A pair of injuries has changed the landscape of UFC 138. According to promotion officials, British heavyweight and former-World's Strongest Man competitor Oli Thompson (9-2) has been removed from a scheduled bout against Philip De Fries (7-0) after suffering an undisclosed injury. Countryman Rob Broughton (15-6-1) has been tapped to fill the vacant undercard spot.
Additionally, John Hathaway (15-1) has been scratched from a welterweight bout against Matt Brown (12-10) due to an undisclosed injury, according to Brown. A replacement opponent has yet to be announced. (UPDATE: Brown has been removed from UFC 138.) The former "The Ultimate Fighter 7" contestant tweeted the news on Monday night.
@IamTheImmortal
Matthew brown November 19 fight is off Hathaway is injured, will keep you updated as to replacement.
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@IamTheImmortal
Matthew brown meant nov 5th fight with hathaway is off. he got hurt. ill keep u all updated as i learn what they have in store for me!
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Meanwhile, De Fries' replacement opponent, Broughton, enters the cage after snapping a five-fight win streak with a lackluster decision loss to Travis Browne at UFC 135. The setback was the Englishman's first inside the Octagon. Affectionately known as "The Bear," the 28-year-old Broughton trains at Wolfslair MMA Academy alongside Quinton Jackson and Michael Bisping, and has notched notable victories over Neil Grove, Eric "Butterbean" Esch, and James Thompson.
UFC 138 is slated for November 5th at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England. Headlining the event is a middleweight contest between Chris "The Crippler" Leben and Mark Munoz.