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It’s a good thing the Octagon’s graphics department never released the official event poster for UFC 149, because there would be some crazy cutting and pasting action going on right about now.
Shortly after selling every available seat inside Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta Canada, the injury bug came storming through and did a number on the show’s five featured fights.
First it was Thiago Silva’s nagging back that forced the light heavyweight out of the co-main event against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, which ultimately lead to Shogun’s promotion to headline “UFC on FOX 4” against Brandon Vera.
Less than 24 hours later, Thiago Alves bowed out of his welterweight shootout against Siyar Bahadurzada with a torn pectoral muscle. Little known Chris Clements subsequently stepped in to replace “Pitbull.”
Just five days after the Thiagos were erased from the July 21st lineup, the middleweight battle between Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch – which was originally slotted for UFC 148‘s star-studded extravaganza, but transition to Canada to help bolster its roster – underwent a makeover when “The Count” had to have his knee scoped.
Former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard later agreed to replace Bisping.
Last weekend, the main event between featherweight king Jose Aldo and Erik Koch was yanked from UFC 149 and postponed when Aldo joined the walking wounded. The interim bantamweight title affair with Urijah Faber and Renan Barao was transferred from UFC 148 to serve as the show’s new headliner.
Finally, at least we hope it’s the last switcheroo, it was reported Saturday the right arm Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira snapped in two this past December hasn’t fully healed. Cheick Kongo will now co-headline the card opposite Shawn Jordan.
And that’s how all five fights originally scheduled to appear in the pay-per-view broadcast were affected by injury.
Here are the athletes currently slated to perform in Bret “The Hitman” Hart’s homeland*:
Preliminary Card:
Roland Delorme vs. TBD
Ryan Jimmo vs. Anthony Perosh
Mitch Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen
Claude Patrick vs. James Head
Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon
George Roop vs. Antonio Carvalho
Court McGee vs. Nick Ring
Main Card:
Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Chris Clements
Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch
Shawn Jordan vs. Cheick Kongo
Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao (For UFC interim bantamweight title)
* – CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE…
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