Brazilian heavyweight Thiago “Big Monster” Santos has suffered an undisclosed injury, forcing him from a planned bout with Derrick Lewis at Bellator Fighting Championships 45.
Sherdog.com confirmed the news with a source close to the event Thursday following an initial report from MMAJunkie.com. The Abercrombie-Parpart fight will not be included on the TV broadcast.
Bellator 45 goes down May 21 at L’Auberge du Lac Casino and Resort in Lake Charles, La. Featuring the light heavyweight tournament final between Richard Hale and Christian M'Pumbu, as well as the featherweight final between Patricio Freire and Daniel Straus, Bellator 45 marks the final show of the promotion’s fourth season. The main card will air live on MTV2.
A veteran of the defunct Rio Heroes promotion, Santos signed with Bellator in April. The three-year pro made his debut in 2007, finishing four of his six opponents before tasting defeat for the first time in 2009. After his submission loss to Alexey Oleinik, Santos rebounded with back-to-back wins. Most recently, Santos was awarded a victory in August at Amazon Fights 4 after his foe was disqualified in the second round for landing illegal punches to his back.