Originally scheduled for a rematch at Bellator 277 on April 15 in San Jose, Calif., [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] and [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] 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 [autotag]Steve Mowry[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), and Johnson (15-4 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) will take on surging contender [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (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
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