With an injury forcing Nick Catone out of UFC 136 due to a torn Achilles tendon just days ago, UFC middleweight Aaron ‘A-Train’ Simpson (9-2) has a new opponent for the October event in Eric ‘Red’ Schafer (12-5-2).
Simpson announced the new matchup on his website (@simpsonmma.com) on Friday.
Well guys I have my new opponent for UFC 136 and I am pumped for the challenge! My new guy is Eric “red” Schafer. I am excited about this opportunity and look forward to a very tough challenge. Eric is a big guy who is cutting down to 185 from his normal weight class of 205, where he fought Ryan Bader. He has a very tough ground game and I will have to be at the top of my game to beat him, which is why I am so excited for this challenge.
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III is scheduled to take place on October 8 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event features two UFC title bouts as Frankie Edgar defends his lightweight title against Gray Maynard in a second straight bout, and featherweight champ Jose Aldo meets Kenny Florian.
Simpson has won two straight and is 2-2 in his last four. ‘A-Train’ was last in the Octagon in July, earning a unanimous decision over Brad Tavares at UFC 132. The other victory in that two fight stretch was against Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24 and that too was by decision. With the UFC, Simpson is 5-2 overall with two “Fight Night” bonuses.
Schafer returns to the UFC for a third time, making his return just one fight out of the Octagon. He recently dropped from light heavyweight to middleweight after being dismissed from the UFC after two straight losses. He debuted at 185 lbs last weekend, Sept. 3, at the XFO 41 show where he earned a quick first round submission. His last UFC bout was in March of last year, losing a unanimous decision to Jason Brilz at the UFC on Versus 1 show. His UFC record stands at 3-4 overall.