Following yesterday’s announcement that former champion Brock Lesnar has been forced out of the upcoming UFC 131 event on June 11th, the card has undergone two more changes. Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman now faces Jon Olav Einemo, while Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran takes on Aaron Rosa.
Original plans called for Einemo to make his Octagon debut against former title challenger Shane Carwin, but Carwin will now replace Lesnar against Junior “Cigano” dos Santos in the night’s main event. Rosa now enters the card against Beltran, while Herman moves up to challenge Einemo.
Herman (20-2-0) won his first 15 fights, including three appearances in the former EliteXC promotion, before suffering an upset loss to Mu Bae Choi on January 4, 2009 in Sengoku. The loss led to tension between Herman and Bellator Fighting Championships, where he had been set to compete. Despite an ensuing legal battle, Herman fought twice for Bellator and won both of his fights. His only other career defeat came in a disqualification loss to UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou one year ago. All but one of Herman’s wins have come by knockout or submission.
Einemo (6-1-0) will make his Octagon debut in June after four and a half years away from MMA. The 6’6″ grappling ace from Norway made two appearances for the former Pride Fighting Championships, where he dropped a decision to current Strikeforce star Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum and submitted James “The Colossus” Thompson. Einemo has also persevered through a flesh-eating bacteria that destroyed part of his foot. Despite the opponent change, he will still face a tough test at UFC 131.
Beltran (12-5-0) and Rosa (16-3-0) will now square off on the undercard in a fight that will likely decide Beltran’s fate in the promotion. The hard-hitting brawler won his first two UFC fights, but has come up short in his last two outings and needs an impressive win in order to remain on the heavyweight radar. Rosa has won four straight fights since falling to ex-Strikeforce champ Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante on November 20, 2009. The fighters have a combined total of 21 stoppage victories between them.
UFC 131 takes place on June 11th at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
UFC 131 Fight Card (subject to change):
– Junior “Cigano” dos Santos vs Shane Carwin
– Jon Olav Einemo vs Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman
– Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs Mac Danzig
– Demian Maia vs “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz
– Diego “The Gun” Nunes vs Kenny “KenFlo” Florian
– Yves “Thugjitsu Master” Edwards vs Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout
– Jesse “Water” Bongfeldt vs Chris “All-American” Weidman
– Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier vs Jason “Shotgun” Young
– Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski vs Igor “The Duke” Pokrajac
– Nick “The Promise” Ring vs James Head
– Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran vs Aaron Rosa
– Michihiro Omigawa vs Darren Elkins
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)