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James Krause will fight on short notice for the second time this year, as he replaces Muslim Salikhov to face Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Island 6.
With Muslim Salikhov forced out of his welterweight fight against Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Island 6, the veteran James Krause has stepped in to face the Brazilian.
MMA Fighting first reported the change in matchup. Krause will fill in for Salikhov on less than two weeks’ notice after the Russian was forced to withdraw from the fight due to undisclosed reasons.
Krause (27-8) faced Trevin Giles at UFC 247 in March, stepping up on a day’s notice and moving up to middleweight for the fight, he lost a close split decision on the night. Before the loss Krause had won six straight UFC fights, including finishes over Sergio Moraes and Warlley Alves.
Silva (14-1) hasn’t lost a fight since his MMA debut back in 2007. The 38-year-old was signed to the UFC back in 2014 and won fights against Brad Pickett and Leon Edwards that year. “Hannibal” wouldn’t fight again until 2018 due to a number of injuries. Silva has finished all three opponents he has faced since returning to the sport after his lengthy absence.
UFC Fight Island 6 will be headlined by a long awaited featherweight fight between Brian Ortega and The Korean Zombie. Krause vs. Silva will feature on the prelims.