Featherweight Champ Pat Curran injured and out of Bellator 73

Bellator Featherweight champion Pat Curran‘s scheduled title fight against Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire for next weekend’s Bellator 73 show has been postponed due to injury. Bellator will now move the Bantamweight tournament finals between Marcos Galvao and Luis Nogueira to the main event.

Curran suffered a broken orbital bone while training for the fight, and it looks like he will be out for several months to recover. The fighter told ESPN: “It’s an incredibly frustrating injury, especially to happen so close to the fight, but these things happen. I can honestly say I’m in the best shape of my life, but injuries happen and once I heal up, I’m going to continue to train and come back stronger than ever to defend the Bellator Featherweight title.”

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said: “First and foremost I feel horrible for Pat, he’s been looking forward to this fight pitting two of the best 145 pounds in the world against each other for months. Pat always elevates his game as the stakes get higher and higher. Right now the focus is Pat healing and getting back to 100 percent and we will get that fight rescheduled as quickly as Pat’s health will allow us to.”

It seems the injury bug which has plagued the UFC is starting to hit other promotions as well.