A major shift has occurred in the main event of the UFC’s first card of the New Year.
An injury has forced perennial welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger out of his planned UFC Fight Night 34 scrap, set for January 4, with the last reigning Strikeforce champion, Tarec Saffiedine.
Filling in for “The Juggernaut” will be under the radar 170-pounder Hyun Gyu Lim, who has quietly put together a seven-fight win streak, two of the victories which have come inside the Octagon.
Brazilian media outlet MMA Informativo reported the news first on Thursday before UFC officials subsequently confirmed the change.
“Unfortunately the Doc pulled me guys. I was really looking forward to Singapore. Thx for all the support,” Ellenberger tweeted Thursday afternoon.
Saffiedine was set to make his UFC debut in July against surging contender Robbie Lawler, but an injury forced him to withdraw from the planned fight.
“The Sponge” posted a 4-1 mark in the Strikeforce cage, battering then-champion Nate Marquardt at the promotion’s last event in January.
Therefore, UFC Fight Night 34 marks about one-year of inactivity from the cage for the 27-year-old Team Quest standout.
UFC Fight Night 34 takes place at the Marina Bay Sands in Marina Bay, Singapore, the promotion’s first card to be hosted in the country.