Chase DeMoor has withdrawn from his Misfits Boxing co-main event in London on Saturday due to injury. His coach, Gary Olive, steps in to face Plinio Cruz, the coach of Alex Pereira, in a "Battle of the Coaches." Cruz, a 39-year-old former MMA fighter who retired in 2019 with an 8-9 record, has signed a multiple-fight deal with Misfits.
Misfits Boxing has reportedly shuffled its London card, with Chase DeMoor said to be out of Saturday's co-main event due to injury. The change is not officially confirmed. According to the report, DeMoor's own coach, Gary Olive, steps in to face Plinio Cruz in a "Battle of the Coaches."
Cruz, 39, is a former MMA fighter who retired in 2019 with an 8-9 record. He is best known as the coach of Alex Pereira. The report says Cruz has signed a multiple-fight deal with Misfits, which would suggest the promotion sees this as the start of a longer run rather than a one-off appearance.
Olive was not detailed beyond his role as DeMoor's coach, and he now moves from the corner into the ring. For Cruz, the bout is a return to competition after years away from fighting.
Pereira, nicknamed Poatan, is the link that gives the matchup its pull. The 39-year-old Brazilian is 13-4-0 and ranked third at light heavyweight. He fights out of Teixeira MMA & Fitness, stands six-foot-four with a 79-inch reach, and lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 62 percent accuracy. Cruz works in his camp, and the Misfits billing leans on that connection.
Why it matters
- The report says DeMoor's withdrawal reshapes the co-main event on short notice, swapping a planned bout for a coach-versus-coach novelty.
- Cruz's reported multiple-fight deal points to further Misfits appearances beyond this card.
- The matchup draws on Pereira's profile, tying one of the UFC's top light heavyweights to a boxing-promotion spectacle.
Neither the change nor Cruz's contract has been formally confirmed by Misfits, so details could still shift before Saturday.
