Fans who were tuning into Bellator 172 or were attending the event live were shocked to learn that the originally scheduled main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione had been canceled.
Mitrione pulled out of the fight due to the effects of kidney stones, something that became a problem a day before the big event.
“It really started to kick in on Friday, and I didn’t know if I got sick all of sudden, just what the problem was, but it kept magnifying and amplifying,” Mitrione said on The MMA Hour. “It got to the point where I was absolutely miserable. At weigh-ins, I had to put on a show and be like, ‘hey, I look good,’ because I don’t want Fedor to see this puking, doubled-over-in-agony kind of guy. It just was really difficult, and then it just kept getting worse. On Saturday, Bellator was like, ‘look dude, we have to go to the hospital, this thing isn’t right, something’s going on.’ We went to the hospital, told them what’s going on. They said, ‘look, it’s probably kidney stones.’ They hooked me to my IVs to try to flush it out, and then they gave me a CT scan to see what was really going on, and that’s when they saw the stone. The stone hadn’t even passed.”
The UFC veteran is currently undefeated in Bellator MMA competition, with wins coming over Carl Seumanutafa and Oli Thompson.
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker has stated that the fight will be rescheduled down the line, something Mitrione is hoping for.
“I have not been rebooked, but if Fedor wants to wait until May or June, if that’s what his heart is, then that’s cool. I’m not going to wait that long,” Mitrione said. “I’m going to try to get in there and get some work. So I’m asking Bellator to try to book me as soon as possible, and if we can do that, I’ll pass whatever kind of medicals I need to pass and Bellator will take (care of) all the worries that they have to take, and I understand it and it’s reasonable, so they’ll do everything they have to do and I’ll get it passed, and hopefully I’ll get in there as soon as possible. I’ve already been out for seven months, right? Eight months? I don’t want to wait. I compete. I live to compete and to be a father. So for me, I’m going to be a dad all the time, but I don’t do well sitting on the shelf. A rolling stone gathers no moss, so let me work, baby. Let me work. I’m not worried about losing. That’s not a thought in my mind. I feel like I’m better than I’ve ever been in my life and y’all would’ve seen that, and I understand it’s easy to say right now, but I’m pretty damn good.”
Bellator 172 wound up being headlined by Josh Thomson and Patricky Freire, Freire won the fight by second round knockout.
