The promotion announced the new pairing, which is slated for Bellator 278, on Monday. Reasons for Hill’s withdrawal have not been disclosed. The Mikhailov-Barzola winner will advance to face Magomed Magomedov in the 135-pound semifinals at Bellator 282 on June 24.
Bellator 278 takes place on April 22 at Neil S. Blasdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is headlined by a women’s flyweight championship tilt between Juliana Velasquez and Liz Carmouche.
A 23-year-old Fedorteam export, Mikhailov has been victorious in eight of his nine professional outings thus far. The Fight Nights Global veteran kicked off his promotional tenure with a decision win over Brian Moore at Bellator 269 and a third-round TKO of Blaine Shutt at Bellator 273.
After a 6-3-1 stint in the UFC, Barzola made his debut with the California-based organization at Bellator 273, where he defeated ex-bantamweight champ Darrion Caldwell via third-round TKO.