Kiefer Crosbie’s initial Bellator Dublin opponent Lawrence Fitzpatrick has been forced out of their Sept. 27 clash at 3 Arena, and the SBG fighter will now take on promotional newcomer Hugo Pereira.
Bellator confirmed the change of opponent to MMA Fighting. The bout is set to be contested at a catchweight of 165 pounds.
Crosbie (6-1-0) is an Irish fan favorite and will go into the hometown fight on the back of his first career loss to Mike Jackson at Bellator 224. Crosbie was disqualified from the contest when Jackson was unable to continue after eating an illegal knee from the surging Irishman in the the first round of their clash, which also acted as Crosbie’s U.S. debut. Up until that point, Crosbie was a perfect 6-0 as a professional and had only been forced the distance once, by Italian Orlando D’Ambrosio in his promotional debut.
Pereira (4-2-0) usually competes as a middleweight and will be making his Bellator debut at the Irish event. In his last outing, the Portuguese fighter lost a decision to Tiago Leite in their Striker’s League showdown this past November. His took his last win at a Porto Fight League event over Adrian Borrull in Dec. 2017.