Mark Bocek Says New UFC 145 Opponent is John Alessio
By FCF Staff
UFC 145 could feature an all Canadian match-up, as according to a tweet from lightweight Mark Bocek, Matt Wiman has had to withdraw from the card due to a knee injury and has been replaced by John Alessio.
The UFC has not made any official announcement regarding the injury.
If accurate, Alessio (34-14) will be returning to the UFC for the first time since October, 2006, when he lost by unanimous decision to Thiago Alves.
Since then the 32 year-old-veteran has competed for various organizations including the WEC, Dream, the MFC and most recently, Score Fighting Series.
The Xtreme Couture fighter has won three straight bouts and is coming off a UD win over Ryan Healy last month.
Bocek (10-4) hasn’t fought since December, when he worked his way to a unanimous decision win over Nik Lentz, after losing by UD to current champion Ben Henderson last April. The renowned BJJ practitioner is 3-2 in his last five fights.
UFC 145 will be hosted by Atlanta’s Phillips Arena and will feature a light-heavyweight bout between champion Jon Jones and former champ Rashad Evans in the main event.