UFC 163 was bit hard by the injury bug recently, when Anthony Pettis was forced to withdraw from his featherweight title fight with Jose Aldo. Luckily, a suitable replace for “Showtime” was waiting in the wings and has been called upon to step in and save the card’s main event.
Aldo’s new opponent will be Chan Sung Jung, a fan favorite holding an unblemished 3-0 UFC record. Jung was originally scheduled to take on fellow 145-pound contender Ricardo Lamas, but the injury to Pettis forced a shake up, and “The Korean Zombie” now finds himself competing for UFC gold.
With the late addition of Jung, the UFC 163 card is now officially set. The event, which will go from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 3, boasts 13 bouts and is scheduled to air on Facebook, FX and pay-per-view.
As is customary with UFC shows in Brazil, the event will feature a strong Brazilian flavor, with each fight showcasing at least one native combatant.
On Monday, June 18, MMA Junkie confirmed UFC 163’s official lineup.
MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
- Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung
- Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida
- Josh Koscheck vs. Demian Maia
- Cezar Ferreira vs. Clint Hester
- John Lineker vs. Phil Harris
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
- Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh
- Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes
- Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes
- Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
- Josh Clopton vs. Rani Yahya
- Ian McCall vs. Iliarde Santos
- Viscardi Andrade vs. Bristol Marunde
- Robert Drysdale vs. Ednaldo Oliveira
While UFC 163 is now “official,” it doesn’t mean there won’t be any future alterations made to the card. We are still about a month-and-a-half out from fight night, and rarely does a period that long pass without at least one fighter going down with an injury. The confirmation does, however, paint a fairly accurate picture of what the event will look like.
At least it should.
Here’s hoping all parties stay healthy and compete in August!
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