Andrei Arlovski replaces injured Anthony Johnson against Mike Kyle at WSOF 5

The injury bug has hit World Series of Fighting.

WSOF 5 headliner Anthony Johnson has pulled out of his Sept. 14 fight against Mike Kyle (20-9-1, 2 NC) due to an injury suffered in training. As a result, Andrei Arlovski (19-10, 1 NC) has agreed to replace “Rumble” against Kyle in Atlantic City, N.J. The fight will now be contested at heavyweight.

Ali Abdel-Aziz, WSOF executive vice president and matchmaker, confirmed the news with MMAFighting.com on Thursday.

Interestingly enough, it was Johnson who last defeated Arlovski via unanimous decision in March at WSOF 2. The loss snapped Arlovski’s five-fight unbeaten streak, and he hasn’t fought since then.

After flirting with retirement following a January loss to Gegard Mousasi, Kyle knocked out Travis Wiuff in 21 seconds in May.

WSOF 5 will take place at the Revel Resort & Casino. The event, which will air on NBC Sports Network, will also feature the semi-finals of the promotion’s first middleweight tournament.

WSOF’s next event, headlined by Tyrone Spong vs. Angel DeAnda, takes place Saturday night in Ontario, Calif.

The injury bug has hit World Series of Fighting.

WSOF 5 headliner Anthony Johnson has pulled out of his Sept. 14 fight against Mike Kyle (20-9-1, 2 NC) due to an injury suffered in training. As a result, Andrei Arlovski (19-10, 1 NC) has agreed to replace “Rumble” against Kyle in Atlantic City, N.J. The fight will now be contested at heavyweight.

Ali Abdel-Aziz, WSOF executive vice president and matchmaker, confirmed the news with MMAFighting.com on Thursday.

Interestingly enough, it was Johnson who last defeated Arlovski via unanimous decision in March at WSOF 2. The loss snapped Arlovski’s five-fight unbeaten streak, and he hasn’t fought since then.

After flirting with retirement following a January loss to Gegard Mousasi, Kyle knocked out Travis Wiuff in 21 seconds in May.

WSOF 5 will take place at the Revel Resort & Casino. The event, which will air on NBC Sports Network, will also feature the semi-finals of the promotion’s first middleweight tournament.

WSOF’s next event, headlined by Tyrone Spong vs. Angel DeAnda, takes place Saturday night in Ontario, Calif.