Ultimate Fighting Championship officials announced an injury to “TUF 12″ winner Jonathan Brookins on Tuesday evening, forcing Brookins out of an upcoming “TUF 13 Finale” bout with Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens (19-6).
The promotion was quick to find a replacement, stepping in on less than a months time will be Danny “Danny Boy” Downes (8-1).
Stepping in for Brookins to fight Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens will be Roufusport product Danny Downes, who upset Chinese standout Tiequan Zhang at the final WEC event in December. Stephens and Downes have agreed to the lightweight matchup, which will take place at the TUF 12 Finale in Las Vegas June 4.
The “TUF 13 Finale” is scheduled to take place on June 4 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a lightweight contender bout between former WEC champ Anthony Pettis and Clay “The Carpenter” Guida.
Stephens is 1-1 in his last two fights, and is 3-1 in his last four. His last fight was back on Jan. 1 against Marcus Davis at UFC 125. “Lil Heathen” earned a third round knockout win over Davis, earning him the “Knockout of the Night” bonus, the third of Stephens career. The defeat came at the hands of Melvin Guillard who earned a split decision win last September at UFC 119.
Downes will make his UFC debut against Stephens when the two meet next month. The Roufusport fighter has won two straight, and comes to the UFC with a 1-1 record with the WEC. “Danny Boy” took a fight outside of the UFC last weekend at a North American Fighting Championship event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Downes earned a first round submission win at the event. His win under the WEC banner came against Chinese prospect Zhang Tie Quan at WEC 53, a unanimous decision last December.