an undisclosed injury has scratched UFC heavyweight Stipe Miocic from next week’s UFC Fight Night 76 co-headliner, and a replacement search is underway.
Miocic’s manager, Greg Kalikas, told MMAjunkie via text that the fighter suffered an injury, though one that was “not serious, just bad timing.” He added Miocic, who canceled an interview on today’s episode of MMAjunkie Radio, should be able to compete before the end of the year.
A source with knowledge of the situation today first confirmed the news. The person asked for anonymity because the news hadn’t been formally announced. UFC officials ultimately confirmed the injury.
Today, Miocic’s planned opponent, Ben Rothwell, initially sparked some speculation after he tweeted, “… @stipemiocicufc for real?”
Miocic (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) Rothwell (35-9 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who are respectively ranked No. 4 and No. 7 in the NOS Energy Drink MMA heavyweight rankings, had second billing on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed card, which takes place Oct. 24 at 3Arena in Dublin. The bout carried title implications for the heavyweight division, with Miocic recently earning a dominant win over onetime interim title challenger Mark Hunt and Rothwell riding a three-fight win streak, most recently submitting Matt Mitrione.
UFC Fight Night 76 is headlined by a lightweight matchup between Dustin Poirier and Irish native Joseph Duffy.
http://mmajunkie.com/2015/10/stipe-miocic-out-of-next-weeks-ufc-fight-night-76-co-headliner-with-ben-rothwell