UFC Fight Night 30 in the UK has a new headline fight after Michael Bisping was forced to pull out due to an on-going eye injury.
Bisping underwent surgery earlier in the year for a detached retina, but unfortunately he’s still having issues with it. The word from his camp is that he won’t require another operation, but he is expected to be out for another 5-6 months.
As such, his scheduled opponent Mark Munoz will now welcome former UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida to the middleweight division.
Machida had originally been lined up against Tim Kennedy at a ‘Fight For The Troops’ event on November 6th, but as a result of this switch he’ll now fight 11 days earlier.
‘The Dragon’ made the decision to move down to 185lbs after a close decision loss to Phil Davis last month which snapped a two-fight winning streak in which he’d defeated Ryan Bader and Dan Henderson.
In Munoz he faces a long-established UFC middleweight contender who’s so far produced an 8-2 record in the division and is currently ranked as the No.5 contender.
He last fought in July, rebounding from a loss to current champion Chris Weidman and a long injury layoff to defeat Tim Boetsch by decision.
While UK fans will no doubt be disappointed to see a hometown hero like Bisping be removed from the card, it’s likely that the opportunity to see an international star like Machida fight in the country for the first time will soften the blow.
The event will air live on BT Sport in the UK, while those in the US will be able to watch the action unfold on FOX Sports 2.
