A promotion official confirmed Teixeira’s withdrawal to Sherdog.com on Friday afternoon after The MMA Report first brought word of the injury. The California-based promotion is currently seeking a replacement opponent for the ex-featherweight champion.
Bellator 153 takes place on April 22 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between Andrey Koreshkov and Benson Henderson. The evening’s main card airs on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
Freire is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Daniel Straus in a featherweight title clash at Bellator 145 this past November. That snapped a seven-fight winning streak for “Pitbull,” who had previously defeated Straus twice in Bellator competition.
Teixeira, who competed on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,” is 3-0 under the Bellator banner, with all three of his triumphs coming via split decision. “Macapa” owns a 19-1-2 career mark; his only loss came to Hugo Viana at UFC 147.