An injury has forced former UFC Welterweight Championship challenger Dan Hardy (25-10, 6-4 UFC) out of next month’s UFC On FOX 7 event. Hardy’s opponent, Matt Brown (16-11, 6-5 UFC), will now fight Jordan Mein (27-8, 1-0 UFC), who comes off a win in his UFC debut this past weekend at UFC 158.
UFC officials announced the change late last night.
Hardy was looking to score his third straight win after ending a four-fight skid, but that will have to wait as a heart ailment (per Hardy’s own Twitter Feed) will put him temporarily out of action. The California Athletic Commission has refused to allow him to fight because of it.
He had called Brown out for this fight. Brown is on a solid winning streak as well as he has won four straight fights. He knocked out Mike Swick in his most recent appearance at UFC On FOX 5 in December. He also holds wins over Luis Ramos, Stephen Thompson and Chris Cope during his current winning run.
Mein looked ultra impressive in scoring a win over Dan Miller at UFC 158 on Saturday. Mein survived Miller’s close attempt at securing an armbar and rallied back to knock Miller out in the first round, which was the first time Miller had ever been stopped in a fight. The 23-year-old already has 35 fights under his belt, and he has compiled a 13-2 record over his last 15 fights.
With the Brown vs. Mein fight being official, UFC On FOX 7’s main card has the distinction of being all UFC vs. Strikeforce import fights. The main card airs on FOX while prelims air on FX and Facebook. UFC On FOX 7 takes place April 20 from the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California.
The current UFC On FOX 7 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (FOX):
- Benson Henderson(c) vs. Gilbert Melendez (UFC Lightweight Championship bout)
- Frank Mir vs. Daniel Cormier
- Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson
- Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX):
- Chad Mendes vs. Darren Elkins
- Norman Parke vs. Jon Tuck
- Francis Carmont vs. Lorenz Larkin
- Ramsey Nijem vs. Myles Jury
- Joseph Benavidez vs. Darren Uyenoyama
- Tim Means vs. Jorge Masvidal
PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK):
- Francisco Rivera vs. Hugo Viana
- Anthony Njokuani vs. Roger Bowling
- Clifford Starks vs. Yoel Romero
