Key bantamweight bout with Bryan Caraway off UFC Fight Night 103
Las Vegan Bryan Caraway lobbied UFC officials for months before finally lining up a fight with fellow bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera for Jan. 15 in Phoenix.
Now Caraway will be unable to compete on that UFC Fight Night 103 card.
Caraway suffered a shoulder injury during training and has been pulled from the fight. The organization is seeking a replacement opponent for Rivera.
It might be a difficult task to find a worthy challenger to take a short-notice fight against Rivera, who won his 19th straight fight with a decision victory over Urijah Faber in September.
John Dodson, however, was among the first to volunteer for the fight through social media on Wednesday.
“I hear you need an opponent next week for #UFCPhoenix #LetsDoThis You in?” Dodson posted.
@jimmierivera135 I hear you need an opponent next week for #UFCPhoenix #LetsDoThis you in? @ufc @danawhite @seanshelby
— John Dodson III (@JohnDodsonMMA) January 5, 2017
The event is a rare Sunday card for the UFC and marks the return of Hall of Famer BJ Penn in a headlining bout against rising featherweight star Yair Rodriguez. It will take place at Talking Stick Resort Arena and air on Fox Sports 1.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.
