BAMMA 7 Undergoes Last Minute Title Fight Change with Santos Opting Out

BIRMINGHAM, England – Within hours of official weigh-ins, Leonardo Santos, in Paris, refused to fly because he can’t make weight for his intended title shot against Rob Sinclair at BAMMA 7, to be held at the NIA Arena in Birmingham, England.

Santos now finds himself in a difficult position because he wouldn’t take a non-title fight due to a deduction in his purse due to contract stipulations related to hitting the mark for a championship bout. The normal allocation for a one-pound overage is not available on championship bouts.

BAMMA’s Liam Fisher commented on the situation by saying that they did everything in their power to keep the Brazilian on the card.

“(Santos) is flat-out refusing to discuss the situation and will not be flying to the U.K. from Paris. We tried to resolve the situation with him, but he withdrew from the bout.”

Diego Vital, a veteran of the promotion from BAMMA 5, steps into the breach against Sinclair for the title encounter on short notice. It is understood that Tim Radcliffe, who was originally slated to fight Efrain Escudero, was approached to fill the slot, but having found out he was off the card earlier in the week, he has since come off of his scheduled weight cutting program and would find himself too heavy for the required weight.

The title fight will still remain on the card and stream live on BAMMA’s Facebook page.

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