A pivotal Bellator MMA heavyweight clash is on the books for
November.
On Thursday,
MMA Junkie first broke the news that Tyrel Fortune (11-1) would
be squaring off with Linton
Vassell (20-8) at the heavyweight division on
Bellator 271. The two big men will toe the line at the Seminole
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on Nov. 12. The
organization has since confirmed the pairing to Sherdog.
Fortune was originally slated to compete at Bellator 269 against
Vitaly
Minakov, but he was forced out for undisclosed reasons and will
be competing less than three weeks later in Florida instead of
Russia. At the beginning of 2020, Fortune suffered his first career
defeat at the hands of future title challenger Timothy
Johnson. Since then, Fortune faced Jack May twice,
winning the rematch after the first ended due to an accidental
groin strike. In July, Fortune made Matt
Mitrione tap to strikes in 105 seconds, improving his record
for the
most knockouts in Bellator heavyweight history in the
process.
Britain’s Vassell moved back to the heavyweight category after a
tumultuous run that saw him beat many foes only to get turned away
by past or future champions like Emanuel
Newton, Muhammed
Lawal, Ryan Bader
and Phil
Davis at 205 pounds. His first stint in over a decade at the
heaviest weight class did not go his way, as eventual interim champ
Valentin
Moldavsky controlled him for three rounds. A pair of
second-round knockouts of Sergei
Kharitonov and Ronny
Markes in his last two outings catapulted “The Swarm” into what
could be a title eliminator matchup.
Bellator 271 goes down on Nov. 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel
and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Only one other bout has been booked
for the event, which comes in the form of a women’s featherweight
championship tilt as Cristiane
Justino looks to defend her strap for the third time against
Sinead
Kavanagh.