Chris Weidman
A likely UFC middleweight contender bout between Chris Weidman (9-0) and Tim ‘The Barbarian’ Boetsch (16-4) has been put on hold following an undisclosed injury to Weidman.
Stepping in for Weidman will be teammate Constantinos “Costa” Philippou (11-2, 1NC), who takes the fight on just over a months notice.
Officials confirmed the news at UFC.com earlier today.
A torn labrum has forced Chris Weidman out of his UFC 155 bout with fellow middleweight contender Tim Boetsch. Stepping up to face Boetsch on December 29 in Las Vegas will be Weidman’s Team Serra-Longo teammate Costa Philippou. Philippou, on a four-fight winning streak, saw his UFC 154 bout with Nick Ring scrapped on fight day last Saturday due to a Ring illness.
UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II is expected to take place on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas with the main card airing on pay-per-view and the prelim card split between television and Facebook. The Boetsch vs. Philippou bout is expected to air on the main card.
Philippou had been scheduled to face Nick Ring last weekend in Montreal at UFC 154 until ‘The Promise’ failed to receive medical clearance by the Quebec Commission. He will now carry a four fight win streak into the December bout having last competed in July at UFC 148 by winning a decision against Riki Fukuda. His other victories include wins against Court McGee, Jared Hamman and Jorge Rivera.
Boetsch has also earned four straight victories with over former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard this past summer at UFC 149. The win also made it four straight wins at 185-lbs for ‘The Barbarian’ after dropping down from light heavyweight. The other three wins were against Yushin Okami, Nick Ring and Kendall Grove.