Originally scheduled for UFC 149, the Featherweight title match between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch was cancelled when Aldo was injured back in June. The two are now set to headline UFC 153 on October 13. The event will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the HSBC Event center.
Today, UFC Brazil announced via Twitter:
This marked the third time Aldo has had to pull out of a fight since the WEC merger. However, when he’s not injured Aldo has been almost untouchable as champion. Aldo has knocked off three contenders in the since his first defense against at UFC 129 where he won a dominant decision over Mark Hominick.
Erik Koch hasn’t fought since September 2011 at Ultimate Fight Night 25, where he won a unanimous decision against TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins. Koch has an almost spotless record, with the sole blemish coming via a unanimous decision loss to Aldo’s last challenger Chad Mendes.
Also on the card, The Ultimate Fighter Live competitor Cristiano Marcello will face off against Swedish Reza Madadi. Marcello earned his place in the TUF house with a first round submission, but fell victim to season favorite Justin Lawrence after employing a questionable game plan. After being knocked out by Sam Sicilia at the finale, Marcello’s looking to pick up his first UFC win.
Reza Madadi made his UFC debut at UFC On Fuel 2, submitting Yoislandy Izquierdo in the 2nd round. Until then, Reza fought in smaller European promotions terrorizing his competition, finishing 10 of his 12 career wins.
Jose “Scarface” Aldo (21-1)
W Chad Mendes (KO) UFC 142
W Kenny Florian (Decision) UFC 136
W Mark Hominick (Decision) UFC 129
Erik “New Breed” Koch (13-1)
W Jonathan Brookins (Decision) Utimate Fight Night 25
W Raphael Assuncao (KO) UFC 128
W Francisco Rivera (TKO) WEC 52
Reza “Mad Dog” Madadi (12-2)
w Yoislandy Izquierdo (Sub) UFC On Fuel 2
W Rich Clementi (Decision) Superior Challenge 7
W Carlo Prater (Decision) Superior Challenge 6
Cristiano Marcello (12-4)
L Sam Sicilia (KO) The Ultimate Fighter 15
W Oriol Gaset (Decision) Nitrix – Champion Fight 6
W Freddy Thole (Sub) Desert Force Championship 1