With only 18 days remaining until the curtain is drawn on “UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans,” the pesky injury bug has emerged to force the main card to undergo a slight change.
On Tuesday afternoon, lightweight Mark Bocek announced opponent Matt Wiman will have to withdraw with an injured knee and veteran John Alessio has agreed to serve as a last-minute substitute on April 21st.
Alessio is no stranger to the UFC, having competed inside the Octagon sporadically over his extended career. “The Natural” lost all three of his bouts in the big leagues, but will be riding a three-fight winning streak into his fourth stint with the promotion.
He’s won 10 of his last 11 scraps overall.
Bocek has alternated between wins and losses over his past five fights. The Canadian was last seen taking a unanimous decision victory over Nik Lentz at UFC 140.
Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia will host the Octagon’s return to the Peach State. A light heavyweight title tilt between champion Jon Jones and Rashad Evans headlines the festivities.
Here is the event’s revised lineup:
Preliminary Card:
(Facebook 7PM ET/4PM PT)
Maximo Blanco vs. Marcus Brimage
Keith Wisniewski vs. Chris Clements
(FX 8PM ET/5PM PT)
Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
Anthony Njokuani vs. John Makdessi
Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson
Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs
Main Card:
(Pay-Per-View 10PM ET/7PM PT)
Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald
John Alessio vs. Mark Bocek
Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin
Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub
Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills
Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones (UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
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