Rob Broughton
The injury bug has forced a chance to another UFC 138 bout as heavyweight Oli Thompson (9-2) will have to wait to make his UFC debut due to injury.
Thompson had been scheduled to face fellow countrymen Phil De Fries (7-0, 1NC), who will now make his promotional debut against Rob ‘The Bear’ Broughton (15-6-1) according to UFC officials.
The change was announced by promotion officials at UFC.com on Monday night, who noted that both De Fries and Broughton had verbally agreed to the matchup.
UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz is scheduled to take place on Nov. 5 at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The event will feature the first five-round non-title bout in the promotions history.
Broughton (pictured) fought last month at UFC 135 in Colorado losing a decision to Travis Browne. That loss ended a five fight win streak which included winning his debut at UFC 120 over Vinicius Queiroz by rear-naked choke submission. Fans may remember the name Queiroz as he later tested positive for steroids.
De Fries is undefeated in his two-and-a-half year pro-career, earning seven wins by submission with one “No Contest” in eight pro-matches. He earned his way into the UFC by earning a win last July at a local Ultimate Warrior Challenge event in Essex, England.