Originally, New York native and No. 13-ranked lightweight Al Iaquinta was slated to meet former welterweight title challenger Thiago “Pitbull” Alves at November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York. Yesterday (September 19, 2016), however, Iaquinta announced that he was pulling out of the bout due to contract disputes with the promotion.
The UFC has quickly found a replacement for Iaquinta as MMAJunkie has reported that veteran Jim Miller has stepped up to take on Alves.
The New Jersey native has gotten back to his winning ways in recent memory, picking up back-to-back to victories over the likes of Takanori Gomi and Jou Lauzon.
Alves, on the other hand, will be making his 155-pound debut in this bout. The “Pitbull” is coming off of a brutal loss to former interim 170-pound champion Carlos Condit, but prior to that he had won two straight over Seth Baczynski and Jordan Mein.
UFC 205 is still searching for a main event, but it was recently announced that welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will defend his title against Stephen Thompson on the card. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman will also face off with surging contender Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero.
A lightweight title tilt between champion Eddie Alvarez and 145-pound king Conor McGregor has been rumored as a possible headliner, but nothing has been finalized just yet.
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