Bellator heavyweight prospect Tyrell Fortune has once again been matched up with ex-UFC fighter Tim Johnson.
Tyrell Fortune vs. Tim Johnson is back on, this time at Bellator 239. The heavyweight pair were previously booked at Bellator 233, only to have the bout fall through. On Wednesday, however, a Bellator official confirmed to Cageside Press that the fight was on again, following an initial report by MMA Junkie. The fight joins a second headed to the Oklahoma card, as women’s flyweights Kristina Williams and Denise Kielholtz will also face off.
While Fortune vs. Johnson was set for Bellator 233, Johnson pulled out of the bout shortly after it was announced. Fortune told Cageside Press later in the year that he believed Johnson simply didn’t want the fight. “I don’t think he was injured,” Fortune stated this past November. “I just don’t think he wanted to fight. I think he wanted some more time off.”
Fortune (8-0) continues to be one of the most promising prospects in the Bellator fold. An NCAA Division II champion, Fortune has finished five of his eight opponents, including his most recent: former UFC fighter Azunna Anyanwu. Still shy of his thirtieth birthday, Fortune is practically a spring chicken in the heavyweight division, which tends to skew older.
Johnson (12-6), who departed the UFC off a win and signed with Bellator as a free agent, will look spoil Fortune’s perfect record. He’ll also be looking for his first win in the Bellator cage, after back-to-back losses to Cheick Kongo and Vitaly Minakov.
On the ladies’ side, Kristina Williams (3-2) will step into the cage looking to bounce back from a loss to top contender Juliana Velasquez. She’ll do so against Bellator kickboxing champ Denise Kielholtz (4-2), currently on a two-fight win streak in MMA.
Bellator 239 takes place February 21, 2020 at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The event is headlined by Ed Ruth facing Yaroslav Amosov at welterweight.
