With the announcement on Tuesday that lightweight Evan Dunham had been forced to withdraw from an upcoming bout with George Sotiropoulos (14-3) at UFC 132, the promotion began the search for a new opponent.
Initial reports had Brazilian Rafael dos Anjos (14-5) tapped as the likely replacement for Dunham, and was confirmed late Tuesday night by UFC President Dana White.
“Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Dos Anjos has won Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night awards and Sotiropoulos has won Fight of the Night twice so I expect an amazing fight,” said UFC president Dana White.
UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2 will take place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will host a bantamweight title fight between champ Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber.
Dos Anjos is 3-3 in the UFC and enters the bout on a loss after three straight victories. He suffered a jaw injury against Clay Guida at UFC 117, which forced him to tap, and has been sidelined since that August match last year. His last victory was against Terry Etim at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, Dos Anjos earned the “Submission of the Night” bonus for a second round armbar win.
Sotiropoulos had an eight fight winning streak stopped by Dennis Siver in February, losing a unanimous decision to the German at UFC 127. His last win was a kimura submission victory over Joe Lauzon at UFC 123 last November, a fight that earned both men the “Fight of the Night” bonus. So far the Greek-Australian is 7-1 with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.