A couple of changes were announced by Zuffa today for the UFC 143 card that is scheduled for February 4th in Vegas. One sees a TUF contestant replacing a TUF winner, and the other has Dustin Poirier looking for yet another opponent. Via UFC.com:
TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah has been injured. Stepping in to face Wanderlei-Silva trained striker Jorge Lopez will be welterweight Matthew Riddle. - verbal agreements are in for this matchup. Riddle was slated to scrap at this past weekend's UFC 141, but forced to withdraw at the zero hour due to illness.
Also on that card, featherweight Dustin Poirier has lost his second opponent, as Ricardo Lamas has been injured. Lamas was only recently announced as the replacement for Poirier's original opponent, Erik Koch, who was also hurt. A replacement is expected to be named shortly.
Riddle's mysterious sickness that led to the cancellation of his bout with Luis Ramos last weekend hasn't been explained yet, but apparently it's nothing serious and he's ready to go again. He is currently on a two-fight losing streak. Lopez lost his UFC debut to Justin Edwards back at UFC Fight Night 25 in September, so this is an extremely important bout for the futures of both men.
0 recs | 22 comments
Barao v. Jorgensen for MAIN CARD STATUS!!!!!
Earl Montclair - January 3, 2012
Nah man
Barao vs. Jorgensen is between two midgets who won’t stand and wang for the KO.
Matt Riddle vs. Sean Pierson was Dana White’s personal Fight of the Night. Then he turns around and calls Mayhem’s striking “the worst he’s ever seen”.
SSreporters - January 3, 2012
My personal favorite striking of all time?
Earl Montclair - January 3, 2012
I love how he puffs his cheeks to throw that knee
Like he was gassed from the punches.
SSreporters - January 3, 2012
Who knew "diarrhea" was a mystery illness.
I kid I kid.
rkilla - January 3, 2012
Good for Riddle
He’s done decent considering he’s one of like the only two or three people to start their career in the UFC.
Hopefully he picked up a new striking coach though.
av1o3 - January 3, 2012
Riddle probably will get UFC immunity
Due to all of his exciting “striking”.
SSreporters - January 3, 2012
I think you meant hilariously awesome striking.
The Lethal Haze - January 3, 2012
At least he’s not getting the Garcia treatment from the judges
av1o3 - January 3, 2012
Poirier vs. KZ PLEASE!!!
SSreporters - January 3, 2012
Before UFC 140 I would of easily picked Dustin
But now I have no idea. That Roop loss really screwed KZ, as I just can’t ever pick his fights anymore.
sitnam90 - January 3, 2012 via mobile
It's tough
He clearly won the first Garcia fight, looked awful in the Roop fight, beat Garcia properly with a sub we’ve never seen before, and KTFO’d Hominick.
It’s hard to gauge him because Leonard Garcia is horrendous at MMA and the Hominick result could be just a fluke occurrence due to carelessness….but obviously KZ has KO power, likes Eddie Bravo, and fought more cautiously in the 2nd Garcia fight than the first.
It’s a fight that needs to happen so we can tell what’s up with both fighters.
SSreporters - January 3, 2012
jirlow - January 3, 2012
this might be my favorite striking sequence of all time
I was LOL’ing in BWW for basically this whole fight.
The Lethal Haze - January 3, 2012
k-1 riddle fo sho
jirlow - January 3, 2012
John Danaher's Hair - January 3, 2012
I think that pretty much sums it up.
discoandherpes - January 4, 2012
Riddle’s wrestling is pretty solid, and I don’t know what he was thinking not trying to go for takedowns in that fight.
chrisbboy82 - January 3, 2012
all i can do is rec
no words
UncleMax - January 4, 2012
jirlow - January 3, 2012
Stefan Struve and Arlovski thought that flying knee was poorly executed.
Verklemptomaniac - January 3, 2012
the-feign-flying-knee-present-chin-for-KO technique
UncleMax - January 4, 2012
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