A knee injury sustained during training camp has forced former featherweight champion Pat Curran to withdraw from his bout at “Bellator 145: Vengeance” against Justin “The American Kid” Lawrence (8-2) in Saint Louis on November 6. As a result, Emmanuel “El Matador” Sanchez (11-2) has agreed to fill-in on short notice, providing fans with an amazing matchup between two of the divisions most exciting up-and-coming prospects. 

Emmanuel Sanchez steps in on short notice against Justin Lawrence at Bellator 145

The contest will take place during the main card of “Bellator 145: ‘Vengeance,” which airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET.

Top billing at the November 6 event features two world title bouts. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (24-2) defends his featherweight strap against Daniel Straus (23-6) and Will “Ill Will” Brooks (16-1) meets submission specialist Marcin Held (21-3), with the 155-pound belt on the line. “Bellator 145: Vengeance” on Spike will also feature Michael Chandler (13-3) fighting David Rickels (16-3, 1 NC) and heavyweight Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley (13-2) will look to avenge a previous loss on his record when he finally meets James Thompson (20-14) in a rematch.

Tickets for “Bellator 145: ‘Vengeance,” which start at just $30, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com and at the Ford Box Office at Scottrade Center. Doors for the event open at 5:00 p.m. CT local time, and the first contest takes place one hour after.

When he made his promotional debut during the preliminary card of the record-breaking “Bellator 138: Unfinished Business” event, Lawrence’s finish of Sean Wilson was so impressive, it made its way to the Spike telecast. “The American Kid” is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor who went on to win the Resurrection Fighting Alliance title before signing with the Scott Coker-led promotion in early 2015. The Power MMA product has won four straight tilts and finished the last two within the first five minutes of action.

With an impressive record of 3-1 under the Bellator MMA banner, Sanchez looks to further his totals after recently competing September 25 at “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis,” when he defeated former King of the Cage champion Henry Corrales. Training with the acclaimed Roufusport camp in Wisconsin, “El Matador” is no stranger to taking fights on short notice. He replaced Goiti Yamauchi on less than a month’s notice at “Bellator 139: Kongo vs. Volkov” to take on Curran, the man he replaces now. 

“Bellator 145: Vengeance” Updated Fight Card

Main Card:

Bellator Featherweight World Title Bout: Patricio Freire (24-2) vs. Daniel Straus (23-6)

Bellator Lightweight World Title Bout: Will Brooks (16-1) vs. Marcin Held (21-3)

Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (11-2) vs. Justin Lawrence (7-2)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Michael Chandler (13-3) vs. Dave Rickels (16-3)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Bout: Bobby Lashley (13-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14)

Preliminary Card:

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Bout: Alex Huddleston (6-1) vs. Augusto Sakai (8-0)

Bellator Welterweight Feature Bout: Adam Cella (6-4) vs. Chel Erwin-Davis (2-1)

Bellator Welterweight Feature Bout: Garrett Gross (6-4) vs. Luke Nelson (2-1)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Steve Mann (11-2) vs. Hugh Pulley (5-2)

Bellator Featherweight Feature Bout: Chris Heatherly (9-3) vs. Vince Eazelle (9-2)

Bellator Welterweight Feature Bout: Kevin Engel (4-0) vs. Kyle Kurtz (4-1)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Bout: Kain Royer (1-2) vs. Clay Mitchell (1-0)

Bellator Middleweight Feature Bout: Adam Meredith (3-1) vs. Jordan Dowdy (2-0)

Bellator Bantamweight Feature Bout: Garrett Mueller (2-0) vs. Scott Ettling (3-0

Bellator Lightweight Feature Bout: Brandon Lowe (debut) vs. Rashard Lovelace (1-0)