Three new match-ups were announced for future UFC cards, including Tom Niinimaki’s new opponent.
Niinimaki, originally scheduled to take on Brazilian grappler Thiago Tavares at the UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin, Germany, on May 31, will face off against Octagon newcomer Niklas Backstrom after Tavares was forced out of the card with an injury. Niinimaki (21-5-1) defeated Rani Yahya in his UFC debut, and Backstrom enters the cage with a perfect 7-0 record.
Another injury forced a change at UFC 175 on July 5. Bruno Santos is out of the card with an injury, so Chris Camozzi now faces Trevor Smith. Camozzi (19-7) enters the cage in a two-fight skid, with losses to Lorenz Larkin and Ronaldo Souza, while Smith (11-5) tries to bounce back to the win column following a unanimous decision loss to Thales Leites.
UFC’s first trip to Auckland, New Zealand, on June 28, will feature a welterweight clash between Claudio Henrique da Silva and Neil Magny. Riding a 10-fight win streak, Silva (11-1) returns to the cage after defeating Brad Scott in his Octagon debut. Magny (10-3) scored wins over Gasan Umalatov and Tim Means in his last UFC appearances.
Update: Despite the initial report, UFC announced on Twitter that Chris Camozzi will Bruno Santos at Las Vegas’ UFC 175 card. Trevor Smith will be moved to the July 19 card in Dublin, Ireland, against Tor Troeng.