Thiago Alves‘ extensive injury log received a new entry Wednesday, as the UFC welterweight has been forced out of his UFC Fight Night 49 matchup with Jordan Mein.
UFC.com issued a statement saying that rising welterweight contender Brandon Thatch would replace Alves in the bout.
MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco reported the nature of Alves‘ complication, saying that “The Pitbull” suffered a knee injury but will not require surgery.
That silver lining loses some luster with Alves though, as the former 170-pound title challenger underwent four surgeries in 2013 and only recently broke out of a two-year hiatus to face Seth Baczynski at UFC on Fox 11.
After so much recovery time and sustained periods of inactivity, it looked like Alves was finally back to action, but another injury has sidelined “The Pitbull” once again.
Thankfully, Alves‘ replacement, Brandon Thatch, is a proven knockout artist and one of the hottest prospects in the division.
In scheduling Thatch vs. Mein, another polished striker, the UFC capably salvaged this matchup and potentially even upgraded it by substituting Thatch for the injured Alves.
While Thatch does not boast the resume of Alves, his attack is every bit as exciting, and his knockout power is fearsome. “Rukus” destroyed Justin Edwards and Paulo Thiago via knockout so far in his UFC run, needing a combined three minutes and 33 seconds of action to do so. He’s on a 10-fight winning streak, and a win over Mein will elevate his stock and push him toward the top 10 of the division.
UFC Fight Night 49 takes place August 23 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is headlined by a lightweight showdown between Benson Henderson and Rafael dos Anjos. For a complete list of confirmed bouts, click here.
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