Brandon Thatch

By FCF Staff

Following the news that John Hathaway has been forced to withdraw from UFC 189 due to injury, the promotion has announced that Brandon Thatch will face Gunnar Nelson, Hathaway’s original opponent.

Thatch was initially booked to fight John Howard at the July 11th event. Due to the change, Nelson’s teammate out of SBG in Dublin, Ireland, Cathal Pendred, has been booked to fight Howard.

Thatch (11-2) hasn’t fought since February, when he was submitted by Benson Henderson. Nelson (13-1-1), meanwhile, is looking to rebound from a decision loss to Rick Story last October.

Pendred (17-2-1) will have a quick turn around, as the welterweight is coming off a decision win over Augusto Montano earlier this month at UFC 188. Howard (22-11), on the other hand, dropped a decision to Lorenz Larkin in January and has lost three in a row.

UFC 189 will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.