Englishman Scott Askham is out of his scheduled bout against Anthony Smith at the TUF 23 Finale and has been replaced by Cezar ‘Mutante’ Ferreira. The injury Askham sustained was not disclosed.
UFC officials announced the news earlier today.
Ferreira (9-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has had a roller coaster ride in the UFC so far, the Brazilian went 3-0 in his first three octagon bouts and was known as Vitor Belfort’s protegee and possibly the next best thing. That all changed on the night of UFC Fight Night 38 where he was knocked out in just 39-seconds by CB Dolloway. Following the bout, ‘Mutante’ seemed to have gotten things back on track with a decision win over Andrew Craig, but then lost two in a row, both by knockout. Firstly, Ferreira ended up unconscious at UFC Fight Night 81 after being on the wrong end of Sam Alvey’s fists, and then he was knocked out by Jorge Masvidal at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. Going into his most recent bout with Oluwale Bamgbose, Ferreira was doubted highly due to his ‘glass chin’, but the Brazilian managed to get the job done and picked up a decision victory.
Smith (25-11 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has 36-professional MMA bouts and is only 27-years-old. The Texan has fought in the UFC before, making his debut in 2013 after being brought over from Strikeforce after the promotion’s last event. Smith fought Antonio Braga Neto at UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum but after losing the fight to a first round kneebar, Smith was released by the promotion. “Lionheart” did return very recently, as he defeated Leonardo Augusto Leleco at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy.
The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale takes place live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8, 2016. The card is expected to be headlined by a women’s strawweight title bout between current champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha.
