The highly anticipated 2023 PFL season opener in San Antonio is now faced with unexpected changes as the promotion announced that Bruno Cappelozza, the reigning heavyweight champion, will no longer be competing on April 4th. Originally slated to face Sergey Bilostenniy on the main card, Cappelozza has been replaced by Blagoy Ivanov without any explanation provided for his sudden removal from the fight card.
In addition to Cappelozza’s absence, former UFC women’s flyweight title challenger Taila Santos has also experienced a shift in opponents for her PFL debut. Santos, who was initially set to face Denise Kielholtz, will now be going up against Ilara Joanne. Furthermore, a third scheduled fight between flyweights Kaytlin Neil and Sumiko Inaba has been completely removed from the event.
Cappelozza had been aiming to defend his heavyweight title in the 2023 PFL season after making it to the playoffs the previous year. However, his journey was cut short when he suffered an injury before the semifinal round. Furthermore, his 2023 season was marred by a suspension due to testing positive for an anabolic steroid. Despite returning to action last month in a light heavyweight bout against former Bellator champion Vadim Nemkov, Cappelozza was unsuccessful and suffered a loss by submission.
With no official word from the PFL on whether the fighters who have dropped off the card will make a later return in the season, fans are left speculating on the future matchups and potential rivalries that could arise as a result of these sudden changes. The unexpected twists and turns in the fight card only add to the anticipation and excitement surrounding the upcoming PFL season.
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