Usman Nurmagomedov out of Bellator Paris title defense

Bellator Champions Series Paris is down to one title fight.

Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov withdrew from his bout against Alexander Shabliy due to injury, the PFL announced Monday.

Nurmagomedov-Shabliy was scheduled to headline the May 17 event at Accor Arena in Paris. It will be rescheduled at a later date, according to the promotion.

As a result, Patchy Mix's bantamweight title defense against Magomed Magomedov - originally set as the co-main event - will now headline the event.

Nurmagomedov, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib, was looking to get back on track after a victory over former champ Brent Primus at Bellator 300 last October was overturned to a no-contest due to a failed drug test. Nurmagomedov is undefeated at 17-0 (1 NC) and has been the Bellator lightweight champion since November 2022.

Shabliy, a fellow Russian, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Patricky "Pitbull" Freire at Bellator 301 last November to lift his promotional record to 5-0.

Nurmagomedov-Shabliy was set to be the final of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix before the PFL acquired Bellator in late 2023. The PFL did not indicate that it would honor the $1-million grand prize when the fight was announced.

In March, Shabliy said he was "not fully sure" the Nurmagomedov bout would happen despite the fact it had been announced by the PFL, telling MMA Fighting's Damon Martin that he hadn't received a bout agreement yet.