Bellator CEO: Thiago Santos’ Bellator 52 tourney scratch due to ‘bureaucratic hurdles’

A bureaucratic nightmare will keep Thiago Santos out of Saturday’s Bellator 52 event and the organization’s eight-man heavyweight tournament.

Santos was slated to fight Blagoi Ivanov in an MTV2-televised main-card bout at Saturday’s event at L’Auberg…

A bureaucratic nightmare will keep Thiago Santos out of Saturday’s Bellator 52 event and the organization’s eight-man heavyweight tournament.

Santos was slated to fight Blagoi Ivanov in an MTV2-televised main-card bout at Saturday’s event at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort.

However, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney today told MMAjunkie.com Radio that “Big Monster” couldn’t leave Brazil because of “bureaucratic hurdles.”