CroCop vs. Nelson Now Heavyweight Grand Prix Alternate Bout
Next months Bellator 200 card is going to be headlined by a heavyweight division battle between UFC veteran Roy Nelson and Mirko Cro Cop.
The bout is a rematch from UFC 137 in October of 2011, where Nelson picked up a third round TKO win over the PRIDE fighting legend.
There are already a lot of high stakes from a personal level between but fighters in the rematch, but Bellator MMA President Scott Coker made them a little higher, saying that this bout is now going to determine an alternate for the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix.
“Whoever wins will be the first alternate for the tournament in case somebody gets injured,” Coker said at the Bellator 198 pre-fight press conference.
Reports had previously stated that UFC veteran Cheick Kongo and Javy Ayala were the alternates for the tournament, but that doesn’t appear to be the case any longer.
Nelson had already fought in the grand prix, suffering a decision loss to Matt Mitrione in a first round encounter at Bellator 194.
Bellator 200 takes place on Friday, May 25 from the SSE Arena in London, England with Roy Nelson and Mirko Cro Cop headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs via tape delay on the Paramount Network.
