Less than two weeks out from fight night, a shoulder injury has forced Tor Troeng out of his scheduled middleweight contest against Bubba McDaniel at UFC 171.
Undefeated promotional newcomer Sean Strickland (13-0) has been tapped as a replacement. UFC officials confirmed the switch Monday afternoon.
All but one of Strickland’s wins have come under the King of the Cage banner. Nicknamed “Tarzan,” the California native is a proven finisher, with 10 of his 13 contests ending via either knockout or submission, including eight inside the first round.
McDaniel (21-7), one of the early favorites of TUF 18, looks to rebound in a possible make-or-break situation after splitting his first two official UFC fights. The 30-year-old Greg Jackson product defeated Gilbert Smith via third-round submission in his UFC debut, before dropping a unanimous decision to Brad Tavares in his sophomore outing.
UFC 171 takes place March 15, 2014 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. An updated fight card can be seen below.
Main Card (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
Carlos Condit vs. Tyron Woodley
Diego Sanchez vs. Myles Jury
Hector Lombard vs. Jake Shields
Nikita Krylov vs. Ovince St. Preux
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Rick Story
Jessica Andrade vs. Raquel Pennington
Dennis Bermudez vs. Jimy Hettes
Alex Garcia vs. Sean Spencer
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)
Renee Forte vs. Frank Trevino
Will Campuzano vs. Justin Scoggins
Bubba McDaniel vs. Sean Strickland
Daniel Pineda vs. Robert Whiteford