Bellator 197 fight card update: Michael Chandler vs Brandon Girtz booked with Brent Primus injured

Bellator 197: “Chandler vs. Girtz” comes to Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., on April 13, 2018. The original main event was supposed to feature Brent Primus vs. Michael Chandler 2 with the former defending the title he lifted off of “Iron” at Madison Square Garden back in June 2017; however, in this sport — as always seems to happen — plans change.

As first reported by Ariel Helwani for MMA Fighting, Primus has withdrawn from his planned title defense because of an undisclosed injury. Furthermore, there’s no timetable for how long Primus could be out of action, so the rematch Chandler didn’t originally want may not happen any time soon ... if at all.

Bellator’s new plan of action is a three-round, non-title fight that pits Chandler (17-4) against Brandon Girtz (15-7). Both men are coming off wins in their most recent fights. Chandler mauled Goiti Yamauchi back in January, while Girtz defeated Luka Jelcic with a quick knockout in Italy in Dec. 2017.

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