Francisco Rivera injured and out of UFC 170 against Raphael Assuncao
A change has been made to an upcoming fight at UFC 170 as Francisco Rivera has been forced to pull out of his scheduled bout against Raphael Assuncao on Feb 22 due to an injured hand.
Sources close to the fighter's camp confirmed that Rivera was forced to withdraw from the fight after injuring his hand in training. Rivera is scheduled to have additional testing on his hand done to determine if bones are broken, but he will be unable to fight at UFC 170 with only a few weeks left to go until the card takes place.
The UFC has yet to make an official announcement about the change or who could potentially step in and face Assauncao on short notice.
The bout between Assuncao and Rivera was expected to play a role in the bantamweight title picture with the winner potentially being in line to face champion Renan Barao later this year. Unfortunately for Rivera, he will now have to wait for his injured hand to recover before he can get back in the contender's race.
Hi guys, so..My supposed opponent Francisco Rivera broke his hand and is outta the fight #UFC170 . Who would ya'll like me fight against ??
— Raphael Assuncao (@RaphaAssuncao) February 3, 2014
Assuncao tweeted that he's still awaiting word on a replacement opponent, and he's still unsure who he will be facing on Feb 22.
UFC 170 will be headlined by a women's bantamweight title fight between Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann. The fight between Assauncao and Rivera was scheduled for the undercard airing on FOX Sports 1.
