More changes to UFC 142 as injuries mount
Posted December 19, 2011 2:58 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
UFC 142 is turning into one of the most injury-plagued cards in recent memory. There have been a number of changes to the Jan. 14 event – the UFC’s second trip to Rio de Janeiro in five months –because several fighters have suffered injuries during training.
The highly anticipated UFC debut of standout welterweight striker Siyar Bahadurzada will have to be put on hold, as Bahadurzada is injured and will no longer be able to fight Erick Silva. Former WEC star Carlo Prater has stepped in to replace Bahadurzada. Bulgarian light-heavyweight Stanislav Nedkov has also been forced off the card. Nedkov was scheduled to fight Fabio Maldonado in a bout between up-and-coming knockout artists. UFC newcomer Caio Magalhaes has been named Nedkov’s replacement. Magalhaes, 24, is 5-0 in his MMA career and trains with the Nova Uniao team, which is home to the likes of UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and top bantamweight contender Renan Barao.
Paulo Thiago — who was scheduled to fight veteran Mike Pyle — has been replaced by fellow welterweight Ricardo Funch. Pyle is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Canadian Rory MacDonald at UFC 133. This will be Funch’s second stint in the UFC. The Brazilian made his UFC debut in December 2009, losing a unanimous decision to Johnny Hendricks. Funch was then submitted by Toronto’s Claude Patrick at UFC 115 and subsequently released from the organization.
It was announced last week that former number one heavyweight title contender Gabriel Gonzaga will make his return to the UFC, as he replaces the injured Rob Broughton and fights UFC newcomer Ednaldo Oliveira.
Canadian Sam Stout is one of the few fighters to not have his fight changed. He takes on Thiago Tavares in a lightweight bout. Stout, of London, Ont., is coming off a knockout win over Yves Edwards at UFC 131 in Vancouver in June. Stout’s bout at UFC 142 will be his first time in the Octagon since the death of his trainer and brother-in-law Shawn Tompkins, who suffered an unexpected heart attack in August.
Canadian Antonio Carvalho will make his promotional debut in Brazil against fellow featherweight Felipe Arantes in preliminary action.
UFC 142 is headlined by a featherweight title bout between Aldo and Chad Mendes, and features a middleweight matchup between Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson.
In other UFC news:
Sidney Crosby is not the only Cole Harbour, N.S. native currently on the shelf. UFC lightweight TJ Grant has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout at UFC 141. Grant was scheduled to fight Jacob Volkmann on the Dec. 30 card. TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero will make his return to the UFC after being named Grant’s replacement.
