Philipe Lins won’t be able to defend his Professional Fighters League heavyweight championship in 2019.
The promotion announced Monday that Lins has withdrawn from the second season due to an undisclosed injury. Lins has been replaced Ezekiel Wily on the PFL heavyweight roster. Wily will lock horns with Satoshi Ishii at PFL 3: 2019 Regular Season on June 6 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.
A six-time Bellator MMA veteran, Lins bested Alex Nicholson, Caio Alencar, Jared Rosholt and Josh Copeland to win the PFL Season 1 heavyweight championship along with a $1 million payout. The 33-year-old Brazilian is 14-3 over the course of a professional career that began in 2005.
Wily is a former collegiate football player at the University of Utah. He owns a 3-1 professional mark.