Ricardo Lamas (11-2) has been scratched from the fight card of UFC 143 after sustaining an undisclosed injury in training. UFC officials announced the withdrawal on Thursday.
Lamas was scheduled to face 22-year-old featherweight contender Dustin Poirier (11-1) as an injury replacement for Erik Koch. Koch was forced off the card with an undisclosed injury earlier this month. Promotion officials are actively searching for a replacement opponent.
A 29-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, Lamas hoped to maintain his undefeated UFC record after notching two straight wins over Matt Grice and Cub Swanson, the latter of which earned "Submission of the Night" honors. Previously "The Bully" ran through a 4-2 record inside the WEC, including a decision victory over UFC featherweight contender Bart Palaszewski.
UFC 143 is slated for Super Bowl weekend, February 4th, at the Mandalay Bay Events Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada. An interim welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit is the night's main event.
UFC 143 fight card:
Interim Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Heavyweight: Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Bantamweight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Renan Barao
Welterweight: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Featherweight: Dustin Poirier vs. TBA
Bantamweight: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Welterweight: Jorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah
Middleweight: Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks
Welterweight: Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope
Welterweight: Justin Edwards vs. Mike Stumpf
Middleweight: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper