There’s a late change to the TUF Latin America 3 Finale in Mexico City, Mexico. With Guido Cannetti removed from the card due to a potential USADA violation, Joe Soto has stepped up at the last-minute to replace Cannetti, and he’ll be fighting Marco Beltran on the FS1 preliminary card. UFC officials announced the change on Monday.
Soto (16-5) is perhaps best known to UFC fans as the man who fought T.J. Dillashaw for the then-champion’s bantamweight title at UFC 177, having accepted the fight on the day of the weigh-ins following Renan Barao’s weight-cutting disaster. The former Bellator and Tachi Palace Fights champion suffered a 5th round TKO loss to Dillashaw, then suffered back-to-back losses against Anthony Birchak and Michinori Tanaka. With his place in the UFC on the line, Soto submitted Chris Beal late in round 3 of their June 2016 matchup to notch his first career victory inside the Octagon.
Beltran (8-3) has won all 3 of his UFC fights, defeating Marlon Vera, Ning Guangyou, and Reginaldo Vieira. He made it all the way to the semifinals of TUF Latin America 1 before losing by decision to José Alberto Quiñonez. Due to the short-notice nature of his fight with Soto, the bout will be contested at a 140 lbs catchweight, as opposed to bantamweight.
The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale (also known as UFC Fight Night 98) is headlined by a lightweight fight between former champion Rafael dos Anjos and top contender Tony Ferguson. The night’s main card airs live on Fox Sports 1 on Saturday, November 5th, at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT.
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