It sure didn’t take long for the injury bug to bite in 2013. MMAJunkie.com reports that only 17 days away from UFC on FX 7, Justin Salas has withdrawn from a preliminary bout with Edson Barboza due to a training injury.
This would have been the third UFC fight for Salas, who debuted successfully with the company back in February. Since that time, he was quickly stopped by Tim Means at UFC on FX 3.
Filling in on short notice is Lucas Martins, an undefeated prospect fighting out of Chute Boxe. Sporting a record of 11-0, Martins has been tremendously active in recent months, winning five fights since October 25.
This will be the first fight for Barboza since a shocking loss to Jaime Varner on the undercard of UFC 146. Varner served as a late replacement for an injured Evan Dunham and he overwhelmed the Brazilian in the first round.
Prior to the loss, Barboza was an undefeated prospect himself. At that time, he was 4-0 inside the Octagon and had recently picked up a highlight-reel knockout over Terry Etim that earned him an ESPY Award nomination for Play of the Year.
UFC on FX 7 takes place in Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 19, 2013. In the evening’s main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort takes on Ultimate Fighter winner Michael Bisping.
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