Anthony Johnson will still be making his Bellator bow next week.
Johnson was set to take on fellow debutant Yoel Romero in a mouthwatering clash in the quarterfinals of the light heavyweight grand prix taking place May 7 at Bellator 258.
However, it was recently revealed that Romero had failed a medical screening — later known to be an eye issue — which eventually led to him getting pulled from the fight.
“Romero will become eligible to reapply for clearance to compete in the coming months, and we look forward to seeing him make his Bellator debut in the near future,” a Bellator statement read. “Bellator MMA will look to reschedule the highly anticipated Johnson versus Romero bout for a later date.”
Johnson Gets Replacement Opponent
It was a big blow for Bellator and combat sports fans as Johnson vs. Romero was one of the most highly-anticipated fights in MMA, let alone the Santa Monica-based promotion.
The consolation, however, is that we’ll still get to see “Rumble” in action as ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported.
“Rumble Johnson’s opponent next week will now be Team Pitbull’s Jose Augusto Azevedos Barros (7-2), sources say. Unbeaten in his last 6. 1-0 in Bellator. Barros replaces Yoel Romero, who didn’t get medically cleared due to an eye issue.”
Rumble Johnson’s opponent next week will now be Team Pitbull’s Jose Augusto Azevedos Barros (7-2), sources say. Unbeaten in his last 6. 1-0 in Bellator.
Barros replaces Yoel Romero, who didn’t get medically cleared due to an eye issue.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 30, 2021
Light heavyweight alternate Julius Anglickas was unavailable to fight on short notice which is why Barros got the call.
Barros submitted Jonathan Wilson with an arm triangle in his debut at Bellator 255 last month.
