World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 31: “Ivanov vs. Copeland” takes place June 17, 2016, at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. The main event will see Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) defend his heavyweight title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1).
To round out the WSOF 31 fight card the promotion has announced a complete set of seven preliminary bouts that will be headlined by the debut of Lorenzo “Dream Killer” Hood (9-3) facing Tyler “The Marauder” King (10-4).
Hood was at one time slated to fight Raphael Butler in Bellator, but pulled out with an injury on very short notice and was subsequently released without ever fighting for the promotion. All nine of his wins have come by way of knockout.
King is a finishing artist in his own right. Only two of his 10 wins have gone to a decision with the rest coming by knockout (three) or submission (five). Unlike Hood, he’s fought for WSOF before, losing a unanimous (and bloody) decision to Pat Walsh in his last fight.
Both heavyweights come in from losses in their last fights and something to prove so the potential for a good scrap is high. The preliminary card will also feature another big man scrap when Juliano “Banana” Coutinho (7-2) squares off with Justin Willis (3-1) as Coutinho goes for a second straight win while Willis tries to notch his fourth.
The updated WSOF 31 “Ivanov vs. Copeland” card is below.
WSOF 31 Main Card (NBC Sports)
Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov (c) vs. Josh Copeland
Lightweight: Jason High vs. Mike Ricci
Featherweight: Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
Welterweight: John Howard vs. Thiago MellerWSOF 31 Preliminary Card (WSOF.com)
Heavyweight: Lorenzo Hood vs. Tyler King
Heavyweight: Juliano Coutinho vs. Justin Willis
Lightweight: Tom Marcellino vs. Devin Powell
Welterweight: Robert Fonseca vs. Sean Lally
Lightweight: Saul Almeida vs. Bruce Boyington
Bantamweight: Rodrigo Almeida vs. Ben Pierre-Saint
Lightweight: Sam Watford vs. Christian Torres
Less than a month to go!
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