Change of opponent at FNC 14: Banović faces former UFC fighter Beltran
After the injury to the Serbian fighter, the experienced Mexican stepped into his gloves
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We were supposed to witness a bantamweight clash between Darko 'Face Smasher' Banović (32, 18-9) and Borislav Nikolić (30, 10-2) at FNC 14 in Sarajevo, but the Serbian fighter withdrew due to an injury. A replacement was quickly found in the form of former UFC fighter, the experienced Marco Beltran (37, 20-7).
The Mexican fighter comes with five consecutive victories, with the latest one being in the ARES cage in France. Granted, it was a victory by default, but it's worth noting that Beltran has three wins and three losses in the cage of the strongest global organizations. He has previously defeated Marlon 'Chito' Vera (31, 23-8-1) and fought against names like Deiveson Figueiredo (35, 22-3-1) and Matt Schnell (33, 16-7). He is a ground specialist and will likely look for opportunities in Sarajevo.
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As for Banović, he has previously competed in the Bellator cage and comes on the heels of a victory against Junior Assis (34, 8-6) with a rear-naked choke in the first round. FNC returns to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the third time, and this will be the first appearance of a Bosnian-Herzegovinian fighter who trains and lives in Austria in front of his home crowd.
Tickets are now on sale, and you can get them through the kupikartu.ba system. Just a reminder, the event in Sarajevo is scheduled for Saturday, December 16th.