Roberto De Souza Replaces AJ McKee at Bellator x Rizin 2
A big change is made on Bellator x Rizin 2 card as A.J. McKee is out of the event and will be replaced by Roberto de Souza.
During a joint news conference by Bellator and Rizin FF, it was announced that A.J. McKee, who was scheduled to face Patricky Pitbull in a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal bout at Bellator x Rizin 2, had to withdraw from the fight due to a medical issue. McKeeβs health problems have not been disclosed.
It was also added that RIZIN Lightweight Champion Roberto de Souza will replace McKee in the main event. De Souza has now been officially included in the Bellator lightweight grand prix, and his upcoming fight against Patricky Freire will consist of five rounds, and the weight limit has changed to 161 pounds.
π¨ ππ₯πππππ‘π π‘ππͺπ¦ π¨
β Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 26, 2023
Just announced by @ScottCoker, @ajmckee101 is out of the #BellatorLWGP. @rizin_English lightweight champion Roberto de Souza steps in to face @PatrickyPitbull! π
π #BellatorXRizin
πΊπΈ 7/29 | 11pm ET/8pm PT | @SHOsports
π―π΅ 7/30 | 12pm JST |β¦ pic.twitter.com/xh5D2wEH9P
Roberto de Souza has won four fights and lost one in his five recent bouts. De Souzaβs recent bout was against Spike Carlyle at RIZIN 42 event, where he won by unanimous decision. His 10-fight winning streak was broken by AJ McKee itself at Bellator vs RIZIN 1 event.
Patricky Pitbull is a former Bellator Lightweight Champion and lost the title to Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 288. The winner of Pitbull vs de Souza bout will face Alexander Shabily in the semifinal at a later date.
Bellator x Rizin 2 is scheduled for July 29, 2023, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The co-feature event will determine the first-ever Bellator Flyweight Champion in a fight between Kyoji Horiguchi and Makoto Shinryu.
