Bellator 290 has swapped out one title fight for another. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Elben vs. Anatoly Tokov was added to the Feb. 4 card alongside the cancellation of a light heavyweight title tilt between champion Vadim Nemkov and challenger Yoel Romero, the promotion announced on Tuesday.
Nemkov withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons.
Eblen vs. Tokov will serve as the co-main event for Bellator's network television debut on CBS. Bellator had previously announced that Romero would fight for the light heavyweight title prior to the conclusion of the Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix finals, which saw Nemkov outpoint Anderson to retain his crown.
Eblen (12-0) won the middleweight title in his last fight against Gegard Mousasi. Tokov (31-3) is a member of Team Fedor in Russia and finds himself directly under his mentor on the Bellator 290 fight poster. Eblen is 8-0 under the Bellator banner while Tokov (No. 3) is 7-0 with the promotion.
Bellator 290 is headlined by Bader vs. Emelianenko 2 in what is supposedly Emelianenko's retirement fight. The event takes place at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California. It will be the first MMA event to air live on CBS since 2010.
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