UFC veteran Eric Spicely returns on a five-day notice to take on Deron Winn at UFC Greenville.
It’s not the ideal return, but Eric Spicely is reportedly back in the UFC.
After one year away from the Octagon, the 32-year-old came back as a very short notice replacement for Bruno Silva, who was scheduled to take on Deron Winn at UFC Greenville, but was forced out of the bout with an injury. This marked the second time Winn had a replacement for the bout, as his original opponent Markus Perez also left the card due to injury.
The news was first mentioned by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, but was later announced by the UFC on Monday.
One name discussed as potential foe is Eric Spicely, but a final call hasn’t been made yet.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 16, 2019
In his first UFC stint, Eric Spicely (12-4) scored two submission wins over Alessio Di Chirico and upcoming light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos, but suffered four stoppage losses to the likes of Sam Alvey, Antonio Carlos Junior, Gerald Meerschaert, and most recently Darren Stewart, which led to his release. In his last two outings, however, ‘Zebrinha’ scored a couple of TKO wins at CES MMA, defeating Leo Pla and fellow UFC veteran Caio Magalhaes.
An Octagon newcomer, Deron Winn (5-0) got his ticket to the UFC after defeating Octagon alum Tom Lawlor via unanimous decision at Golden Boy MMA – Liddel vs. Ortiz 3, a promotion started by retired boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya. The win marks the only time Winn has gone the distance in his career, with all of his other wins coming by way of TKO. Winn is a protege of current UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
UFC Greenville takes place on June 22nd will be headlined by a featherweight bout between contenders Renato Moicano and Chan Sung Jung.