Bellator MMA has made a couple of key changes to their championship lineup. Will Brooks, previously the reigning Bellator lightweight champion, has been released by the organization while Vitaly Minakov was stripped of his heavyweight crown. MMA Junkie was the first to report the news. MMA Fighting confirmed it with Bellator officials.
"It was very simple," Coker reportedly told MMA Junkie. "Will Brooks' contract is ending, and we made a decision not to renew it. We're going to give him a full release, so we're not going to be in the Will Brooks business any longer.