statement of his own on the matter, saying:
Due to illness, @mattmitrione will be unable to compete tonight at #Bellator172. @THEREALPUNK vs @PatrickyPitbull promoted to main event.
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) February 18, 2017
Stay tuned for updates as they become available.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/18/2017.