Bellator has made a couple of updates to its weekend doubleheader.
Towering heavyweight Steve Mowry will face professional debutante Darion Abbey at Bellator 215 after original opponent Ahmed Samir Hefny was unable to compete on the card. Meanwhile, Tyrell Fortune will square off against Ryan Pokryfky in a late addition to the Bellator 216 lineup. Sherdog.com confirmed the bookings with a promotion official following separate reports from MMAjunkie.com. Both bouts are scheduled for the preliminary portion of their respective cards.
Bellator 215 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Feb. 15 and is headlined by a heavyweight duel between Matt Mitrione and Sergei Kharitonov. The main card airs on Paramount and DAZN, while prelims stream on Bellator.com and DAZN. Bellator 216 takes place at the same venue on Feb. 16 and features a welterweight tournament bout between Paul Daley and Michael Page. The main card streams exclusively on DAZN, with prelims available on Bellator.com and DAZN.
The 6-foot-8 Mowry improved to 5-0 in his promotional debut, as he submitted Ben Moa with a keylock 2:40 into the opening frame of their bout at Bellator 205. The 26-year-old Floridian has finished all of his triumphs inside the distance.
Fortune, who had a standout amateur wrestling career, is 5-0 under the Bellator banner, including a second-round TKO of Giovanni Sarran in his most recent outing at Bellator 201. Pokryfky’s resume includes notable bouts against UFC talents Arjan Singh Bhullar and Allen Crowder; he lost a five-round verdict to Bhullar and defeated Crowder via TKO.