The fight set to headline UFC 163 on Aug. 3 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil has hit a major snag.
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (16-2) had dropped weight to take on featherweight champion Jose “Scarface” Aldo (22-1) for his title, but a knee injury to Pettis has forced Dana White to replace him with “The Korean Zombie” Chang Sung Jung (13-3).
While the Korean Zombie is certainly a formidable challenger to Aldo, he doesn’t have the star power that Pettis has.
Showtime is one of the most dynamic strikers in the sport, and he’s extremely underrated on the ground. He is also the last man to defeat lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
Seeing him challenge Aldo—one of the pound-for-pound best—would have been exciting, but it won’t be happening any time soon.
Pettis was the No. 1 contender for Henderson’s lightweight title after destroying “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6 in January. Despite his standing as No. 1 contender, Pettis told Matt McNulty of The New York Post, he was tired of waiting on a title shot at lightweight.
He had planned to make a temporary move to featherweight before resuming his quest for the lightweight crown. Those plans have obviously been dashed and there is no word on what Pettis’ next move will be.
Jung himself had other plans, but leaped at the opportunity to challenge for Aldo’s title. Per MMA Weekly, The Korean Zombie was set to take on Ricardo Llamas at UFC 162, but this opportunity is clearly more enticing.
UFC 163’s main event could still be entertaining, but Pettis’ removal could be seen as a bit of a letdown.
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