Matt Brown Withdraws From UFC On Fox 9 Due To Back Injury
Matt Brown has been forced to withdraw from UFC on Fox 9 due to a back injury.
Brown was scheduled to fight Carlos Condit as part of the main card, but the 32-year-old tweeted that he herniated two discs in his lower back this week and would be unable to fight next Saturday.
It was unclear at first whether the promotion would try to find a late-notice replacement opponent for Condit, but MMA Fighting‘s Ariel Helwani said that the former interim welterweight champion had been pulled from the card. Helwani also confirmed that the promotion is planning to move Condit to UFC 170 with an opponent to be determined. Taking place on February 22, 2014, UFC 170 will be headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Daniel Cormier.
Matt Brown is currently riding a six-fight win streak going back to UFC 143 last February, where he defeated Chris Cope by TKO in the second round. He most recently faced Mike Pyle at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen in August, earning Knockout of the Night with a KO 29 seconds into the first round. He was expected to face Thiago Alves, but the 30-year-old Brazilian pulled out of the match due to an injury.
After the victory, UFC president Dana White announced that Brown would face former Strikeforce welterweight Tarec Saffiedine, who was forced out of his expected UFC debut in July due to an undisclosed injury. The 27-year-old Belgian was expected to face Jake Ellenberger in the main event of UFC Fight Night 34 on January 4, 2014. Ellenberger was forced to withdraw due to a hamstring injury and has been replaced by Hyun Gyu Lim. His original opponent, Kiichi Kunimoto, will now face Luis Dutra Jr.
UFC Fight Night 34 marks the promotion’s first event in Singapore, and the first Fight Night card that will not air on television in the US. Instead, fans based in North America will have the option to watch the fight via subscription-based digital network.
UFC on Fox 9 will be held December 14 at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. A rematch between Demetrious “Might Mouse” Johnson and Joseph Benavidez will headline the event.
