Ultimate Fighting Championship
Michael Chiesa out of main event fight against Tony Ferguson
Ultimate Fighting Championship

Michael Chiesa out of main event fight against Tony Ferguson

Published Jun. 27, 2016 5:59 p.m. ET

An injury has forced a change to the UFC's upcoming debut in South Dakota as Michael Chiesa has been forced out of his main event bout against Tony Ferguson on July 13.

Sources confirmed the news to FOX Sports on Monday following an initial report from MMAJunkie.com.

Chiesa confirmed on his Facebook page that it was a ruptured disc in his back that forced him to pull out of the fight with Ferguson.

"A back injury has forced me out of my scheduled fight for July 13th against Tony Ferguson," Chiesa explained. "During a routine training session, I felt a pop and shift in my lower back followed by very very sharp pains that left me on the floor. I found out today I have a fully ruptured disk, I will undergo 8 weeks of physical therapy and rehab to hopefully avoid having to go under the knife and get back surgery.

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A replacement search is currently underway to find a new opponent for Ferguson. 

Ferguson has been out of action since last December when he submitted Edson Barboza and he was originally supposed to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in April before an injury forced him off the card.

Now Ferguson awaits a replacement of his own as he hopes to earn a title shot with a win in July after walking away victorious in his last seven fights in a row.

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