After a career that has seen 23 professional fights without making it to the biggest stage in the world, James Krause will finally get his chance to make his UFC debut in June. Krause (19-4, 0-0 UFC) replaces Isaac Vallie-Flagg (14-3-1, 1-0 UFC) and will take on Sam Stout (20-8-1, 8-7 UFC) at UFC 161 on June 15.
UFC officials confirmed the switch on Wednesday. Vallie-Flagg was forced out of the fight due to a back injury, which was first reported by Sherdog.com.
Krause fought twice for the UFC’s sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting, in 2009, going 0-2. He lost to current top UFC contenders Donald Cerrone and Ricardo Lamas. Krause attempted to get into the UFC by going through “The Ultimate Fighter” as he tried to make it onto the 15th season of the show. Krause was eliminated from the competition in the elimination rounds by Justin Lawrence, failing to make it into the house. However, Krause will finally get his shot in the UFC on the heels of a seven-fight win streak.
Stout most recently fought at UFC 157, taking a split decision victory over Caros Fodor. After going 4-1 over a stretch of five fights, Stout has rotated wins-and-losses over his last four fights. He holds wins in the Octagon over Spencer Fisher, Yves Edwards, Matt Wiman and Joe Lauzon, and he has won six UFC fight-night bonus awards.
UFC 161 takes place from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The main card airs on pay-per-view while preliminary fights air on FX and Facebook. A light heavyweight bout between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson headlines the event.
Stout vs. Krause will take place on the FX portion of the preliminary card.
