Bellator President Scott Coker has a potential situation on his hands that he’d rather not think about, but he might have no other choice.
“You’re right, I don’t want to think about that right now at this point,” Coker said during a Tuesday news conference in New York in response to a reporter’s question.
The question: What will happen if Rory MacDonald or Jon Fitch is unable to fight at Bellator 222?
It’s already been determined that the winner of that welterweight grand prix title bout will move on to the semifinals to meet Neiman Gracie on June 14 at Bellator 222. MacDonald puts his belt on the line vs. Fitch on April 27 at Bellator 220, which means there’s only seven weeks to recover.
According to ESPN, Bellator would consider using alternate Lorenz Larkin if either MacDonald or Fitch isn’t cleared to compete. But Coker hasn’t settled on a solution and is considering all options, including a “survivor rule.”
“In all fairness, we’ve been through this before,” Coker said. “When I was working at K-1 you had what they called a survivor rule. So if one of the fighters gets hurt, can’t advance, then the survivor would continue on in the tournament. But, you know, we’re going to keep all of our options open, so if one of the fighters can’t continue, then we’ll just deal with that at the time, and we’ll make the best decision possible.”
It feels like an unnecessary self-imposed quandary, but apparently both MacDonald and Fitch signed off on the quick turnaround.
“In talking to both athletes, they both wanted a quick turnaround,” Coker said. “So this works into their favor, as well. At least it’s what they’re telling me.”
Undefeated Gracie, 30, earned his title shot last December with a submission win over Ed Ruth at Bellator 213.
For more on Bellator 222, visit the MMA Rumors section of the site.
