We have another fight change coming to UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen. TUF 17 runner-up Uriah Hall was supposed to face Nick Ring in Boston, but after a social security number issue forced the Canadian off the card, Hall was given fellow TUF 17 castmate Josh Samman. The Boston Herald now reports that Samman is out for a currently unknown reason and Boston native John Howard is back in the UFC.
Howard (20-8) was last in the UFC in 2011, losing a sluggish decision to Matt Brown at UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh. “Doomsday” started out 4-0 in the organization, but losses to Jake Ellenberger, Thiago Alves, and the aforementioned Brown put him back on the regional circuit. The 30-year-old returned to middleweight post-UFC and has won 6 of his last 7 fights and is the reigning CES MMA middleweight champion. Howard has expressed his desire to return to the UFC in front of his home fans, and he’s been granted his wish.
UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen airs live on Fox Sports 1, with 6 main card fights and an additional 4 preliminary card fights on the same network. It is likely that Hall/Howard will keep its place on the main card, and it should be a very entertaining battle.
UPDATE AT 7:51 PM ET: Samman confirmed he has a torn meniscus and will need surgery.
SBN coverage of UFC FIght Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen
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