Report: Roy Nelson Fighting Stipe Miocic at UFC 161
By FCF Staff
In an effort to shore up a card that has been hit by the withdrawal of interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao, the UFC has reportedly added a heavyweight bout between Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic to the line-up.
According to a report from MMA Junkie.com, Nelson has agreed to step in on short notice and will fight Miocic, who originally was scheduled to fight Soa Palelei. The latter will serve as a replacement if any heavyweight scheduled to compete at the June 15th event gets injured.
Miocic (9-1) hasn’t fought since September when he was stopped by Stefan Struve.
Nelson (19-7) competed less than a month ago at UFC 159, on April 27th, and scored a TKO win over Cheick Kongo.
Barao was forced to drop out of his bout with Eddie Wineland after he tore ligaments in his foot. The UFC is still seeking for a new opponent to face Wineland, and if they promotion finds one, the main card will apparently feature six fights.
A light-heavyweight bout between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans will now serve as the card’s main event, which will be hosted by the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The UFC 161 main card will be available via pay-per-view.