UFC’s next event, a “Fight Night” card on August 21st, has received two new changes recently. Tweaks to the lineup affect an event that is scheduled to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Jones Steps In To Face Debuting Martinez
Mana Martinez has a new opponent for his UFC debut, as he will now face Trevin Jones.
Jones is stepping in to replace Jesse Strader, who withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. The change was reported by MMA Island earlier this week.
Jones was first scheduled to compete in late July, but was taken out of the lineup after opponent Ronnie Lawrence was not able to make weight for their fight.
Jones’ last appearance was in March, where he defeated Mario Bautista with strikes to earn his first official UFC win. He had previously also defeated Timur Valiev, but that result was later overturned due to a drug test on Jones that detected marijuana.
Martinez is getting the UFC call-up after a 32-second win over Jose Johnson on a Fury FC card. The fight took place in front of UFC President Dana White, who was in attendance to record his “Lookin’ For A Fight” show.
Visa Issues Force Jojua vs. Casey Off Lineup
UFC’s upcoming event has lost a bout between flyweights Liana Jojua and Cortney Casey, per a report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
The fight has been removed from the card due to visa issues on Jojua’s end. The plan going forward is to reportedly keep this matchup and place it on a later card.
Both fighters were aiming to come back and return to the win column after recent losses. The fight was going to be Jojua’s first appearance since October.
Updated Lineup
Middleweights Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum are currently expected to headline UFC’s August 21st card. Here is the updated lineup.
Bout 12: Jared Cannonier (13-5) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (17-7) (Middleweight)
Bout 11: Clay Guida (36-20) vs. Mark Madsen (10-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 10: Chase Sherman (15-7) vs. Parker Porter (11-6) (Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Vinc Pichel (13-2) vs. Austin Hubbard (13-5) (Lightweight)
Bout 8: Alexandre Pantoja (23-5) vs. Brandon Royval (12-5) (Flyweight)
Bout 7: Luis Saldana (15-6) vs. Austin Lingo (8-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Brian Kelleher (22-12) vs. Domingo Pilarte (8-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Bea Malecki (2-0) vs. Josiane Nunes (7-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 4: William Knight (9-2) vs. Fabio Cherant (7-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Roosevelt Roberts (10-2) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (11-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Mana Martinez (8-2) vs. Trevin Jones (13-6) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Ramiz Brahimaj (8-3) vs. Sasha Palatnikov (6-3) (Welterweight)