A featherweight bout has been added to Bellator’s return to Thackerville, Okla.
At Bellator 239, [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag] will take on Tajikistani fighter [autotag]Salim Mukhidinov[/autotag]. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a promotion official after an initial report from My MMA News.
Lencioni (5-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) was most recently scheduled to compete at Bellator 232. However, when opponent Robin van Roosmalen missed the featherweight limit by over nine pounds, Lencioni elected to cancel the fight.
“I put some feelers out there and I didn’t really like what I was hearing,” Lencioni told MMA Junkie. “I’ve got to treat this professionally, not personally. Too many fighters are too emotional. This is a business. We’ve got to take this seriously. If someone doesn’t, it just belittles and degrades the sport.”
Lencioni has lost two of his most recent three fights. His most recent fight was a victory over Adil Benjilany at Bellator 221 in May.
Mukhidinov (7-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) made his promotional debut in Bellator 229 in October. Mukhidinov defeated Iraq’s Adel Altamimi by unanimous decision.
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Bellator 239 takes place Friday, Feb. 21 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., about 75 miles north of Dallas. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
With the addition, the updated Bellator 239 card is as follows:
- Yaroslav Amosov vs. Ed Ruth
- Brandon Girtz vs. Myles Jury
- Cris Lencioni vs. Salim Mukhidinov
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