On short notice, Bellator MMA was able to find someone to take on Aaron Pico in a little over a week.
On Thursday, MMA Junkie reported that Jeremy Kennedy has been forced out of his match with Pico for currently undisclosed reasons. TSN Sports reported on Thursday night that Adli Edwards (9-1) will be stepping in for Kennedy to face Pico (9-3) at Bellator 277. The match will remain at featherweight, and it will go down on April 15 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Edwards confirmed this pairing on his Instagram shortly after its announcement.
Edwards will be making his promotional debut less than two weeks removed from his victory at XMMA 4 on April 2. At that event in Louisiana, he submitted Josh Harvey, despite Harvey missing weight by nearly a full weight class, to extend his win streak to seven. With a shade over half his wins coming by stoppage, all of his finishes have come in the opening frame. “Sunshine” has never been finished as a pro.
Pico will be looking to make it six wins in a row, and in his last time out, he went the distance for the first time in his 12-bout career. Pico could not finish, and was not finished by Justin Gonzales, and he settled for a clear-cut unanimous-decision victory. Before then, all eight of his triumphs came inside the distance, with the majority via strikes. The 25-year-old prospect has still yet to go to decision in defeat, with all three of his setbacks by stoppage in under three rounds.
Bellator 277 will carry on at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 15. The headliner will bring a high-stakes rematch for the featherweight crown, when A.J. McKee attempts to defend his throne for the first time against the man he took it from in Patricio Freire. The co-main event will also put gold on the line, with champ Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson battling it out for the tournament title as well as the light heavyweight strap, along with a $1 million check.
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