Rumble Johnson’s opponent next week will now
be Team Pitbull’s Jose Augusto Azevedos Barros (7-2), sources say.
Unbeaten in his last 6. 1-0 in Bellator.Barros replaces Yoel Romero, who didn’t get medically cleared due
to an eye issue.— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
April 30, 2021
Bellator MMA did not need long to find a
replacement for its light heavyweight tournament. Late Thursday night, Yoel Romero
was forced to withdraw from the Bellator light heavyweight grand
prix after failing to clear his medicals from an eye issue. The
promotion sought to replace him and keep Anthony
Johnson (22-6) on
Bellator 258 with the tournament still on track. After primary
alternate Julius
Anglickas was unable to take the match on a week’s notice, the
organization called on
Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros (7-2, 1 NC). This new development
was reported by ESPN
on Friday.
Barros made his Bellator debut at the beginning of April, when he
faced Jonathan
Wilson on the preliminary card of Bellator 255. The Brazilian
tapped out Wilson with an arm-triangle choke in the waning seconds
of the first round to move his win streak to five in a row. Barros,
a former heavyweight, has finished his opponent in each of his
seven wins. On the other hand, both of his losses also came by
stoppage, and “Gugu” has never encountered the judges in his
10-fight career.
Johnson will be looking to make his first appearance in the
promotion, and his first fight overall since 2017, at this event.
Dating back to 2012, the only man to beat “Rumble” is Daniel
Cormier, who did so twice at UFCs 187 and 210 in 2015 and 2017,
respectively. The knockout rate of 73 percent for Johnson has
carried him through a career that once went as low as welterweight.
Over the years, “Rumble” has knocked out foes like Glover
Teixeira, Alexander
Gustafsson, Ryan Bader
and Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira.
Bellator 258 will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Conn., on May 7. The main attraction pits bantamweight champ
Juan
Archuleta against Sergio
Pettis, while Johnson now faces Barros in the five-round light
heavyweight co-main event. Additional main card tilts include
Patricky
Freire vs. Peter
Queally at lightweight, and Michael
Page vs. Derek
Anderson at welterweight.