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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The very nature of Bellator MMA's tournament structure lends itself to delays. After all, it's hard enough for fighters to stay healthy enough to fight three times a year, let alone be effective for three fights in four months. Because of that quick turnaround timetable, the possibility of injury becomes much more likely, and several significant fights for Bellator have been delayed because of that.
The latest is the season eight welterweight finals, which has been pushed back from a planned March 21 date to an undetermined time this summer. The delay comes after former Bellator Champ Douglas Lima suffered a broken hand, forcing him out of his fight with Ben Saunders for the $100,000 Bellator Tournament win and a shot at current Champ Ben Askren.
"I’m really disappointed, but I know this is the right decision and I just need to heal up and get my $100,000 prize," Lima said on Tuesday. "Ben is a great guy, but he's been in my way before, and I want my rematch with Askren."
"Douglas and Ben are two of the most exciting and explosive welterweights in the game today," added Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, "and while it's disappointing to have to delay this fight, injuries are a part of our game and I have no doubt it will be absolute fireworks this summer when these two meet."
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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