Brian Ortega is no longer in the main event of UFC Busan at the end of the month. "T-City" was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Chan Sung Jung (AKA the "Korean Zombie") because of a torn ACL suffered in training camp. UFC is looking to find a quick replacement for Ortega and that could be a former foe, Frankie Edgar, according to ESPN's Ariel Helwani.
"Thankfully it was only a partial tear so I'm already rehabbing it, and the plan is to be back to 100% in 2-3 months," Ortega wrote on Twitter. "I didn't want to let down the fans, the Zombie, and the UFC, so I strongly considered pushing through it and fighting anyways, but according to the doctors, the risk of a full rupture in the fight was high and that would put me out for up to a year. Sorry guys I gotta take care of this right now, but I'll make it up to all of you [in] 2020 I promise."
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Edgar is currently booked to fight against Corey Sandhagen in his debut at 135 pounds on Jan. 25, but UFC is hoping to keep that bout intact as well, according to Helwani.
More news and rumors
- Photos began to surface on Wednesday of just how lean Jose Aldo looks as he prepares for his bantamweight debut next week at UFC 245. The long-reigning featherweight champion has been eating "two pounds of salad a day" to make the dramatic cut down to 135 pounds.
- A curious booking to say the least, UFC announced on Wednesday a welterweight showdown between Diego Sanchez and the high flying Michel Pereira for UFC Rio Rancho in February. Sanchez, 37, is 31-12 in his career and this will mark his ninth walk to the Octagon since 2016. Pereira is coming off a decision loss in which he was criticized for trying ludicrous moves early on and running out of gas in the second and third rounds.
- Benson Henderson is out of his scheduled rematch with Michael Chandler at Bellator 237 in Japan later this month. Henderson suffered an injury in training camp and will be unable to compete. Sidney Outlaw will step in to face the former lightweight champ on short notice.
