Jose Aldo
It’s been a rough week for the Ultimate Fighting Championship with several key injuries forcing the re-shuffling of several upcoming fight cards.
The news didn’t get any better today as the promotion announced that an upcoming UFC featherweight title match between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch for UFC 149 was being pulled from the card due to an injury to Aldo.
Announced earlier tonight (June 9, 2012) on Twitter (@ufc)
– More changes – Aldo injured, Aldo-Koch postponed, Faber-Barao interim title fight now the main event of UFC 149 in Calgary
Moving into the main event slot will be UFC interim bantamweight title opponents Urijah ‘The California Kid’ Faber (26-5) and Brazilian Renan Barão (28-1, 1NC). Their bout was to have co-headlined the UFC 148 card slated for July 7, 2012 in Las Vegas but will now meet in Canada later that month.
UFC 149 is expected to take place on July 21, 2012 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Faber had been scheduled to meet current UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz after their stint as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter Live” but Cruz was forced out with an injured knee. The UFC then tapped Barão as Faber’s opponent in a now, interim title match. ‘The California Kid’ earned his last win in November of last year, submitting former WEC champ Brian Bowles at UFC 139.
Barão is undefeated in twenty-nine straight matches and is currently riding an eighteen fight win streak dating back to April 2008. The Brazilian is 3-0 in the UFC, earning a unanimous decision against Scott Jorgensen in February at the UFC 143 show. Barão also picked up wins against Brad Picket at UFC 138, in a one round “Fight of the Night” bout which saw him use a rear-naked choke to force the tap, and a win in Barão’s Octagon debut at UFC 130 with a decision against Cole Escovedo.