Michael Chandler will fight Brandon Girtz in the main event of Bellator 197 in St. Charles, Miss., on April 13, but that was not the company’s first backup plan.
Chandler, who was originally slated to rematch Brent Primus for the lightweight championship in April, found himself without an opponent after Primus pulled out with an injury.
The former 155-pound titleholder told ESPN on Thursday that featherweight champion Patricio Freire was offered a fight against him, but turned it down.
”I sent my contract over,” Chandler said, “and a couple hours later, I got a call back that basically said, ‘Never mind.