Bubba McDaniel replaces 'King Mo' against Liam McGeary at Bellator 185

It didn’t take long for Bellator to find a replacement opponent to step in to fight former champion Liam McGeary at Bellator 185 later this month.

MMAjunkie reported on Monday that Muhammed Lawal would not be able to meet McGeary (12-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in the light heavyweight bout due to an undisclosed injury. Stepping in for “King Mo” will be Bellator and UFC veteran Bubba McDaniel (28-10 MMA, 3-1 BMMA), MMAjunkie today learned from a Bellator official.

Bellator 185 takes place Oct. 20 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

McDaniel has only fought twice in the past two years but was victorious in both appearances and boasts wins in seven of his past nine contests. His most recent Bellator appearance took place in November 2015, when he earned a second-round TKO of Kenyon Jackson at Bellator 146.

Although the change comes just over two weeks’ notice, McGeary is no stranger to late opponent switches. The former Bellator 205-pound titleholder went through three different opponents before beating Brett McDermott at Bellator 173 in February. He had no opponent switches for a Bellator 179 fight with Linton Vassell in May, but he came out on the losing end of that contest via third-round submission.

With McGeary now fighting McDaniel, a welterweight bout between David Rickels (18-4 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) and Brennan Ward (14-6 MMA, 9-6 BMMA) has been elevated to the Bellator 185 co-main event slot.

The latest Bellator 185 card now includes:

• Gegard Mousasi vs. Alexander Shlemenko
• David Rickels vs. Brennan Ward
• Bubba McDaniel vs. Liam McGeary
• Heather Hardy vs. Kristina Williams
• Ryan Quinn vs. Marcus Surin
• Steve Skrzat vs. Costello Van Steenis
• Alec Hooben vs. Jordan Young

For more on Bellator 185, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.