(PRESS RELEASE) -- LAS VEGAS, - The World Series of Fighting 7 light heavyweight showdown between Anthony Johnson and Mike Kyle has been canceled after Kyle suffered a broken toe in training and was forced to withdraw from the contest.
"I'm as disappointed as anyone that we're forced to cancel this fight, but Mike just could not compete with his broken toe, and we simply could not find a suitable opponent for Anthony on such short notice," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. "That said, we are fortunate that we still have a fantastic championship matchup between Georgi Karakhanyan and Lance Palmer that will now serve as our main event, and I think fans are still going to enjoy an incredible fight card."
"World Series of Fighting 7: Karakhanyan vs. Palmer" takes place Dec 7 at PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The night's main card airs on NBC Sport Network at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT following prelims that stream on World Series of Fighting's official website, www.wsof.com.
Tickets for World Series of Fighting 7, which start at just $29, are available at TicketLeader.ca.
Karakhanyan brings an eight-fight win streak to the matchup. The 28-year-old Millennia MMA fighter, who was born in Russia but now makes his home in Southern California, turned pro in 2006 and has since racked up 22 wins, including 12 submission victories and another four by knockout. He debuted for World Series of Fighting in September, scoring an impressive first-round submission win over Waylon Lowe, who had won his previous four fights by knockout.
Meanwhile, Palmer is a former four-time All-American collegiate wrestler at Ohio State University. A member of California's famed Team Alpha Male, Palmer currently trains alongside MMA standouts Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes, Danny Castillo and T.J. Dillashaw, among others. Palmer made his professional debut in 2011 and remains undefeated through his first seven contests, including a recent decision win that saw him claim the Resurrection Fighting Alliance featherweight title.
A light heavyweight matchup scheduled for the preliminary card between Dwayne "D-Bomb" Lewis (13-8) and Kalib Starnes (15-8-1) will now be the evening's first televised matchup.
NBCSN-TELEVISED MAIN CARD
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Lance Palmer - for inaugural WSOF featherweight title
Elvis Mutapcic vs. Jesse Taylor - middleweight tournament semifinal
Sabah Fadai vs. Nick Newell
Kalib Starnes vs. Dwayne Lewis
WSOF.COM-STREAMED PRELIMINARY CARD
Shawn Albrecht vs. Josh Machan
Michael Hill vs. Richard Arsenault
About WSOF World Series of Fighting is a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight promotion dedicated to delivering an incredible, action-packed entertainment experience for fight fans by producing the best possible matchups between elite fighters from around the globe. For more information please visit WSOF.com. Follow World Series of Fighting on Twitter @MMAWorldSeries and World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo @SugarRaySefo.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS NETWORK NBC Sports Network, part of the NBC Sports Group, is dedicated to serving passionate sports fans. Now in more than 80 million homes, the network is the cable television home of the Summer and Winter Olympics, National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France and the 34th America's Cup, and beginning in 2013, the Premier League and Formula One. In addition, NBC Sports Network features college football, college basketball, college hockey, outdoor programming, horse racing surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Fight Night boxing, Ironman, the Dew Action Sports Tour and USA Sevens Rugby. The network is also home to original programs such as Costas Tonight, The Crossover, NFL Turning Point, Pro Football Talk and The Dan Patrick Show. NBC Sports Network is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.