UFC 142 Fight Card: Visa Issues Force Stanislav Nedkov Off Card

Visa issues have forced Bulgarian light heavyweight Stanislav Nedkov out of a scheduled UFC 142 bout with Fabio Maldonado, according to reports from Tatame Magainze.

Nedkov and Maldonado were expected to meet on the FX-televised UFC 142 undercard in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. UFC officials have yet to confirm the withdrawal.

An undefeated Brazilian Jiu-Jistu black belt, Nedkov (12-0) has had a rough road outside the cage since signing with the UFC. The 30-year-old was initially slated to debut against Rodney Wallace at UFC 117 until suffering an injury and being replaced by Phil Davis. Nedkov was then expected to fight former WEC champion Steve Cantwell at UFC 120, however the bout was cancelled two days out from the event due to a Cantwell knee injury.

Nedkov finally made his successful UFC debut at UFC 134, knocking out Luiz Cane with a thunderous combination in the first-round.

UFC 142 is slated for January 14th at the HSBC Arena. Featherweight champion Jose Aldo defends his title against rising challenger Chad Mendes in the night's main event.

UFC 142 fight card:

Main card (Pay-per-view):
Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
Middleweight: Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson
Middleweight: Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio
Welterweight: Erick Silva vs. TBA
Lightweight: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim

Preliminary card (FX):
Lightweight: Thiago Tavares vs. Sam Stout
Heavyweight: Ednaldo Oliveira vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Featherweight: Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho
Featherweight: Michihiro Omigawa vs. Yuri Alcantara