With just a few days to go before this Friday Night’s Bellator 173 event, there is a new main event as former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary will now be taking on Brett McDermott.
McDermott will be replacing Vladimir Filipovic, who had to pull out of the event due to visa issues.
McGeary (9-1-0) will be competing for the first time since losing the Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Title to UFC veteran Phil Davis at Bellator 163. McGeary would defeat Emmanuel Newton by unanimous decision at Bellator 134, and he would successfully defend the championship once against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. McGeary also won the 2014 Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Tournament, defeating Kelly Anundson in the finals.
McDermott (7-4-0) will be making his Bellator MMA debut in this fight, but he does hold a victory over Bellator MMA veteran Oli Thompson. McDermott also competed in the Rizin 2015 Heavyweight Grand Prix, losing to King Mo in the opening round. McDermott hasn’t put a winning streak together in over three years, his last winning streak lasted for a total of four fights.
Bellator 173 takes place on Friday, February 24 from the SSE Arena Belfast in Belfast, Northern Ireland with Liam McGeary and Brett McDermott headlining.
