Directly on the heels of the news UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is out of his UFC 180 main event bout opposite Fabricio Werdum, UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon is no longer set to face Diego Sanchez on the very same card. MMA Junkie was the first to report the news, which was later confirmed by UFC Tonight on Fox Sports 1.
According to reports, the reasons for Lauzon’s removal from the bout are unclear. No replacement has been named for Sanchez yet. It’s also not clear if Sanchez will still be retained as part of the main or fight card.
Lauzon was a replacement for Sanchez’s first announced opponent, Northern Ireland’s Norman Parke. Parke withdrew from the bout in early October after suffering a knee injury.
Lauzon, 24-9, was set to enter the bout after defeating Michael Chiesa via second-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 50 in September. Sanchez is coming off of a controversial split decision win over Ross Pearson from UFC Fight Night 42 in June.
UFC 180 takes place at the Arena Cuidad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexcio on November 15. The main card airs on pay-per-view.