Next week’s Bellator return to its Northern California home base has a former champion as a late addition to the lineup.
With Tony Johnson (9-3 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) out with an injury, former middleweight champ Rafael Carvalho (16-6 MMA, 7-5 BMMA) will step in to take on Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-7-1 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) on the preliminary card at Bellator 277. Promotion officials announced the change Thursday.
Bellator 277 takes place April 15 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Carvalho has had a rough run since he lost the 185-pound title to Gegard Mousasi nearly four years ago. After that TKO title loss, he dropped a split decision to former UFC champ Lyoto Machida. He bounced back with a decision win over Chidi Njokuani in July 2019.
But since then he has three straight losses, including a pair at light heavyweight to current champ Vadim Nemkov and Alex Polizzi, then one against Lorenz Larkin in his return to 185 pounds.
Yagshimuradov is looking to snap a two-fight skid. After an eight-fight winning streak, Yagshimuradov came to Bellator in 2021 as ACA’s light heavyweight champion. But he was finished by Corey Anderson with a third-round TKO in the opening round of the light heavyweight tournament a year ago. This past October, he dropped a decision to Karl Albrektsson for the first skid of his career.
Johnson was set to attempt to get back in the win column after a decision loss to Dalton Rosta a year ago. Prior to that setback, he had a five-fight winning streak, including four straight after returning to MMA following an absence of more than four years. Now his hope for a bounce-back is on hold.
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Freire – for featherweight title
Champ Vadim Nemkov vs. Corey Anderson – for light heavyweight title; light heavyweight tournament final
Aaron Pico vs. TBA
Tim Johnson vs. Linton Vassell
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)
Gaston Bolanos vs. Ali Jafri
Rakim Cleveland vs. Tyrell Fortune
Rafael Carvalho vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
Kyle Crutchmer vs. Michael Lombardo
Calob Ramirez vs. Bobby Seronio III
Rhalan Gracie vs. Tyson Miller
Edwin De Los Santos vs. Alberto Mendez
Socrates Hernandez vs. Rogelio Luna
Laird Anderson vs. JT Donaldson
Alan Benson vs. Theo Haig