An untimely injury has forced Japanese superstar Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto out of his upcoming bantamweight bout against Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso. In Yamamoto’s place, former Tachi Palace Fights champ Michael “Mayday” McDonald will step in to face Cariaso at UFC 130 on May 28th.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed Yamamoto’s withdrawal from the event today, though details of his injury were not disclosed. McDonald and Cariaso have verbally agreed to square off on the May card, and both will be looking for their second straight victory inside the Octagon.
McDonald (12-1-0) is currently the youngest fighter in the UFC at 20 years of age, but he has quickly risen to become one of the top bantamweight prospects in the sport. With an aggressive style and vicious knockout power, McDonald had never gone to a decision in his career until his UFC debut last month. The Californian’s lone defeat came against former WEC champ and fellow UFC signee Cole “The Triangle” Escovedo in May 2009; a loss that McDonald avenged in brutal fashion last July. Now looking to graduate from prospect to legitimate top contender, McDonald will step in on four weeks’ notice to face Cariaso in a pivotal fight for both.
Cariaso (11-2-0) is skilled in Muay Thai, though his finishing rate is much lower than McDonald’s and he has not yet demonstrated the same one-punch knockout power that his younger adversary possesses. Cariaso previously fought five times for Strikeforce, where he posted an impressive 4-1 record, and later had a brief run in the WEC before moving on to the UFC in January. After taking a three-round decision victory over Will Campuzano, Cariaso had been expecting to face an experienced veteran in Yamamoto at UFC 130, but will instead have to deal with one of MMA’s brightest prospects.
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
– Michael “Mayday” McDonald vs Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso
– Renan “Barao” do Nascimento Mota Pegado vs Cole “The Triangle” Escovedo
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)