A lightweight fight between Ben Henderson and Michael Johnson which was set to headline the TUF 21 Finale on July 12th has been removed from the card altogether as the former champ has withdrawn for undisclosed reasons.
In it’s place the UFC have opted to move a welterweight fight between Jake Ellenberger and Stephen Thompson to serve as the new main event. Ellenberger Vs Thompson had originally been set to take place a day earlier at UFC 189.
In a further change, the TUF 21 Finale event has been moved from Florida (home of the two teams that feature on the show) and instead will now take place in Las Vegas which, from a logistical perspective at least, makes sense since UFC 189 is also set for the fight capital of the world too as part of the UFC’s ‘International Fight Week’ celebrations.
Ellenberger recently got back to winning ways with a submission win against Josh Koscheck at the end of February which put an end to an uncharacteristic three-fight losing run.
On the other hand, Thompson has been on a four-fight winning streak, but has yet to crack into the welterweight rankings. Ellenberger, who’s currently placed at No.9 in the division is a big step up in competition for ‘Wonderboy’, but a win would almost certainly propel him into the top 15.
Along with Ellenberger Vs Thompson, the TUF 21 Finale will also play host to Jorge Masvidal’s welterweight bout with Cezar ‘Mutante’ Ferreira and former Invicta FC champion Michelle Waterson’s UFC debut against Angela Magana.
