Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington’s 25th professional mixed martial arts fight will have to wait.
The Young’s MMA competitor was scheduled for a rematch with Rodrigo Almeida on the undercard of Saturday night’s World Series of Fighting’s WSOF 35 show at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, but the fight was scrapped when Almeida pulled out, citing a training injury.
That change came too late for WSOF officials to find a new opponent for Boyington, though he had remained ready in case someone else in his weight class (145 pounds) dropped off the undercard and he could serve as the replacement.
Boyington defeated Almeida by three-round split decision in his WSOF debut on Oct. 17, 2015. Since then the former New England Fights lightweight champion (14-10) has signed a multi-fight contract with WSOF and is 2-1 with that promotion.
Boyington has dropped his last two bouts, a three-round unanimous decision to top Russian prospect Musa Khamanaev last August in Russia, and a first-round submission to undefeated WSOF phenom Andre Harrison at WSOF 34 on New Year’s Eve at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Harrison (15-0) is scheduled to challenge Lance Palmer for the lightweight title at WSOF 35, which will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 11 p.m. Saturday.
Boetsch retains UFC ranking
There’s no news yet on a new UFC contract for Lincolnville native Tim Boetsch.
But one good sign for “The Barbarian” is that he continues to be ranked among the UFC’s top middleweights in the aftermath of his first-round loss to third-ranked Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at UFC 208 on Feb. 11.
Boetsch (20-11 overall, 11-10 in the UFC) is ranked 15th in one of the promotion’s deepest divisions despite the fact that his bout with Souza represented the last fight of his previous contract with the world’s top MMA promotion.
That the 36-year-old Boetsch remains ranked and took the Souza bout on just five weeks notice should serve him well in remaining with the UFC, for which he debuted in 2008.
Boetsch was coming off impressive back-to-back victories over Josh Samman and Rafael Natal before the bout with Souza, who is 24-4 and waiting for a chance to fight middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
Bangor fighter eyes 2nd pro win
Former New England Fights amateur welterweight champion Ricky Dexter of Bangor looks to go 2-0 as pro on April 29 when he takes on Keenan Raymond of Providence, Rhode Island, at NEF 28 in Lewiston.
The fight will be contested at a catchweight of 160 pounds.
Dexter, who recently switched training facilities from Team Irish to Young’s MMA of Bangor, scored a first-round stoppage of Matt Denning in his pro debut on Feb. 11 at NEF 27.
Raymond (3-3) has fought primarily for the Rhode Island-based Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES) promotion, though he does have one Bellator MMA bout under his belt.
He will making his first appearance in the cage since a technical-knockout loss to Peter Barrett on Jan. 30, 2016.
