LAS VEGAS (Ġunju 15, 2016) -World Serje ta 'Fighting (WSOF.com) ħabbret illum li Thiago Meller has withdrawn from his scheduled welterweight (170 liri) konkors kontra John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12), li issa se jiffaċċjaw“Mad” Mike Arrant (15-10) in a middleweight (185 liri) bout at the much-anticipated WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world championship doubleheader Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) avveniment, jgħixu fuq NBCSN (9 p.m. U/6 p.m. PT) minn Foxwoods Resort Casino fil Mashantucket, Conn. fuq Il-ġimgħa, Ġunju 17.

B'żieda, undefeated Marcus Surin (3-0) of Stamford, Conn. has been tabbed to step in for Sam Watford fil-skedat ħfief (155 liri) preliminary card contest against Christian “The Terminator” Torres (0-0) of Endicott, N.Y..

Originally hailing from Orlando, Fla., il-5-marda ta '9, 28-year-old Arrant, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, resides in Las Vegas, where he is a member of legendary champion Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Xtreme Couture fight squad.

Arrant is looking to return to the win column following a unanimous decision defeat in his last start on August 7, 2015, at the hands of two-time UFC veteran Brock Jardine.

Prior to the loss, Arrant had reeled off six consecutive victories, five of which he produced in the first round, by way of (T)KO jew is-sottomissjoni. Sal-lum, 12 ta 'dmirijietu 15 professional wins have been finishes.

During the six-fight win streak, Arrant seized his first championship – regional promotion SteelFist Fight Night’s welterweight title – with a first round (5:00) WHO (retirement) ta Carl Dieckmann fuq Lulju 12, 2013.

Like Arrant, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard boasts a phenomenal finish rate with 15 ta 'dmirijietu 23 professional victories having come by way of (T)KO jew is-sottomissjoni.

Howard will make his promotional debut with World Series of Fighting following a second stint with the UFC that spanned seven fights and included wins over Uriah Hall, Siyar Bahadurzada u Cathal Pendred.

Pprezzati minn $39.99, tickets for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.

Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open at 5 p.m. U, and the first of seven preliminary card bouts will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Il-karta kollu ġlieda preliminari se stream live fuq video player embeddable fuq WSOF.com.

In the main event of the five-bout, jgħixu telecast NBCSN, reigning World Series of Fighting heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will put his title on the line against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (12-3).

Fil-każ ko prinċipali ħfief, superstars Jason "Il-Belt Bandit Kansas" High (19-5) u Mike "Il Martian" Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND

CARD MAIN (Jgħixu fuq NBCSN)

World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Championship Main Event:
Blagoy Ivanov (Champion) vs. Josh Copeland (Challenger)

Ko-Main Event ħfief:
Jason Għoli vs. Mike Ricci

Middleweight: John Howard vs. Mike Arrant
Featherweight: Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
Middleweight: Phil Hawes vs. Josh Key

CARD PRELIMINARI (Jgħixu fuq WSOF.com)

Ħfief: Tom Marcellino vs. Devin Powell
Heavyweight: Juliano Coutinho vs. Justin Willis
Heavyweight: Tyler King vs. Lorenzo Hood
Welterweight: Robert Fonseca vs. Sean Lally
Ħfief: Bruce Boyington vs. Saul Almeida
Bantamweight: Rodrigo Almeida vs. Ben Pierre-Saint
Ħfief: Marcus Surin vs. Christian Torres