Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson isn’t the only major UFC fight that’s been called off due to injury.
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling is injured and out of his UFC Fight Night 102 main card showdown vs. Raphael Assuncao in Albany, New York. MMAjunkie reported the news on Wednesday. Officials are seeking a US-based replacement to fight Assuncao, as the event is just two weeks away.
Sterling (12-1) is coming off a split decision loss to Bryan Caraway, the first defeat of his career. Three of his previous four UFC victories ended in finishes, including submissions over Johnny Eduardo and Takeya Mizugaki. Assuncao (23-5) saw his seven-fight winning streak snapped vs. TJ Dillashaw at UFC 200. It was the Brazilian’s first defeat since moving down to 135 lbs. Injuries led to him not fighting for the whole of 2015.
Also of note, TUF 23 winner Tatiana Suarez is also injured, and she’s out of her strawweight clash with Juliana Lima, so a replacement is currently being sought for Suarez.
UFC Fight Night 102 is set for Friday, December 9th and is headlined by a heavyweight matchup between #10 ranked Derrick Lewis and #15 ranked Shamil Abdurakhimov. The entire card streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
