One of two bantamweight world grand prix wild card fights at Bellator 278 later this month has lost a fighter.
Josh Hill (21-4) was expected to face Enrique Barzola (17-5-2) at the event, scheduled for April 22, 2022 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Unfortunately, Hill has been forced out of the bout due to undisclosed reasons.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed the news to Cageside Press on Wednesday, following an initial report by MMA Junkie.
Canada’s Hill, a veteran of the WSOF and The Ultimate Fighter 18, has posted a 3-1 record under the Bellator banner thus far. His lone loss came against Raufeon Stots, who will compete for an interim title in the quarterfinal round of the bantamweight grand prix.
A second wild card fight featuring Danny Sabatello up against Jornel Lugo is also scheduled for Bellator 278, while Stots vs. Juan Archuleta unfolds the following night at Bellator 279. No replacement opponent for Barzola has been announced as of yet.
The UFC veteran exited that promotion off a draw against Rani Yahya in March of 2020, and debuted for Bellator MMA earlier this year. He finished former champ Darrion Caldwell by TKO in the third round of their Bellator 273 match-up.
Bellator 278 is set to go down at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 22, 2022. The card currently features the following match-ups:
- Juliana Velasquez (c) vs. Liz Carmouche – for the Bellator MMA women’s flyweight championship
- TBA vs. Enrique Barzola – bantamweight grand prix wild card bout
- Jornel Lugo vs. Danny Sabatello – bantamweight grand prix wild card bout
- Christian Edwards vs. Grant Neal
- Nate Andrews vs. Manny Muro
- Weber Almeida vs. Fabricio Franco
- Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Érik Pérez
- Makoa Cooper vs. Blake Perry
