Weidman (photo via UFC.com)

Constantinos Philippou Stepping in to Fight Tim Boetsch

By FCF Staff

Chris Weidman’s quest for a title shot has been delayed, as the rising middleweight has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Tim Boetsch. The decorated wrestler and undefeated fighter was scheduled to fight the fellow contender Boetsch at UFC 155 on December 29th.

According to a report from Newsday Weidman is out of the bout due to a shoulder injury. The Serra-Longo Fight Team’s training partner Constantinos Philippou has agreed to step in.

Philippou (11-2) had been scheduled to fight Nick Ring as last weekend’s UFC 154 card in Montreal, however, Ring was too ill to compete and the bout was cancelled.

The noted boxer is coming off a unanimous decision win over Riki Fukuda in July.

Boetsch (16-4) also hasn’t fought since July when he worked his way to a split decision win over former Bellator champ Hector Lombard at UFC 149.

UFC 155 will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will feature a heavyweight bout between champion Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez in the main event.