After an injury forced Brad “One Punch” Pickett out of UFC 130, the event has undergone two changes. Miguel Torres, who was set to face Pickett, will now take on Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Renan “Barao,” who was first set to face Johnson, will now battle Cole “The Triangle” Escovedo.
The UFC announced the revised Torres-Johnson fight on Thursday, and the Escovedo-Barao bout was made official today. Both fights will be contested in the newly-formed UFC bantamweight division. All four are veterans of World Extreme Cagefighting, where Torres and Escovedo held titles.
Torres (39-3-0) and Johnson (8-1-0) both picked up victories in their respective UFC debuts, and each is known for their exciting fights. Johnson used quick punches and lightning-fast takedowns to defeat Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto at UFC 126 and could employ a similar strategy against Torres, who is known for his long reach on the feet and crafty submissions on the ground. Torres has won two straight fights since suffering back-to-back WEC losses, but he will face a formidable test in Johnson, whose lone defeat came in a bout with Pickett one year ago.
Barao (25-1-0, 1 NC) and Escovedo (17-6-0), meanwhile, will both be making their UFC debuts. Barao earned two WEC wins last year and has not tasted defeat since his pro debut six years ago. Escovedo, a former champion in both the WEC and Tachi Palace Fights, recently rebounded from a two-fight losing streak with a first-round submission win by way of his signature triangle choke in January. Between the two fighters, Barao (18) and Escovedo (16) have an incredible 34 stoppage victories to date and a finish would seem all but assured when the two square off in May.
Both bouts will be pivotal, as the winners take big steps towards the UFC Bantamweight Championship. That title is presently held by Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz, who will defend his belt against “The California Kid” Urijah Faber in a rematch at UFC 132.
UFC 130: “Edgar vs Maynard 3” will take place on May 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship trilogy bout between Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and Gray “The Bully” Maynard.
UFC 130 Fight Card (subject to change):
– Frankie “The Answer” Edgar vs Gray “The Bully” Maynard
– Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs Matt “The Hammer” Hamill
– Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs Frank Mir
– Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs Travis “Hapa” Browne
– Jorge Santiago vs “The All-American” Brian Stann
– Thiago “Pitbull” Alves vs Ricky “The Horror” Story
– Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson vs Miguel Torres
– Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch vs Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove
– Cody “AK Kid” McKenzie vs Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski
– Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso
– Renan “Barao” do Nascimento Mota Pegado vs Cole “The Triangle” Escovedo
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)