Linton Vassell has withdrawn from his heavyweight title fight against Ryan Bader, which was scheduled to take place at Bellator 300, with promotion officials confirming that there are no plans to seek a replacement opponent.
The eagerly awaited rematch between Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell has been postponed due to Vassell’s unexpected withdrawal from the scheduled heavyweight title fight at Bellator 300, which is set to take place in San Diego this Saturday. This news was initially disclosed by MMA Junkie. The specifics as to why Vassell pulled out of the contest remain unclear. It also been confirmed that Bader will not remain on the card and there are no intentions of finding a replacement opponent on such short notice.
The upcoming match would have marked the second time these two fighters met in the ring, stemming from their previous link up at Bellator 186, where Bader successfully defended his light heavyweight title, handing Vassell a defeat through a second-round TKO in November 2017. Since that showdown, both fighters have made the full-time shift to the heavyweight division. Bader has successfully safeguarded the heavyweight title in three consecutive fights, most recently claiming a knockout victory against Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 290, which took place in February.
Vassell’s introduction to the heavyweight sector had its share of obstacles, he lost to Valentin Moldavsky in a decision at Bellator 218, however, he managed to bounce back with a winning streak that incorporated five straight victories, including an impressive first-round knockout in a rematch against Moldavsky at Bellator 292. Despite the change in plans, Bellator 300 will still showcase three title bouts, featuring Usman Nurmagomedov defending his lightweight champion title against Brent Primus, featherweight champion Cris Cyborg against Cat Zingano, and Liz Carmouche defending her flyweight champion title against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.