Bellator 100 card is once again complete as Ron Keslar replaces Matt Riddle in the welterweight tournament.
Sergio Junior, who was expected to fight the UFC veteran Matt Riddle on Sept. 20 in Phoenix, Ariz., now meets Keslar after Riddle announced his retirement following a rib injury. Sources close to the situation revealed the news to MMAFighting.com. The bout will serve as one of the quarterfinals of the welterweight tournament.
Junior (29-11-3) made his Bellator debut last March, submitting Trey Houston with an arm-triangle choke. The Brazilian enters the tournament riding a six-fight win streak. During his 10-year career, Junior has finished the opponent in 25 of his 29 professional victories.
Keslar (9-3), an American Kickboxing Academy product, makes his Bellator debut after four consecutive wins, including a submission victory over Eric Lawson at Strikeforce. Keslar, who hasn’t fought since May of 2012, has four of his nine wins coming by way of submission.
Bellator 100 is headlined by the season 8’s welterweight tournament final between Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima. Junior vs. Keslar will air on the main card. The other quarterfinals of the 170-pound tournament: War Machine vs. Vaughn Anderson, Brent Weedman vs. Justin Baesman and Rick Hawn vs. Herman Terrado.