After an injury knocked Tom DeBlass out of his first scheduled fight with King Mo on September 5, DeBlass was eager to finally get his chance against the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion on November 15 from San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center. That chance will once again have to wait as a major cut suffered in training has forced DeBlass out of action. With the change, San Diego’s own and Alliance MMA’s Joe Vedepo will now take on King Mo live on Spike TV.
With Tom DeBlass Injured, Joe Vedepo Steps In To Face King Mo At Bellator 131
Tickets for the event are on sale now and are available at the Valley View Casino Center Box Office, axs.com or Bellator.com.
Vedepo enters the fight riding a three fight win streak including a knockout victory over Davin Clark at Bellator 129 in October. While Vedepo currently holds a 4-2 record inside the Bellator cage, those victories have come at middleweight, and Vedepo is well aware of the challenges of fighting up a weight class. Concern aside, Vedepo now has his sights set on earning the biggest victory of his career on November 15.
“This is just an absolutely blessing,” Vedepo said. “When I got the phone call to fight on November 15, I didn’t even need to hear who the opponent was, I was all in. Mo’s tough as hell, he’s one of the best wrestlers in the sport, but I haven’t stopped training in months and I know this is a chance of a lifetime. I always thrive on coming into the fight as an underdog, and while I have all the respect in the world for a guy like King Mo, underestimating what I bring to the cage would be a huge mistake.”
With the change, the full fight card for Bellator 131 can be found below:
MAIN CARD:
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Tito Ortiz (17-11) vs. Stephan Bonnar (15-8)
Lightweight Title Fight: Michael Chandler (12-2) vs. Will Brooks (14-1)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: King Mo (13-4) vs. Joe Vedepo (17-8)
Middleweight Feature Fight: Melvin Manhoef (29-11 MMA, 37-12 Kickboxing) vs. Joe Schilling (1-3 MMA, 17-7 Kickboxing)
Bantamweight Feature Fight: Mike Richman (17-5) vs. Nam Phan (20-13)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Middleweight Feature Fight: AJ Matthews (6-3) vs. Kyle Bolt (8-3)
Flyweight Feature Fight: Ron Henderson (debut) vs. Jonathan Santa Maria (debut)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Jordan Bailey (2-1) vs. Alex Higley (debut)
Flyweight Feature Fight: Matt Ramirez (1-0) vs. Nick Garcia (1-1)
Welterweight Feature Fight: Andy Murad (8-2) vs. Bubba Pugh (3-1)
Featherweight Feature Fight: Rolando Perez (7-4-1) vs. Mark Vorgeas (5-2)
Lightweight Feature Fight: Ian Butler (1-0) vs. Joao Faria (1-1)
