This weekend’s UFC card has seen a sudden change in its lineup. Gabriel Benitez has been pulled from his January 15th fight against TJ Brown, although Charles Rosa has already been named as the replacement opponent.
The new matchup was reported by Ariel Helwani on Wednesday morning. It is set to happen at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Benitez reportedly withdrew from his fight due to a health issue. The now-scrapped matchup was set to give him an opportunity to come back from a stoppage loss he suffered against Billy Quarantillo last year.
Brown usually competes at featherweight, although he will move up to lightweight to face Rosa in this short-notice fight. Brown earned his first UFC win last time around, defeating Kai Kamaka III in May.
Rosa will be fighting to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss that he took against Damon Jackson in October.
Featherweights Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar are set to headline Saturday’s UFC “Fight Night” card. Here is how the card looks now:
Bout 11: Calvin Kattar (22-5) vs. Giga Chikadze (14-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Katlyn Chookagian (16-4) vs. Jennifer Maia (19-7-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 9: Brandon Royval (12-6) vs. Rogerio Bontorin (17-3) (Flyweight)
Bout 8: Chase Sherman (15-8) vs. Jake Collier (12-6) (Heavyweight)
Bout 7: Joanderson Brito (12-2-1) vs. Bill Algeo (14-6) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Ramiz Brahimaj (9-3) vs. Court McGee (20-10) (Welterweight)
Bout 5: Dakota Bush (8-3) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (5-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Brian Kelleher (23-12) vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov (9-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Vanessa Demopoulos (6-4) vs. Silvana Juarez (10-3) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Jamie Pickett (12-6) vs. Joseph Holmes (7-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 1: TJ Brown (15-8) vs. Charles Rosa (14-6) (Featherweight)
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