Featherweight slugger Leonard Garcia was looking to avoid a third loss in a row when he was scheduled to meet Tiequan Zhang at UFC 144, but he’ll have to wait a little longer to the get the chance. The WEC and UFC vet suffered an injury and was forced off the card. MMA Weekly has it:
Sources close to the fighter confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Monday that Garcia would be forced off the fight card set for Japan.
While the nature of the injuries are unknown, Garcia, who is widely considered one of the toughest fighters in the sport, obviously was banged up enough to have to drop out of the fight.
There has been no replacement named at this time, but UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby will likely secure a new opponent for Zhang in the coming days.
Tough break for Garcia. When George Sotiropoulos went down with an injury a few days ago and Takanori Gomi needed a new opponent, the UFC dipped into the Japanese talent pool for a replacement. Will they do the same here and we’ll get to see another debuting fighter step up to face Zhang?
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