Photo by Josh Hedges for UFC.com
A heavyweight bout between Dave ‘Pee Wee’ Herman (21-2) and Mike Russow (14-1) has been pulled from next months UFC 136 card after Herman was forced to withdraw from the event.
On Wednesday, UFC officials made the announcement that a featherweight prelim rematch between Leonard ‘Bad Boy’ Garcia (15-7-1) and TUF 12 alum Nam Phan (16-9) would step up into the empty main card slot. The bout between Garcia and Phan is a rematch of their controversial match from last December at the “TUF 12 Finale” event.
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 is scheduled to take place on October 8 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Their first meeting ended in a split decision for Garcia, that had many, including UFC President Dana White, shaking their heads. In fact, White felt so strongly against the decision that he awarded Phan with his “Win” money despite the loss. Both men were also presented with the “Fight of the Night” bonus.
Garcia was last in action in March at UFN 25 in a different rematch which saw him face the ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung. Jung would meet their second meeting by second round submission, become the first fighter to use a Twister to tap out an opponent.
Phan had his last fight in August at UFC 133, losing a unanimous decision to Mike Brown. That defeat along with their first meeting last December, put Phan’s record at 0-2 over his last two matches. A a loss in this rematch will certainly earn Phan his walking papers.