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Originally scheduled for a rematch at Bellator 277 on April 15 in San Jose, Calif., Tyrell Fortune and Tim Johnson have been split by the promotion and will face different opponents.
On Monday, a Bellator official informed MMA Junkie that Fortune (11-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) will face undefeated rising heavyweight Steve Mowry (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), and Johnson (15-4 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) will take on surging contender Linton Vassell (21-8 MMA, 10-5 BMMA).
Fortune, 31, will look to bounce back from a split decision loss to Vassell in November. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak.
Mowry, 29, finally gets a booking against a top-ranked contender. With an unblemished record to date, Mowry has racked up 10 finishes with six submissions and four finishes due to strikes as a professional.
Johnson, 36, seeks his first win in three attempts, on the heels of back-to-back defeats against Fedor Emelianenko and Valentin Moldavsky.
Vassell, 38, has gained momentum in recent fights. Since his move to heavyweight in 2019, Vassell has gone 3-1 and rides three consecutive wins over Sergei Kharitonov, Ronny Markes, and Tyrell Fortune into Bellator 277.
With the additions, the Bellator 277 lineup includes:
Champion A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Freire – for featherweight title
Champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson – for light heavyweight title, grand prix final
Jeremy Kennedy vs. Aaron Pico
Tyrell Fortune vs. Steve Mowry
Tim Johnson vs. Linton Vassell
Kyle Crutchmer vs. Michael Lombardo
Shane Keefe vs. Tyson Miller
Gaston Bolanos vs. Cass Bell
Alan Benson vs. Theo Haig
Edwin De Los Santos vs. Alberto Mendez
Calob Ramirez vs. Bobby Seronio III