Strikeforce has granted prospect Derek Brunson permission to replace Terry Martin against Kendall Grove this weekend.
The middleweight bout will take place at ShoFight 20 this Saturday at the O’Reilly Family Event Center in Springfield, Missouri. According to a promotional release, Martin was pulled from the bout to due to licensing issues.
Brunson (9-0) hasn’t fought since he defeated Nate James via unanimous decision in November. He was supposed to fight former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in March, but he was not licensed by the Ohio Athletic Commission after he failed a pre-fight eye exam.
Grove (14-10, 1 NC) is 2-1 since getting released from the UFC last year. He most recently lost via second-round submission to Jay Silva in February.
ShoFight 20’s main event will feature former UFC fighters John Gunderson and Karo Parisyan battling for the promotion’s welterweight belt, as well as Lyle Beerbohm vs. Marcus Aurelio and Drew Fickett vs. Jonatas Noveas.
The event, which will mark ShoFight’s inaugural pro card, will air via tape-delayed pay-per-view on July 1 and live on The Fight Network in Canada.