With Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis and contender James Gallagher being forced out of the upcoming Bantamweight World Grand Prix with injuries, the promotion has revealed an updated bracket for the tournament.
CBS Sports and Morning Kombat's Luke Thomas was the first to report the news via a tweet, unveiling the new matchups for the upcoming 135-pound tournament. There will now be two "Wild Card" bouts with the winners advancing into the official bracket. Both fights will be at Bellator 278 on April 22 in the promotion's return to Honolulu, Hawaii.
The first matchup will feature a clash between Josh Hill and Enrique Barzola. Hill is 3-1 in his last four outings and is coming off of a second-round KO win over Jared Scoggins at Bellator 272, whereas Barzola will try to build on a third-round TKO victory over former Bellator bantamweight weight champion, Darrion Caldwell, at Bellator 273. Finally, the second bout will see Jornel Lugo take on Danny Sabatello. Lugo is undefeated as a pro currently ay 8-0 and is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Brian Moore at Bellator 275. Sabatello meanwhile is on a five-fight winning streak and will look to build off of a unanimous decision victory over Brett Johns at Bellator 259 in what was his promotional debut.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪʟᴅ ᴄᴀʀᴅꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴛ --
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 24, 2022
Here's a look at the ------ #BellatorBWGP bracket.
The Grand Prix kicks off in Hawaii with the Interim Championship and Wild Card action, April 22 & 23.#Bellator278 #Bellator279 pic.twitter.com/c2q63OldC5
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