Frodo is coming back to the ring. Or at least the cage.
Former Bellator MMA top featherweight contender Frodo Khasbulaev will make his return to MMA after more than two years away at World Series of Fighting 21 on June 5 in Edmonton, WSOF announced Wednesday on Twitter.
Khasbulaev was initially slated to meet former WSOF featherweight champion Rick Glenn (15-3) at the event, however Glenn withdrew due to an undisclosed injury on Wednesday, WSOF executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com.
WSOF officials are actively seeking a replacement opponent.
Khasbulaev, whose real first name is Magomedrasul, has not fought since beating Mike Richman at Bellator 95 on April 4, 2013. The Dagestan native has been caught in a visa mess and unable to compete in the United States. He was finally granted his release from Bellator in January. Khasbulaev’s manager Rizvan Magomedov told MMAFighting.com at the time that he had an offer from ONE Championship, but now the 28-year-old has signed with World Series of Fighting.
Khasbulaev (21-5) won the Bellator season eight featherweight tournament and would have gotten a title shot if not for his problems getting into the U.S. Overall, he has won nine straight and many people still feel he’s one of the top featherweights in the world.
WSOF 21 is headlined by heavyweight title fight between champion Smealinho Rama and Blagoi Ivanov. Palmer will defend his featherweight title against Horodecki in the co-main event.