Major Changes To UFC 87

by Robert Sargent

Injuries continue to plague the UFC, as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman has been forced to withdraw from his bout with Brock Lesnar after tearing his MCL. Georges St. Pierre will now face Jon Fitch in the main event.

The UFC 87 announcement comes on the heels of a series of changes to the upcoming UFC 85 card, where injuries have cancelled many of the original main card bouts.

Coleman will be out of action for six weeks, but will not require surgery. Lesnar's replacement opponent is expected to be announced shortly.

Taking over the main event spot will be a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch. St. Pierre is coming off of extremely dominant victories over Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, while Fitch has emerged victorious in each of his last 15 fights.

While Coleman vs Lesnar was very intriguing, the addition of a title fight to the card more than makes up for the lost fight. Fitch has earned his title shot, but whether he can defeat St. Pierre remains to be seen.