Emmanuel Sanchez Replaces Injured Pat Curran, Meets Justin Lawrence at Bellator 145

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Emmanuel Sanchez will replace the injured Pat Curran and face Justin Lawrence at Bellator 145 next month.

A Bellator official confirmed the change to Sherdog.com on Tuesday following an initial report form MMAJunkie.com. Curran, the ex-featherweight titlist, was forced to pull out with a knee injury, the severity of which is currently unknown. Sanchez will square off with Lawrence as part of the five-bout main card to be televised on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

Bellator 145 takes place at Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Nov. 6 and is headlined by a 145-pound title tilt between Patricio Freire and Daniel Straus. Will Brooks is set to defend his lightweight strap against Marcin Held in the co-main event.

Sanchez rebounded from a short-notice setback against Curran at Bellator 139 by taking a split verdict over Henry Corrales on Sept. 25. “El Matador” is 3-1 under the Bellator banner and 11-2 as a professional overall.

A veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” Lawrence has won four straight fights since parting ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2013. Most recently, “The American Kid” scored a first-round stoppage of Sean Wilson in his debut at Bellator 138 this past June.