by King Hazard
Due to an issue affecting the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs visa system and a technical problem with the Consular Consolidated Database, UFC is unable to secure entry into the country for 12 of its athletes slated to compete at UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MACHIDA vs. ROMERO on Saturday, June 27, at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. After reviewing every available option, UFC has committed to moving forward with the fight card in Florida, adding several new bouts to round out the nine-fight card.
The previously announced main event, featuring former UFClight heavyweight champion and current fourth-ranked middleweight contender Lyoto Machida versus No. 6 Yoel Romero, will remain atop the fight card in Florida, broadcast on FOX Sports 1. The new co-main event will feature Lorenz Larkin (15-4, 1 NC; Riverside, Calif.) taking on Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2; La Plata, Argentina) in a welterweight contest.
The bantamweight and lightweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil will now be featured at UFC 190: ROUSEY vs. CORREIA on Saturday, August 1 in Rio de Janeiro. The original co-main event for the Hollywood, Fla. card, Erick Silva vs. Rick Story, will no longer take place on June 27. UFC officials are discussing options for those fighters at this time.
Additionally, the bantamweight fight between Rani Yahya and Masanori Kanehara, originally slated for Hollywood, Fla., will now take place on July 15 in San Diego.
Bouts scheduled for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MACHIDA vs. ROMERO:
• A middleweight bout that features TUF Brazil 3 champion Antonio Carlos Junior (5-1; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) versus fellow TUF winner Eddie “Truck” Gordon (8-3; Uniondale, N.Y.)
• Middleweight Steve Bosse (10-1; St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec, Canada) vs. Thiago Santos (10-3; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• Featherweights Hacran Dias (22-3-1; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) vs. Levan Makashvili (10-1; Oceanside, NY)
• Hard-hitting welterweight Alex Oliveira (11-2-1, 1 NC; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), who most recently defeated KJ Noons, vs. UFC newcomer Joe Merritt (6-0; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).
• Welterweights Leandro “Buscape” Silva (17-2-1, 1 NC; Sao Paulo, Brazil) vs. Lewis Gonzalez (10-1; Turlock, Calif.), also making his UFC debut
• A battle between hungry UFC newcomers and welterweights Steve Montgomery (8-2; Boca Raton, Fla.) vs. Tony Sims (11-2; Denver, Colo.)
• *An additional fight will be added in the days to come
Source: UFC
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