Citing a foot injury suffered during training, New Mexico’s Angela Magana has withdrawn from the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament. She was scheduled to face unbeaten pound-for-pound queen Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii at Bellator 24 on August 12th in a first-round tournament matchup.
Bellator has reportedly secured a replacement for Magana, though contracts have not yet been signed and the name of the replacement has not been released. Fujii’s new opponent will have less than one week to prepare for the fight, while Fujii will now have to switch focus accordingly.
Magana (9-4-0) previously suffered another injury prior to a scheduled May fight with Rosi Sexton for Cage Warriors Fighting Championship. She later signed on to compete in the Bellator tournament, but will once again be forced to withdraw. With the latest development, Bellator is now working to find a replacement opponent for Fujii (20-0-0) – no easy task, even with sufficient time to prepare – and the new fight will also be subject to approval from the often strict Florida State Athletic Commission.
Bellator will reportedly announce Fujii’s replacement opponent this week after bout agreements have been signed. Further updates on the ongoing story will follow. Bellator 24 takes place next Thursday, August 12th, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Update: Magana’s camp has since stated that she suffered a foot injury while training and was advised by a physician not to compete in the fight with Fujii.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)
[…] this Thursday, August 12th, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. As first reported yesterday, Magana injured her foot in training and was forced to withdraw from the tournament as a […]