The injury bug has struck next month’s UFC On FOX 7 yet again, and once again a winner from this past weekend’s UFC 158 event steps in on short notice to fill a hole in the card.
T.J. Dillashaw (7-1, 3-1 UFC) will now take on Hugo Viana (7-0, 2-0 UFC) in a preliminary card bout at UFC on FOX 7. Dillashaw replaces Francisco Rivera (9-2 1 NC, 2-1 1 NC UFC), who was forced out of the bout due to injury. UFC officials announced the news on Friday.
Dillashaw comes in off a strong win over Issei Tamura at UFC 158, extending his winning streak to three. He has also scored wins over Walel Watson and Vaughan Lee during his streak, and the only loss of his career came to John Dodson in his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale.
Viana looks to remain undefeated and extend his win streak to eight straight. He competed on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil”, making it to the semifinals before being eliminated. He defeated John Teixeira at UFC 147 in his debut, and made the drop to bantamweight, defeating Reuben Duran at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale in December.
Dillashaw is the third UFC 158 winner to take an open slot at UFC on FOX 7. Darren Elkins stepped in earlier this week for an injured Clay Guida against Chad Mendes, and it was recently announced that Jordan Mein will replace Dan Hardy against Matt Brown.
UFC on FOX 7 takes place from the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California on April 20. The main card airs on FOX while preliminary bouts air on FX and Facebook. UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson defends the title against Gilbert Melendez in the night’s main event.
