Keenan Cornelius Injured, Mihad Perhavec In to Face Haisam Rida at Who’s Number One

We are now just a few days away from Who’s Number One on Friday, June 18, and the event has already seen some shuffling. According to FloGrappling, Keenan Cornelius has withdrawn from his scheduled match against Haisam Rida due to a back injury. Filling in for him will be his first-ever black belt, Mihad Perhavec.

Mihad Perhavec is a black belt in judo and holds a 3-1 Polaris record, losing only to 10th Planet standout Richie “Boogeyman” Martinez. Perhavec is also the co-owner of Legion American Jiu-Jitsu alongside Cornelius.

A black belt under Yuki Ishikawa of Carpe Diem Academy, Haisam Rida burst onto the scene in 2018 and 2019 with impressive performances at Quintet Team Grappling. He is coming off a win at Who’s Number One over another Legion AJJ representative, Sloan Clymer. If Rida is able to get past Perhavec, he will be 2-0 against Cornelius’ students, undoubtedly setting up another match against Cornelius himself, if he is able to stay healthy.

How to watch: Who’s Number One takes place on Friday, June 18, and will air live on FloGrappling (subscription required).

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and holds the rank of black belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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