Georgi Karakhanyan will look to take out another top European prospect in his ascent up the lightweight ladder.
Adam Piccolotti has been forced out of Bellator 266 and Karakhanyan (31-11-1 MMA, 9-9 BMMA) will step in on short notice to face Saul Rogers (14-4 MMA, 2-2 BMMA).
A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday after an initial post by Karakhanyan on social media. The person asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Bellator 266 takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Since moving back up to 155 pounds, Karakhanyan has won three of his past four and back-to-back fights for the first time since 2016. He’s coming off a first-round submission of Kiefer Crosbie at Bellator 263 in July.
Season 22 “Ultimate Fighter” finalist Rogers has split his past four appearances. After submitting Arbi Mezhidov in the first round at Bellator 248, Rogers was submitted by Mads Burnell at Bellator 257 in April.
With the change, the current Bellator 266 lineup includes:
- Phil Davis vs. Yoel Romero
- Neiman Gracie vs. Mark Lemminger
- DeAnna Bennett vs. Alejandra Lara
- Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Saul Rogers
- Grant Neal vs. Alex Polizzi
- Christian Edwards vs. Ben Parrish
- Pedro Juarez vs. Socrates Hernandez
- Erin Hunter vs. Bobby Seronio III
- Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Travis Davis
- Abraham Vaesau vs. Albert Gonzales
