Another bout has been forced off this coming weekends Strikeforce Challengers 16 card, with the withdrawal of welterweight Ryan LaFlare, who had been set to meet Travis Bush on the card. LaFlare himself was a replacement for another injured fighter, Yuri Villefort, who suffered a knee injury last week.
Strikeforce has promoted a preliminary bout between Jason ‘The Kansas City Bandit’ High (13-3) and King of the Cage champ Quinn Mulhern (15-1) to the main card. High announced the change Saturday via his Twitter (@MMARoberto) account.
Sherdog.com learned that LaFlare was forced to pull out because his physician did not clear him to fight over concerns that his hand wasn’t fully healed after surgery last fall.
“The doctor just wants to be safe and give it another month. We’re hoping he will be fighting in July or August, at the latest,” stated Keith Trimble, LaFlare’s trainer in Bellmore, N.Y.
The other recent cancellation off the card was a middleweight contest between Danillo Vellefort, Yuri’s brother, and Antwain Britt.
Strikeforce Challengers 16 (aka Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry) is scheduled to take place this Friday, June 24, at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The event is headlined by a lightweight contest between Caros Fodor vs. James Terry, with the main card airing live on Showtime.