UFC 143 Fight Card: Lopez Out, Martinez In Against Riddle

UFC 143's revolving door of injuries cracked another casualty over the weekend.

Announced by UFC officials, welterweight veteran Jorge Lopez (11-2) has been scratched from a scheduled bout against Matt Riddle (5-3) on this weekend's preliminary card. Octagon newcomer Henry Martinez (8-1) will be tapped as a replacement.

TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah (5-3) was initially slated to fight Lopez before withdrawing due to injury.

A 28-year-old protégé of Greg Jackson, Martinez enters the UFC having finished each his last four contests, including a second-round submission of Ali Hanjani earlier this month. The Bellator veteran's lone loss came at the hands of Wilson Reis in Season One's featherweight quarterfinals.

Riddle, meanwhile, was previously slated to meet Luis Ramos on the undercard of UFC 141, however a fight night illness led to the bout's cancellation. Prior to the setback, the 25-year-old fell short in two straight decisions to Sean Pierson and Lance Benoist.

UFC 143 takes place on Super Bowl weekend 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:

Main card (pay-per-view):
Interim Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Heavyweight: Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Welterweight: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Bantamweight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Renan Barao
Middleweight: Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks

Preliminary card (FX):
Featherweight: Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway
Welterweight: Hnenry Martinez vs. Matt Riddle
Bantamweight: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Welterweight: Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope

Preliminary card (Facebook):
Welterweight: Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson
Middleweight: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper