Welterweight submission ace T.J. Waldburger has been forced off the UFC 161 fight card where he was set to Sean Pierson. Instead, Kenny Robertson will face Pierson as Waldburger’s replacement. The nature of Waldburger’s injury is not known, but UFC officials confirmed the bout change and Waldburger’s absence as a result of injury on Twitter.
Robertson, 29, 1-2 in his three UFC appearances. The former college wrestler was stopped with strikes against Mike Pierce in the second round of their UFC 126 bout. Robertson lost his second Octagon appearance, dropping a unanimous decision loss to now ex-UFC fighter Aaron Simpson at UFC on FUEL TV 4. He rebounded and earned his first win in his most recent bout, finishing Brock Jardine with a modified kneebar at UFC 157 in February. The win earned him Submission of the Night honors. Robertson is 12-2 in his professional MMA career.
Pierson, 37, is 3-2 in the UFC. He most recently earned a unanimous decision win over Lance Benoist at UFC 152 in September of 2012. He is 13-6 in professional MMA.
UFC 161 takes place on June 15 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The event is headlined by an interim bantamweight title fight between challenger Eddie Wineland and champion Renan Barao.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will also battle former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight champion Dan Henderson on the main card. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua will compete in a rematch of their