Former welterweight champ Andrey Koreshkov is no longer in the Bellator 219 main event, but remains on the card against newcomer Mike Jasper.
After originally being set to headline Bellator 219 against Lorenz Larkin, former welterweight champ Andrey Koreshkov has a new opponent for the event. And a new slot on the card. Thanks to Larkin pulling out due to injury, Koreshkov will now face newcomer Mike Jasper on the main card. MMA Junkie was first to report the news.
That’s an impressive test for any debuting fighter. Andrey Koreshkov (21–3) has wins over the likes of Douglas Lima, Benson Henderson, Lyman Good, and Chidi Njokuani during his tenure with Bellator MMA. He defeated Douglas Lima to capture the welterweight title at Bellator 140 in 2015, after coming up short in his first title challenge against Ben Askren two years earlier.
Koreshkov defended the title once before dropping it in a rematch to Lima. He lost to Lima a second time in Bellator’s welterweight grand prix last September, which snapped a two-fight win streak.
Mike Jasper (13-4) enters the Bellator welterweight division on a three fight win streak, with stops in Legacy and RFA earlier in his career. He’ll be getting his toughest challenge to date against Koreshkov, however.
Bellator 219 takes place March 29 at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California. The event airs on Paramount Network and DAZN live.
