Cro-Cop is out, and Carvalho vs. Mousasi has been promoted to the main event at Bellator 200.
The injury bug has struck Bellator 200 in a big way. As first reported by the Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies, headliner Mirko Cro-Cop has been forced off the card. With just days to go until the event, it’s a massive blow to the landmark show. As a result, the middleweight title fight between Rafael Carvalho and Gegard Mousasi has been promoted to the main event.
Breaking exclusive…. Mirko Cro Cop forced out of @BellatorMMA #Bellator200 headline event with @roynelsonmma through injury at London @ssearena event on Friday … story to follow via @TelegraphSport shortly
— Gareth A Davies (@GarethADaviesDT) May 21, 2018
Cro-Cop has been in the midst of a late career resurgence, having won his last eight bouts, including a pair of victories over Satoshi Ishii to earn the IGF heavyweight championship, a Fight of the Night finish of Gabriel Gonzaga in the UFC, and a finish of King Mo en route to winning the RIZIN Open Weight Grand Prix in 2016.
The deadly striker has mostly managed to avoid the injury bug during that span, so it truly is terrible timing in this case.
Cro-Cop’s bout with Roy Nelson was a rematch of their 2011 bout in the UFC. In that instance, ‘Big Country’ picked up a third round finish. It was also set to serve as an alternate for Bellator’s World Heavyweight Grand Prix. Rebooking the fight may prove difficult for Bellator, as the Croatian heavyweight already has a fight scheduled at RIZIN 11 in July.
Bellator 200 takes place Friday, May 25 at the SSE Arena in London, England.
