Bellator 247 was to be the coming out party for the promotion on new broadcast home CBS Sports. However, just a day out from the show, the card has lost its main event.
On Thursday, headliner Paul Daley, who was paired up with Derek Anderson atop the card, fell ill after missing weight for the event. Per The Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies, Daley was later taken to hospital and left the venue on a stretcher.
Cageside Press has confirmed with Bellator officials that the main event is off as a result. Instead, the women’s flyweight bout between the U.K.’s Kate Jackson (11-4-1), who challenged Ilima-Lei Macfarlane for the 125lb title back in December, and kickboxing champ Denise Kielholtz (5-2), will headline the show.
Kielholtz has won three straight fights, most recently picking up a win over Kristina Williams this past February. Despite her stand-up pedigree, “Miss Dynamite” has finished her last two bouts via submission.
As a result of the shake-up, the 160lb catchweight fight between Chris Duncan and Iamik Furtado now moves to the main card. Duncan (6-0) will be making his third appearance for the promotion. Furtado (6-3) will be making his sophomore trip to the Bellator cage. He’s lost two straight, most recently against Kiefer Crosbie at Bellator 240.
Bellator 247 takes place Thursday, October 1 at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy.
Update, 4PM ET: Daley has released a video statement detailing what happened in the lead-up to his fight’s cancellation.
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