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Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 12:02 am Posts: 153
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After MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is injured and out of The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, the event has a new headliner.
UFC President Dana White confirmed recent UFC 157 winner Urijah Faber (27-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will meet fellow bantamweight Scott Jorgensen (14-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in the new main event.
The TUF 17 Finale takes place April 13 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It's the first finale to take place at a regular arena rather than a smaller concert venue, and it required the organization to book a big headliner to help with ticket sales.
That initially was done by booking Johnson (17-2-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) against challenger John Moraga (12-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a five-round title fight. However, the nature of the champ's injury wasn't disclosed, and officials didn't specify if the bout will rebooked for a later card.
For now, though, Faber returns to the cage after a fairly quick turnaround. The former WEC champion and recent UFC title challenger recently choked out Ivan Menjivar at this past weekend's UFC 157 event. Prior to that, the "California Kid" suffered unanimous-decision loss to Renan Barao in a fight for the interim bantamweight title.
Faber recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio he didn't care whom he fought next, though he understood big-name options were limited.
Jorgensen, a fellow WEC vet, recently ended a two-fight skid with a submission victory over John Albert at UFC on FOX 5 in December. It earned him "Fight of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" bonuses, and it erased the memory of his 2012 recent losses to Barao and Eddie Wineland. The Utah-based fighter shares many common opponents with Faber, though their own paths never crossed in either the WEC or UFC until now.
The latest TUF 17 Finale card includes: Urijah Faber vs. Scott Jorgensen TBA vs. TBA - "TUF 17" tournament final Travis Browne vs. Gabriel Gonzaga Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano Cole Miller vs. Bart Palaszewski Justin Lawrence vs. Daniel Pineda Maximo Blanco vs. Sam SiciliaSource: MMAJunkie.com
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