A trio of fighters initially booked for UFC on FOX 5 have received their next assignments. Heavyweight slugger Lavar Johnson (17-6) will meet TUF 10 alumnus Brendan Schaub (8-3) at UFC 157, while TUF 15 winner Michael Chiesa looks to avoid a sophomore slump against Finnish lightweight Anton Kuivanen (17-5) on the same card.
Promotion officials announced the bouts on Wednesday.
UFC 157 takes place February 23, 2013 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The event is headlined by UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s inaugural title defense against Liz Carmouche, as well as a light heavyweight bout between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida.
Initially slated to fight on the UFC on FOX 5 undercard, Johnson and Schaub became a late scratch when Johnson suffered a groin injury a week out from the event. Promotion officials were unable to locate a short notice replacement and Schaub was ultimately removed from the card.
Both fighters now look to get back into the win column. Schaub hopes to rebound after suffering consecutive highlight-reel knockout losses, while Johnson most recently tapped to a Stefan Struve armbar in just 65 seconds at UFC 146.
Meanwhile, both Chiesa and Kuivanen look to extend their winning streak to two straight after earning their first UFC victory over the summer. Chiesa submitted Al Iaquinta at TUF 15 Finale, while Kuivanen claimed a split decision over Mitch Clarke at UFC 149.