LAS VEGAS (Juni 15, 2016) -World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today that Thiago Meller has withdrawn from his scheduled welterweight (170 pounds) contest mod John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12), hvem vil nu stå“Mad” Mike Arrant (15-10) in a middleweight (185 pounds) bout at the much-anticipated WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world championship doubleheader Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) begivenhed, bor på NBCSN (9 p.m. OG/6 p.m. PT) fra Foxwoods Resort Casino i Mashantucket, Conn. på Fredag, Juni 17.

Desuden, ubesejret Marcus Surin (3-0) af Stamford, Conn. has been tabbed to step in for Sam Watford i den planlagte letvægt (155 pounds) preliminary card contest against Christian “The Terminator” Torres (0-0) of Endicott, N.Y..

Originally hailing from Orlando, Fla., 5-fods-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 eller indsendelse. Til dato, 12 sin 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) af Carl Dieckmann på juli 12, 2013.

Like Arrant, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard boasts a phenomenal finish rate with 15 sin 23 professional victories having come by way of (T)KO eller indsendelse.

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 og Cathal Pendred.

Prissat fra $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. OG, and the first of seven preliminary card bouts will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Hele foreløbige Kampen kort vil streame live på en integrerbare videoafspiller på WSOF.com.

In the main event of the five-bout, leve NBCSN fjersynsudsendelse, 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).

I letvægts co-main event, superstjerner Jason "The Kansas City Bandit" High (19-5) og Mike "The Mars" Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.

WSOF31: IVANOV VS. COPELAND

Hovedkortet (Live på NBCSN)

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

Letvægts Co-Main Event:
Jason Høj vs. Mike Ricci

Mellemvægt: John Howard vs. Mike Arrant
Fjervægt: Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
Mellemvægt: Phil Hawes vs. Josh Key

FORELØBIG CARD (Live på WSOF.com)

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