Mike Hamel Planned as Replacement for Derek Campos Against Adam Borics at Bellator 243

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Contract is signed The Kid is coming back A szerződés aláírva, a Kölyök visszatér @bellatormma #hungrierthanever #myprotein #bellatormma #fightnews #magyar #war #kempo

A post shared by Adam Borics (@adamborics) on Jul 26, 2020 at 7:18am PDT

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Bellator MMA has been forced to reshuffle a big preliminary matchup a week before the event.

The news first coming from MMA Fighting on Friday, Derek Campos has been forced to pull out of his catchweight contest against Adam Borics (14-1) for currently undisclosed reasons. While a replacement has not yet been signed, according to a source close to the situation, Mike Hamel (7-3) is being tapped as the man to face Borics. The fight initially scheduled at Bellator 243 for 150 pounds, it is unclear whether this classification will change should it come together.

The Hungarian fighter is looking to rebound from his first career defeat in this performance. Prior to his first-round submission loss to former bantamweight champ Darrion Caldwell, Borics displayed a perfect 14-0 record with 10 finishes to his credit. The 27-year-old nicknamed “The Kid” won each of his first five fights inside the Bellator cage, with knockouts of Pat Curran and Aaron Pico on his ledger. Borics reached the quarterfinals of the featherweight Grand Prix by beating Curran, but he was ejected from the tournament following the loss to Caldwell.

MMA Lab representative Hamel will be taking this fight on short notice, having won his last bout by decision over Fabio Serrao. The Arizona native competed three times for Legacy Fighting Alliance, but never saw his hand raised. Luiz Antonio Lobo Gavinho and Jordan Winski both finished “Magic Mike” in the opening round, while a third bout against Bruno Assis de Souza Filho was halted due to illegal punches landed by Hamel. Between appearances in the LFA, the 27-year-old earned a victory under the Combate Americas banner in 2018.

Bellator 243 takes place on Aug. 7 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Headlining the event is a high-stakes lightweight rematch between former champ Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson. Drawing the co-main event spot is a heavyweight tilt between Matt Mitrione and Timothy Johnson.