A heavyweight division attraction originally set for Bellator 200 has been added to an upcoming Bellator show according to Ariel Helwani of ESPN as Roy Nelson faces Mirko Cro Cop.
Cro Cop (37-11-2-1NC) is making his promotional debut in this encounter and does so on the strength of a eight fight winning streak. Cro Cop also won the 2016 Rizin Openweight Grand Prix, defeating Amir Aliakbari in the finals of the tournament. Cro Cop suffered a knee injury prior to Bellator 200, which is why the first bout against Nelson was canceled.
Nelson (23-16-0) defeated Cro Cop in their first meeting at UFC 137 in October of 2011, with that win coming by way of third round TKO. Nelson just competed in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, suffering a first round unanimous decision loss to Matt Mitrione at Bellator 194. Nelson will enter the contest while riding a two fight losing streak, with the last loss coming to Sergei Kharitonov at Bellator 207.
The Bellator card is taking place on Saturday, February 16 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut with Paul Daley and Michael Page headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on DAZN. Bellator told us they're holding off on numbering the events as they may add more shows in the coming weeks.
