Bellator MMA has been forced to reshuffle its lineup for the upcoming Bellator 259 event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Fri., May 21, 2021) after Christian Edwards was not cleared to fight Ben Parrish by the Mohegan Sun Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation.
Commission director Mike Mazzulli told MMA Fighting that Edwards failed a pre-fight physical.
As a result, a women’s flyweight bout between Valerie Loureda and Hannah Guy has been promoted to the main card. Loureda — who is undefeated at 4-0 — is looking to improve her win streak inside the Bellator cage to four straight.
Watch Loureda weigh in below:
125.8…… and about to announce something huge pic.twitter.com/OcfoVSIsSN
— Valerie Loureda (@valerielouredaa) May 20, 2021
As for Guy, she is just 2-1 so far in her own young MMA career — 3-0-1 as an amateur — and will be making her debut for the Bellator MMA. So while “Master” is excited at the chance of fighting on the main card, it’s an equally-important opportunity for Guy, who can make a quick name for herself by knocking off a fighter the promotion is trying to build as its next star.
Of course, Bellator 259 — which will air on Showtime — will feature two fighters who have already established themselves in the game as Cris Cyborg defends her women’s featherweight title against Leslie Smith.
MMAmania.com will deliver coverage of Bellator 259 on Showtime. To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.