With a week left before the Ultimate Fighting Championships first event of 2012, the upcoming UFC 142 card appears to have suffered a blow as Brazilian fighter Fabio Maldonado (18-4) has reportedly suffered a rib injury which has forced him to withdraw from the event.
News of the injury was reported by Tatame.com who confirmed the news with Maldonado’s manager Alex Davis.
“He hurt his ribs yesterday on trainings and unfortunately won’t be able to recover in time for the fight.”
Maldonado had been scheduled to face UFC newcomer Caio ‘Hellboy’ Magalhaes (5-0) at the UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes (aka UFC Rio) event, which is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The two men had been scheduled to meet on the preliminary card which is set to air live on FX. No official word from UFC officials, but with one week to go it may be difficult to find a suitable replacement in time.
Maldonado is 1-1 in the UFC, having lost a unanimous decision to Kyle Kingsbury in their “Fight of the Night” winning TUF 13 Finale bout. Maldonado had debuted at UFC 120 against James McSweeney, earning a third round TKO finish to win his eleventh straight at the time.
Magalhaes is only five fights into his young career, with one (T)KO finish, two by submission, and two by decision. His last fight took place in December at a Shooto – Brazil 27 event, where he earned a split decision at the event.