Stephan Bonnar has suffered an undisclosed injury and will be unable to compete as scheduled at UFC Live 5, the promotion announced Friday. Octagon newcomer Ronny Markes will get the call to confront Karlos Vemola, Bonnar's original opponent for the event.
Headlined by a welterweight clash between hard-hitting Brit Dan Hardy and durable veteran Chris Lytle, UFC Live 5 goes down Aug. 14 from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The event is also scheduled to feature a pivotal lightweight duel, as the surging Jim Miller squares off with former WEC champion Benson Henderson.
Markes, 23, rides a four-fight winning streak heading into his showdown with Vemola. The reigning light heavyweight king of Shooto Brazil, Markes has only lost once as a professional. The Nova Uniao representative holds nine of his 11 career wins by either knockout or submission and most recently earned a unanimous decision victory over former Pride Fighting Championships standout Paulo Filho in August.
Vemola recently made the cut to 205-pounds after suffering his first loss as a heavyweight to Jon Madsen at UFC 116 last year. The muscled Czech rebounded from the defeat to dominate Seth Petruzelli in November, earning a first-round TKO over “The Silverback” at UFC 122 in November. Vemola was originally supposed to return to the cage in March, but an oral infection forced him out of the planned UFC 128 contest.
Chris Nelson contributed to this report.
Source: Bonnar Injured; Newcomer ‘Markes’ in for UFC Live 5