Josh Koscheck pulls out of Bellator debut again, Lima to face Daley

Bellator MMA rescheduled UFC veteran Josh Koscheck's promotional debut for Bellator 158 against rival Paul Daley, but it looks like the matchmakers will have to reschedule Koscheck for a different card yet again.

According to a report from ESPN.com, Koscheck pulled out of his upcoming fight for undisclosed reasons. He was initially supposed to debut under the Bellator MMA banner this past January, but was forced out of the contest due to an injury.

Filling in to fight Daley is former Bellator MMA welterweight champion Douglas Lima, who was slated to fight Chidi Njokuani at Bellator 156 later this month. Njokuani is expected to receive a new opponent, per the report.

Daley (38-13-2) is currently riding a five-fight winning streak, and most recently knocked out Andy Uhrich in the main event of Bellator 148 earlier this year. "Semtex" competed in a kickboxing bout against Fernando Gonzalez last September at Bellator: Dynamite 1, a hybrid-event that also featured GLORY Kickboxing bouts.

Lima (26-6) hasn't fought since a devastating title loss to current champ Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 140 last summer. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak which included wins over Rick Hawn and current UFC welterweight Ben Saunders.

At this time, it is unknown whether the new matchup will be bumped up to the headlining position or remain in Koscheck vs. Daley's original co-main event slot. Kimbo Slice, who passed away Monday, was expected to headline the card against James Thompson.

Bellator 158 takes place live from The O2 Arena in London, England on July 16.