Tag: Lance Gibson Jr.

Bellator 253 lineup encounters three changes, including two cancellations due to commission issues

Five fighters scheduled for Bellator 253 won’t be competing Thursday after all.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Five fighters scheduled for Bellator 253 won’t be competing Thursday after all.

On Monday, a promotion official informed MMA Junkie of three changes to the lineup. Two fights, [autotag]Lance Gibson Jr.[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shane Kruchten[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricardo Seixas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcus Surin[/autotag] were canceled. Additionally, [autotag]Mark Glover[/autotag] has been replaced by [autotag]Jason Markland[/autotag], who will fight [autotag]Sullivan Cauley[/autotag].

The two cancellations come after Kruchten (12-5 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) and Surin (6-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) did not receive clearance to compete from the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation. The change was first reported by MyMMANews.

Bellator 253 marks the second card Gibson Jr. (3-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) vs. Kruchten was scheduled to take place but was canceled. The two fighters were supposed to fight at Bellator 244 but Kruchten tested positive for COVID-19.

Glover (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was not removed by the commission, but it is unclear why Sullivan (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will now be facing Markland (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) instead.

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Bellator 253 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.

With the changes, the Bellator 253 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (CBS Sports Network/DAZN, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Darrion Caldwell vs. A.J. McKee – featherweight tournament semifinal (five rounds)
  • Benson Henderson vs. Jason Jackson
  • Joey Davis vs. Bobby Lee

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie)

  • Keith Lee vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Matt Bessette vs. Jeremy Kennedy
  • Mark Lemminger vs. Jaleel Willis
  • Sergio DeBari vs. Jay Jay Wilson
  • Kevin Ferguson Jr. vs. Kaheem Murray
  • Sullivan Cauley vs. Jason Markland

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Jeremy Kennedy vs. Matt Bessette added to Bellator 253

A pair of ex-UFC featherweights, Jeremy Kennedy and Matt Bessette, will clash at Bellator 253.

A pair of ex-UFC featherweights will clash at Bellator 253.

[autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (15-2-1) will face [autotag]Matt Bessette[/autotag] (24-9-1 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) on Nov. 19. Both Kennedy and Bessette confirmed the booking on social media after a report from TSN.

The initial report also says a lightweight bout between [autotag]Lance Gibson Jr.[/autotag] (3-0, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Shane Kruchten[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) has been added to the event.

Kennedy hasn’t competed since October 2019, when he was eliminated from the PFL’s featherweight tournament semifinals in a submission loss to Daniel Pineda. The loss eventually was overturned to a no-contest after Pineda was flagged for having an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio in his system.

Since departing the UFC in 2018, Bessette has won two in a row. Most recently, he won the CES featherweight title with a third-round knockout of Charles Cheeks III in January. He will return to Bellator, where he amassed a 7-2 record with notable wins over Saul Almeida and Diego Nunes.