Bellator 44: Goldsby vs. Morrison scratched as per the NJSAC

Originally, a bout pitting former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good against Dan Hornbuckle was to serve as one of the four main-card bouts for this evenings card.

However, after Good suffered an injury in the lead up to the event, officials failed to find a suitable opponent to replace Lyman and so Hornbuckle was removed from the card altogether.

Then a bout pitting WEC veteran Anthony Morrison against Bryan Goldsby was promoted to the televised portion of the card after initially being relegated to the preliminary card. However, after Morrison fumbled the weigh-ins by coming in a staggering 10-pounds over the bantamweight limit, the fight has been called off altogether, in an effort to protect the fighter from cutting the additional weight.

Anthony, who truly lived up to his moniker “Cheese steak”, was scheduled for a bantamweight match with Bryan Goldsby later tonight, however weighed in at 146-pounds, ten pounds well over the required weight limit of 135-pounds, with the one pound allowance to boot.

Bellator 44 takes place at Ceasar’s Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey and is overseen by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. After the weigh-in ceremonies wrapped up, Morrison vowed to make the drastic cut, however officials from the NJSAC would not allow Anthony to attempt the drop. Therefor, his bout with Bryan has since been dropped from the card altogether.

It’s another hiccup leading into one of the bigger cards of the promotion’s year. The event features a “super fight” pitting middleweight champion Hector Lombard against UFC vet Falaniko Vitale in a non-title bout. Also on the card, Brazilian knockout artist Patricky “Pitbull” Freire will be taking on wrestling powerhouse Michael Chandler in the lightweight tournament finals.

Now with the loss of Morrison/Goldsby, the promotion will likely promote another bout to the main-card. My money is on the featherweight bout pitting WEC and Strikeforce vet Anthony Leone against “The Ultimate Fighter” season twelve cast member Jeff Lentz–but that remains to be seen.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Did the NJSAC get it right? Which bout would you like to see make the main-card? Sound off in the comment section below.