Brett Cooper (left) punching Joe Doerksen

By FCF Staff

Bellator 119 has lost its headliner, just days before the May 9th event is scheduled to take place, as Brett Cooper has been forced to withdraw from his middleweight tourney final with Brandon Halsey.

According to a press release from the promotion, Cooper cannot compete due to a back injury, and as a result, the final has been postponed.

“After my fight with Kendall [Grove], my back just hasn’t been where I need it to be to have a proper training camp for one of the biggest fights of my career,” Cooper said in a press release from Bellator. “It’s a setback, but with some time off, I should be ready to go by late July. I never like missing time, but I know this is the right move. I’ll be back stronger, and I’m looking forward to winning another tournament and getting another shot against Shlemenko.”

In addition, Bellator has announced that a featherweight bout between Shahbulat Shamhalaev and Fabricio Guerreiro has been removed from the line-up, as the latter is having visa issues.

Bellator 119 will be hosted by the Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario.

Here is the updated line-up for the card.

MAIN CARD:

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final: Daniel Weichel (33-8) vs. Desmond Green (11-2)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Chris Horodecki (20-4-1) vs. Marlon Sandro (24-5-1)

Welterweight Feature Fight: Marius Zaromskis (19-8) vs. Vaughn Anderson (16-2-1)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Butler (8-0) vs. Nick Rossborough (23-18)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Catchweight Feature Fight (160 lbs): Eric Wisely (22-8) vs. John Alessio (34-17)

Middleweight Feature Fight: Brian Rogers (10-6) vs. Adrian Miles (14-5)

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Stuart Austin (7-0) vs. Craig Hudson (4-3)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Jason Meisel (4-3) vs. Remy Bussieres (3-0)

Catchweight Feature Fight (130 lbs.): Chris Kelades (6-0) vs. Malcolm Gordon (4-0)

Lightweight Feature Fight: Behrang Yousefi (5-4) vs. Chad Freeman (8-5)