Mirko Cro Cop ruled out of Bellator 200 main event due to undisclosed injury

Mirko Cro Cop’s Bellator debut will have to wait, as the multiple-promotion heavyweight champion has been forced out of this Friday’s Bellator 200 main event due to ‘an undisclosed injury’, UK journalist Gareth A Davies confirmed on Monday.

Cro Cop, 43, was originally scheduled to lock horns with former UFC heavyweight contender Roy Nelson in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix at the SSE Arena in London, England. The Croatian previously suffered a TKO loss to Nelson back in 2011, under the UFC banner.

Ryan Grab, a senior spokesperson for Bellator, told The Telegraph that the middleweight championship bout between Rafael Carvalho and Gegard Mousasi has been bumped up to the main event while Bellator looks for a replacement for Nelson. Michael Page vs. David Rickels, which was originally set to take place on the main card, has also been promoted to the co-main event.

“Mirko Cro Cop has suffered an undisclosed injury and has been forced off the card, and we are looking at replacements, though for the time being Carvalho-Mousasi has been moved to the main event and British standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page against American David Rickels has been elevated up to the co-main event fight,” Grab said.

Cro Cop, who is on an impressive eight-fight win streak, is rumored to have suffered an injury to his leg although the specifics haven’t been confirmed. Expect a statement from the former K-1 champion in the coming days.

Bellator 200 is scheduled to take place this Friday, May 25 at the SSE Arena in London, England.